CAD Designing a prop - Andor [season 2] micro-prop 4

 I recently got asked if I could produce a CAD model for 3D printing of a drinking vessel / flask shown in the Andor-zine.

Did a search online for sizes and this came back with sizes based on the fluid oz each one can hold. Not knowing this I went with dimensions that best matched the square'ish image above.

I then did a quick test print, including a cap and catch arm.

As you can see, this wasn't the best orientation lol, a vertical one would be better suited to the front detail, but this was the main item requested. The catch arm is pivoted and I drew this up as a separate part to be glued on at the position that best suited being able to lift off the cap.

I needed to do a few more alterations for myself to be happy before sharing the files, see link below.

Here's the link to the post over on the RPF Forum, to follow for updates.

The files are up on my Pruse account here. I've included the stp files as well.

CAD Designing a prop - Andor [season 2] micro-prop 3

Another prop drawn up in 3D CAD. Micro-prop 3

The internals are some sort of circuit board, initial thoughts were Sparkfun as there's have red boards.

I created this in three parts for easy printing & if different filament was wanted.

Link to the 3D files here.

HOW TO - 3D drawing a model

This is a short video showing the design process using CAD. It's not an in-depth tutorial, just a brief run through stages. If you have questions, please comment.

click above to watch

CAD Designing a prop - Andor [season 2] micro-prop 1

Thought id post up a short video explaining the process

for how I created the 3D printable micro-prop

seen in the previous post, from Andor.

Link to YouTube: Micro Prop 1 - Andor [season 2]

More Star Wars inspired 3D models: Prusa [FREE stl's]

Just before finishing up for Christmas, I had an idea for a 3D model. It's sort of based on a ceiling lamp shade, Star Wars inspired, but could also be used for panels etc. This is version 1 of 3, all slightly different.

click on image to linked file

I drew up and then modified the design into three different versions.

💥💥💥💥💥

Next up: Star Wars Andor season 2 TV show, published a promotional magazine, called 'Rebelion an ANDOR zine' [wiki link]

In it was a page of 'micro-props' that I liked the look of so have recreated them to be 3D printable.

click on image to linked file

Above image shows original model, insert, and my 3D drawn model. I designed it size wise to fit in palm of a hand. Or course you could scale it up or down to suit your preference.

I included in the design to accept M3 knurled brass inserts to be able to clamp the two halves together. The orange lite lens  part is not included [at the moment] as this was going to be an actual LED.

This one is a communication unit of some sort. The press button in this version is a fixed item, separate parts for ease of printing orientation.

💥💥💥💥💥

Next up was this desktop microphone. Again the sizes are based visually off the original image and the rough size of the microphone. The base resembles a car engines piston, connection rod.

Andor desk microphone

This is still a work in progress, so will link file once completed.

Original design & credit goes to Lucasfilms props department.

Nubian Royal Starship's Droid Bay - BUILD PROJECT - 1.0 [Didn't happen]

Allllllll the way back in March 2014........

Next project after completing R5

After thinking about what to build next I saw these and wanted to have a go at building.

These are the 'Droid Bays' found aboard the Royal Naboo Star ship.

There are toy versions, which I have used as a base for creating it.

Here's some more pic's from inside the ship.

And here are the CAD drawings I started drawing up in May 2013

This is not going to be a two minute job and may not even get off the ground as the internal framework also has to eb worked out. Plus it has to be light and be able to be disassembled.

This idea never came to fruition, and with the advent of 3D printing, it still could be a viable idea to make, but others are built these since, so am just posting this up from my draft post.

Treadwell WED-15 .......the Rise of the Machine..... Part 29

Post started 4th September 2025 - into October.

Treadwell has taken a back seat for a while now, but I wanted to finish building him before our annual builders Christmas meet-up, so with renewed energy.

List of things to do is always a good start:

    1. New idler axles                x 6 off👍

        New drive axles                x 2 off👍

    2. New correct Wheel spacers x 6 off👍

    3. New motors                     x 2 off......................??? 👈

    4. Signal booster fix. 👈

    5. Mast box build - 3D printed parts etc. - click here to see Box Build Post.   

    6. Remove the original guide wedges from the tracks.👍

    7. 3D print more new round track guides. 👍

    8. Remove the paint from the drive wheels [sticky]👍

    9. New front 'tension' blocks. 👈

    10. Unexpected track repair......... but then a WIN!!! 👈

    11. Volume knob. 👈

    12. Fake antenna UPGRADE. 👍

    13. LED's fitting to 'eyes'.

    14. Constraining the ‘eyes’ to each other.

1. Starting with....new axles:

I bought an 8mm dia rod months back, but it was slightly over size so needed turning down on the lathe in work, to fit through the bearings etc.

First one turned out good [turned.....machined.....see what I did there 😂]. Only having lunchtimes to do this, drill a centre hole to then use a revolving centre so as to be able to machine the full length of the spindles. Next is to then thread the ends for the flanged M8 Nylock nuts.

I also needed to machine up two new longer drive axles, to allow for the wheel spacers. These are 10mm diameter, stepped down to 6mm dia for the shaft coupler. No reason really for the 10mm dia size, except that this was going to be the size for all the axles.

2. Wheel spacers:

On closer inspection of the alternative WED base droid, seen in Mos Eisley ally way, WED-9-M1 (Star Wars Fandom), you see that the tracks are spaced away from the body!

WED-9-M1 DROID

So I had drawn up and 3D print off spacers, to match. Not sure how, but I got the diameter different, so had to reprint these. Not sure yet if these will be free rotating or if I will glue them to the wheels.

Pic from July 2024:

3.New Motors:

A possibility......???

My thoughts were that perhaps they wouldn't be up to the power needed. Even though testing proved they are.

4. Signal boosters:

I found that when WED was fully assembled, I was having problems with controlling his arm and head. One possibility was that the battery was low. The second was that [with my first time sending a signal over this long length of cable] the signal was too weak. So I bought two sets of boosters fly-leads to try 👍.

servo signal booster

5. Mast box build:

I had already drawn up plans for this when I designed the head box. See independent post for more details.

6 & 7 Track guide wedges - DELETED:

The 'screen accurate' guide wedges, were unfortunately too stiff for the tracks, and weren't flexible enough. So had to remove them and replace them with the new 3D printed round track guides [POINT 7].

7. Track guides:

I tried a few different variables, one being a slightly tapered diameter, after my original 'cannon' style didn't work, I decided to try this [credit goes to Paul's Bots]. Link to Paul's tread/wheels build.

I need to narrow the wheels channel for better location of the guides. So more 3D CAD/printing required.

UPDATE: 16.9.25

The new inner wheel guides printed great on version 2. These were slightly modified for structural strength and because visually they don't need to have the slits in like the wheels themselves.

After testing, I will update the 3D wheel models to incorporate this addition.

Here are the new wheel inner track guides, in black, glued in.

idle wheel with inner track guides

Test first guide popped into place on the track.

 

As with Paul, I made a 3D printed drill template so that the holes would all be central on the track. I did have to modify mine from the one I created from my moulds as the teeth sizes were slightly narrower.

So a total of 140 were printed off. 80 off each for every other groove.

8. Drive wheels paint removal:

The paint reacted with the curing rubber had became sticky, sticking to the tracks. So using sand paper, I removed the thick paint from the outer diameter faces.

9. Front 'tension' blocks:

The axles for the two front wheels were long enough, so I just altered the [3D printed] inside face that has the nut recess, so that a Nylock nut can secure the axles in place.

The location on the base has to be repositioned as the original tracks were a bit too long, requiring some woodworking alterations.

10. Track repair/replacement:

It wasn't on my original list of things to do, but on removing one or two of the 'track guide wedges', on an early join [one NOT overlapping] the joint broke. So I ordered some more rubber mix, but repair work will be put on hold as....... 👇👇👇

New Tracks:

11.Sept.2025

I thought I'd have another search inline for the tracks [super-charger timing belts] and found some here in the UK [at last]. Decided to bite the bullet and purchase a pair.

Click picture for link to Bolton Engineering Products.

I have no affiliation with this company, am linking for future builders.

The calculated cost of me making my own tracks was over £100 in total, not including the time to design up and 3D print off the moulds etc. The fact that they are also NOT internally web meshed, didn't fill me with confidence on they're lasting performance. They would still be ok for 'display' purposes.

UPDATE: 16.9.25

Belts arrived and I couldn't be more happier 😊😊😊😊😊

It may sound strange, but there are certain things that, for reliability, need to be sound. The fact that Tread needs the tracks to be 100% dependable/straight/strong, means that driving him with confidence is now a guarantee.

11. Volume Knob:

Still not as loud as R5, plus it does need to have a noise suppressor fitted. So whilst searching for ideas, I found this for drone fpv video feed interference suppression.

I fitted it, after some testing to find the cause, inline with the mini 'step down voltage regulator.'

And of course, I had to CAD up a bracket for it to be mounted onto the control board. The volume still isn't up to the loudness of R5......

12. Fake Antenna base:    [6.10.25]

I wasn't really happy with the fact that the fake rear antenna, was made out of a steel piece of bar, no flexibility and defo safety concerns lol.

So drew up an adaptor in TPU that fits between the two parts as a test. This then fits onto the original base part. The upper section is also now a found piece of leftover carbon tube.

13. LED's fitting to 'eyes':    [8.10.25]

This had been on my to-do list to bring some 'life' to Tread. Recently got hold of some large blue bulbs and sockets for them off eBay. Drew up a holder in CAD and 3D printed off some test versions, figuring out along the way how best to install them.

Originally it was going to be on the inside base of the head units.

Idea no2 was to mount the LED brackets to the rear of the lens window frames.

Tested the LED bulb behind the acrylic and it looks good, but needs to be diffused more????

14. Constraining the ‘Eyes’: (16.10.25)

The single-servo’d ‘Eye’, wasn’t very well linked/connected to the other. This bugged me!

So I needed a better way to constrain its movements.

I came up with the idea of installing the geared parts from a broken servo, into the unservo’d housing. So I re-designed the fake piston and connected both servo horn arms to it. Making the second ‘eye’ constrained with the servo controlled one.

UPDATE POST WITH picture(s)..........

Almost the end of November, and still have a few last things to get ready before the annual Droid Builders Christmas get-together....

A weekend blitz on the to-do list including the mast box build, and the final piece was to open up the slot for the front wheel axle, and some new location plate holes.

All (99%) complete, ready for next Saturday…… display and testing lol.

This Build has reached 29 stages, so to round off, I'll post one last Blog update with loads of photos lol, to make it a nice round 30.

#treadwelldroid #droidbuilders #rebeldroidsnet #3dprinting

From concept to reality - A New Astromech - JLD

Concept artist, Jake Lunt Davies, posted up some of his work back around August 2023. They were based on future R series astromech droids as possible design ideas.

Artwork by Jake Lunt Davies

 

Checkout Jakes Wookieepedia page here: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jake_Lunt_Davies

Role on to October 2024: Mike liked these designs and had the idea to combine the bits he liked best into a new 'JLD style Astromech'.

He asked if I could convert the images into 3D printable pieces. And when I say 'convert', what I actually mean is, drawing up in 3D CAD using only my interpretation [scale] of the images to the best of my abilities 😁😁😁.

Just two of the components I created

Mike himself, started to build the body/legs/feet etc and created his own 'skins' for the body. These being different to R2's and are also a combination created, based on Jake's designs.

The foot shell's had to be designed up and scaled, basing them on 'standard' R2 style feet motors etc. He then asked about could I possibly draw up a spring....

Several attempts later.....

a 3D printed spring
[this one with a back, to allow flex, but not break]

Just to show how springy this original one is, here's a link to my YouTube shorts. This was just regular PLA filament.

Here's some more progress pictures. Build credit to Mike B.

Material list: Wood internal frame and legs, other parts are 3D printed and assembled by Mike, inc painting.

Mike finished his build early 2025 and was able to introduce his JLD droid to the real JLD, this year at Droids @ Mshed event. Jake was most impressed that his designs had become a real working droid. Here's some of the pictures from the event.

Jake was kind enough to sign Mikes build

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Big thanks to Lee Towersey and to Jake Lunt Davies.

3D printing parts project for Mike B

October 2025

My mate Mike, asked for my expertise's 😁😂 in how to make things work better.

So I made a few adjustments and CAD/3D printed a new part which fitted better and with some very light flat sanding, to remove the high spots around the new 3D printed parts outside dimeter..... it fitted nice and snugly and ran smoothly.

The addition of some lithium grease will also help.

-----

This is all related to a new project that he is working on....

💥💥💥TOP SECRET💥💥💥

‘Trading Card Dispenser’ control box - servo switch controlled [Part 2]

Back in 2022, I posted up about the electronics

for the TCD Control Box.

This was supposed to be THE new RC switch controlled unit, see picture.

Wrong RC switch [not a momentary one]

.....rather than the previous (and very successful it was too) remote controlled version picture here below.

original remote controlled fob version

The new RC switch that I thought was the correct one, wasn't a momentary version, but an on/off one.

Momentary RC switch

So I had to get a new RC switch, from Model Radio Workshop.

The above switch then links to a (original design) micro voltage regulator (seen in next image) and an adjustable automotive timer (orange)

• The single relay controller (from model radio workshop) has been designed to allow modellers to switch one item on and off (max current 1 amp).
• The unit also allows the user to select latching or non latching mode, so in latching once switched on it stays on until you trigger it to un-latch.

These have gone up in price so had to find another (cost effective) type of adjustable timer, (The timer unit is the orange relay in below picture).

Components List for a RC Transmitter switch version:

• Momentary RC switch from/or similar link to Model Radio Workshop: MRW06 Single Relay Controller Switch
• Adjustable relay timer: example here.

Components List for a Remote control relay switch version:

• Remote control relay: example here.
• Adjustable relay timer: example here.
• Voltage regulator, 12v stepdown version: example here.

The above two versions have different 3D housings (If you'd like this), these can be found on my Prusa account page, FREE to download and print.

I have now created a Facebook page,

dedicated for the

Trading Card Dispenser.

To help and for others to share their builds and modifications etc.

3D printing - Jake Lunt Davies (Part2)

17th October 2024

Last week (December 2021), I finished off the lower body of the GONK, as well as creating the unseen sides.

Now, I’ve not drawn this to scale, but by eye only. When it came to 3D printing, I decided to print it at 50% half scale. To save on material and mostly time, as I wanted to see it 😂.

Here's the link to part 1

Here's the link to the 3D model I created.

Flag Banners: DIY Build (not yet completed)

April 2024:

I had an idea to utilise a load of PVC tubing i had in the garage. By turning them into flag banners. I went with the pivoted top that would move in the winds direction, hopefully preventing it from being blown over.

So I drew up and 3D printed the top piece first to check for size.

When I got home, I tested it out, i then drilled through the banner arm, and secured it to the pivot top with pop rivets.

As an example I knocked up this to see what it would look like.

Thinking I might need a bottom arm to hold the banner down.

I did drew up some rings and 3D printed them for the flag pole for the banner to be attached to, but I think the arm is a better option.

Spoke with the group about printing double sided & looked online, not very cheap though. Then I found a shop on Amazon, considerably cheaper!

Messaged Mike if he could modify a higher resolution image, he said leave it with him…..

I found that the PVC tube was a bit too flexible, but I found some smaller diameter tube which fitted perfectly inside, which helped with rigidity.

I drew up an angled bracket to help support the top arm.

October 2024: not yet completed.

Treadwell WED-15-77: mast box build (not yet made)

March/April 2024

With the tracks completed (at the time of writing this), and after making the head box, I needed a storage/transport box for the ‘mast’ section.

This was going to be built using the same design as the head box. I 3D printed the corner pieces again and then modified a copied version into a middle section.

I bought some more carbon fibre wrap and plastic edging.

October 2024: this still hasn't been built yet.