R5-2JE astromech: Anniversary

Today, September 5th, back in 2018, I got to work on a little project code named 'TRIXIE'.

Due to change of plans on set, I didn't get to operate R5 that day, but I did get to assist Lee Towersey, and R2, on set, stood opposite the Falcon 😍. Sam P, was eventually the operator of R5 as well as his own droids, a few days later.

Another amazing opportunity (the third one) that I am truly grateful for to of experienced. Being behind the scenes is hard work, but worth it 😊.

#R52JE is named so for three very special reasons 💓💓💓

R5 has appeared in three films (different colour schemes), this being the only time the droids designation suggested was used.

'2J' represents my two eldest children, Jessica & Jacob, and 

'E' for my youngest daughter Evie.

For those interested, R5 has the unique features of his centre leg only having one ankle cylinder, and a restraining bolt! Have a search for images and see if you can find him lol

#droidbuildersuk

#astromechdroid

#theriseofskywalker

#r5

#trixie

#droidfactory

#toy

Galaxys Edge : Family holiday 2023

2020 should of been our family holiday to Florida and the House of Mouse lol.

August 2023

Three years of it being postponed due to COVID etc means my two youngest's were now not so wide eyed and enthusiastic about the parks as they were when younger. This was a shame but only to be expected. There is an age limit for standing in sweltering heat for over an hour in some cases to get on a ride that lasts only a few mins.

This post will be about all the Star Wars stuff, rides and merchandise I saw (& liked), so not much R2 stuff 😂

The day came and we made our way to Hollywood Studios, and then not stopping, over to Galaxys Edge…..well, we got as far as Star Tours and with only a 10min wait, we walked in and straight onto the ride.

Walking out into the trading post shop, it had changed a lot since my last visit, got around to see what they had on the shelves, a bit disappointed with some of the stuff, it does make me wonder what the marketing people think the public wants compared to what they offer lol. Not knocking the quality, just some of the product choices.

They had the Kenobi droid factory set as well as the Pride pack of droids. Of course they didn’t have the Rise of Skywalker droid set anymore, so wasn’t able to pick up R5-2JE and co.

Pin badges vary from shop to shop and park to park as I found out.

The kids weren’t interested in re-living a past selfie, outside with the stone carved Tatooine Trading sign. So we made our way over to Galaxys Edge. Filming while walking through the underpass out into the Black Spire Outpost.

Our first sight is the mountains above the Resistance ride, followed by the laser cannon turret of the Resistance entrance. This was our first ride and the que only started undercover saving us from the twin suns lol.

Walking through the tunnels, there was plenty to see and occupy your time. Trying to spot what everyday items had been used to create the fixtures and fittings. These lamps looked great as a future project.

LAMP pics:

As you can see, I’ve already made a 3D model and sectioned it up for easier printing.

Here’s some of the merch on sale:

Flasks in Imperial white as well as a Vader black version.

These four were wooden toys that were posable. There were two other types.

We really enjoyed the experience and the ride itself and the attendants ‘attitude’ was great and ‘in character’ as First Order personnel 😂👍🏽.

We then walked around to find the Falcon ride, bypassing the market area (I came back to explore this by myself).

We entered the hanger area via the First Order landing hanger. Coming into view as we founded the corner and from under the archway, there she was.

That first impression was just like Han seeing it for the first time in Solo a Star Wars story!

......WOW!!!

The shear size, the surrounding environment, the sounds.....😍😍😍

After admiring the view for a while, we went in to que up for the ride.

Again, the attention to details inside meant that the waiting wasn't a chore.

First items to see inside.

A droid and flight suits.

We visited the ride several times over the two weeks. The second time I wore my red Han Solo t-shirt.

Most people probably just see the Coca Cola idea and don’t pay much attention……unless you wear it IN a Star Wars environment lol. I had a few ‘great t-shirt’ comments, but the best one was on leaving the Smugglers Run ride with my daughter, that an attendant called out to me to get a better look lol and ask where I got it from. My daughter did a quick online search and found a similar design, which was appreciated and reassuring for her to know. She asked us if we had been on the ride, which we had, then asked if we wanted to go again…..before we had time to answer, she was showing us the lightning line entrance 🤩.

Here’s some more pics:

These following pics are from other areas:

And some more:

The droids are what caught my attention, every time lol.

Whilst watching this for the second time…. I was trying to figure out how they did the hologram of Ray.

I figured it out 😉👍🏽

The experience was something I wont forget!!

Watched a few YouTube videos on the secrets/easter eggs, hidden in the land etc, I missed a few but others I did notice.

We had some wet days, but managed to not get caught out in them much. Just being there didn’t dampen the experience!

#galaxysedge #hansolo #hollywoodstydios #florida #starwars #disney #milleniumfalcon #smugglersrun