The Spark of Astromech Building

     As with many astromech builders, I share the familiar story where the love and fascination for R2-D2 began as a child. In 1980, my mother took my little sister and I to watch Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, at the old Fox Theater in Covina, California. Being that this was my first real exposure to the saga, I never saw A New Hope until I begged Mom to rent it on Betamax a few years later. But as a kid in the fourth grade, watching Empire out of sequence never really mattered because most of my attention was diverted towards the "sights" and "sounds", with  R2-D2 being on top of this list, rather than the storyline itself. Having been the energetic and easily entertained little boy, this white and blue little droid was thought to be the coolest contraption in the entire world, equipped with all kinds of neat gadgets that popped out from concealed compartments and a battered grimy quality that made him appear very life-like.

     Since a child, this collector's card has been my most favorite of the set (1977, Series 4).

     ...but it wasn't until I went to Star Wars Celebration 4 (C4), on May 2007, which took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where it sparked the idea to someday build my own R2-D2 replica. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, I was about to experience one of the greatest surprises of my life. As I was waiting for my wife outside the women's restroom, I was suddenly swarmed with astromechs galore! There were droids everywhere!

 

     With my digital camera in video mode, I stood there in complete awe when these rolling, three-legged works of art, in an entire array of differing color schemes, sounds, and head shapes surrounded me as their makers maneuvered them towards the end of the hallway. It turned out that this parade had actually been a scheduled event. In a nutshell, C4 was such a mesmerizing experience that I will never forget.

     A few years had gone by after C4 and my wife purchases this little knickknack (...umm, it's the knickknack on the left):

     Imported from Japan, "Little R2," as I've named it, is a beautifully made, painted plastic figurine. When you press the pedal on his center foot, his dome opens as a lid to reveal a hidden trash can! ...and yes, folks, this is a fully licensed Star Wars collectible.  Although it was really nice having this cute two-foot version of R2-D2 around house, I wanted something bigger and more accurate. A few seconds later, I had an epiphany, as I realized that this was something I always wanted to do since my droid encounter at C4.  Even if I knew that building my very own full-scale astromech was going to become one of the lengthiest and most expensive projects of my life, I told my wife, who originally persuaded me to go to C4, that I was actually going to go forth with it. I haven't looked back since. Little R2 currently sits on my desk as major inspiration for my build.

      Project Astromech will be here to cover my past, present and future progresses.

Coming up next...   Research & Planning