R0-D4 Dome update 2020 (part 1)

 This dome has been sat patiently on a shelf waiting for me to finish its dome ring I upgraded a few years ago. Original the ring was wood, but when having to upgrade the dome to the new rockler style bearing, I had to deconstruct the neck ring to be able to get the old bearing surface out.

Check the link for the beginning of this building process here:

Building R0-D4’s wood dome.

On with the update 2020:

I had glued the 3D printed panels together, but then ‘welded’ them using a soldering iron and extra PLA filament. Melted plastic is a much stronger bond than super glue. Forward to 2020:

I smoothed over the not so perfect joins, before hitting it with filler primer.

The neck ring is detachable so spraying is easy. A few coats of primer before spraying up red & white.

More updates soon.

Throw Back Thursday - R0-D4 dome build

This week, throw back Thursday is a look at my R0-D4 dome I started to make.
The name is just my play on the R0 domes created by Lee & Oliver for 'The Force Awakens' film.

As with all my work it's built from wood, although a few years later I started an upgrade to change the rotation setup, requiring a new lower neck ring. This was going to be made out of metal, but due to tools, I had to make do with 3D printing it. This part is still uncompleted. He actually had a toy (not official) made of him by Mark T.....Blog link here.

So here's the dome,

semi completed and before the neck ring upgrade work had begun:

Frame work:

Link to Blog history of build can be found here.
Thanks for reading.

R0-D4 dome upgrade 2017 - 1.7 - 3D printed Dome Rods **UPGRADE**

Test fitted the first new dome rod the other day. Due to the internal angles of the wood when it was glued together, these are not perpendicular, so I had to file the ends slightly for it to fit. I know I'll have to do the same with the others.

Next was to drill location holes to hold the new rods in place from behind. The previous rods were slotted into a bottom hole and secured with a screw at the top.
Then its sanding etc before spraying up.

R0-D4 dome upgrade 2017 - 1.6 - 3D printed Dome Rods **UPGRADE**

So this was my first attempt (white piece),

alongside my original incorrect silver painted ones.

Needed refining and re-sizing as didn't take depth of my recess panels into account.

These are a work in progress still......

R0-D4 dome upgrade 2017 - 1.5 - 3D printed Dome Rods **UPGRADE**

Since Celebration Europe 2016, I've been meaning to get back to

sorting out my R0-D4's dome rods.

I snapped a pic of Lee's R0 dome he brought along.

And instantly realised how wrong my dome rods were lol.

These are definitely a LOT better than the ones I drew up and had printed lol.

So I measured up my dome slots and got to drawing up on

Auto CAD Inventor (in work) and scaled up a version to fit.

I gauged by eye, so mine will only 'look' the same,

but not actually be 'correct'.

First attempt.

Next up is 3D printing a set up, WIP.....

'R0 dome build - 4.6 - 'electrical - LED's pt 2'

1st August 2016
This piece of work was started a few weeks before Celebration Europe, but with time running out on finishing my Son's costume, this had to wait.

As much as I liked the flashing LED's project for R0's PSI unit, the blue LED's were a bit over powering for the fibre optic's and even when these were placed further away to give more of a blue glow (rather than two pin point's) I still wasn't 100% happy.

I wanted more of a glow to the panel. So quick e-bay search and I found some flat headed, 'soft glow' LEDS. I then test drilled out some wood hardboard and hot glued them into place. Next I soldered them up and connected them up to a mini 12v battery.

Fitting the LED's in place

Here you can see the hot glue holding the LED's in place

LED's in place

25.10.16 weekend update:
And here's the view lite up...........well, this was where I was going to post lite up pictures of the panel. I had glued the panel in place in R0's dome ages ago, but when I came to wire up the circuit, something happened and fried the LED's???

Really can't think how or even when this happened as am always super (ok, past history, 95% super) careful with circuits. So it's back to the design board for this part.

** Celebration Europe 3 - 2016 - The Event Report PT2 **

Next, myself Matt & Ian, crossed over into the second hall area. This was where the 501st, Rebel Legion were as well as more shops, Lego display and of course the Rogue One costume display was.

Rey & BB-8, picture for my daughter :)

Lego Star Wars

R2-D2 - battery powered! Not one of ours tho lol

Mandalorian Mercs area

First Order Stormtroopers, impressive......most impressive!

Whilst checking out the stalls setting up, I noticed a familiar face. I waited as he did have people he knew were talking to him, then asked if I could have my picture taken.

Me with Steve Sansweet

Ranch Obi-Wan link

There was the usual 501st landspeeder, but also a Wampa cave photo opp, control room set up as well as the Tantive corridor wall. And also this Jedi Interceptor by the French Garrison.

Jedi Interceptor - French Garrison

With so much going on & what we needed to prepare for, so we headed back to the Builders stand. Here's some more of the Astromech's on display...

Over the course of the weekend, builders who arrived slotted their droids in between the others. So some of the pics may look the same, but have droid variations lol.

This was the side next to the Family Area. Here we have R0 droids (Lee Towersey TFA version, 2nd from left) Two R4's (blue is Ian Havenhand's), R2 units, Oliver Steeples red R5, Alan's scaled R2 & then the BB-8 builders table.

R2 display, next to the Family Area

BB8 builders setting up.

The cut away version is James' X-Robots

More updates in Part 3....

'R0 dome build - 4.4 - '3D printed Dome Rods'

So my Boss was kind enough to print off three dome rods, a few days before Celebration Europe. But I didn't have the time to fit them. This will be next on list of things to do.

Whilst at CE3 tho, Lee brought along his R0-4L0 driod to display along with all the others.
The actual design is different to the version created. I may upgrade to the 'actual' design later on, but for now I'll work on these.

My #SWCE report is coming soon.....

'R0 dome build - 4.3 - 'electrical - LED's'

I bought an LED 'breathing' effects kit, practical self soldering. But its effects were less than I wanted. So I dug out the fibre optic wire I'd bought ages ago for something else and linked them up to some multi colour LED'S. These were also bought for use with the fibre optics.
I then cut lengths and carefully heat shrank them over the multi LED's, and then drilled multiple holes and randomly super glued them into place. The two main Blue LED's were also just in my box. Not sure if I should use one or both sets, as the Blue LED's are bright...

Here's a short video of the light's in action.....

'R0 dome build - 4.2 - 'neck painting'

Oh..... I forgot to include the work i did for the neck ring.....

I used detail pin striping to create my design for R0's neck details. I used this technique on R5 for his top stripes.
It's good because it's tacky enough to stick but not enough to pull paint off, lol. Also it stops the dreaded 'paint bleed'!

Next was to cover the rest of the dome, with A3 sheets of paper. Masking tape was applied to it and then onto the pin stripe edge.

And then it was spray time.

Removing paper and pin stripes.......paper/pin stripes rubbish.

And the finished detail...

'R0' dome build - 4.1 - 'final spray painting'

Another busy weekend but managed to finish everything off ready for Monday.

I cut out and applied silver tape to lid's 'groove'.

Next I masked off dome......

And cut out for the squares........

I missed (in the ref pics & also on Sigge's plan's) that the recess box are colour matched, so cut these out and masked them off too. 
I decided not to spray the two rear panels blue. Decided to go with the R5 'only red' style (which then matches R5's body).

Couldn't wait till Monday to spray, so back to basics and sprayed up the dome lid at home, outside. No wind which was a plus too.

pre-spraying......

removal of masking tape.

No paint bleed (hardly lol)

And once all the masking was removed.....

Think this was more paper saturated with paint rather than bleeding under the tape.

Later once dried, I trimmed down a paint brush suitable for painting the square grooves and upper two rear panel grooves. I sprayed silver into a small container and applied it with the brush. Whilst this was drying, I cut out more silver tape for the main lower edge groove as I wanted this to match the top lid groove.

Silver neck groove tape

Silver painted grooves

The silver paint is silver, which match's R5's grooves, but the tape is more 'chrome' than silver.

This morning I brought the lid & dome back into work, as wanted to get the clear coat on.

Clear coat on.

Next is:- the light panel & weathering the dome.

'R0' dome build - 4.0 'white gloss spraying of Dome'

This afternoon's work was spraying up the dome with gloss white paint :)

Utilising works spray booth again, I sprayed up the dome and lid.

The lid is now finished so this can be clear coated and then the silver strip can be applied.
The dome still has a bit more work to be done, red & blue spraying and also silver detailing.

This is what I'm planning for the Dome to match up with R5's body.