Re: Classic MPC C-3PO and R2-D2 uber detail build
BIG UPDATE!
FINALLY!!!!!!!
After 3 long months and tons of glued fingers, I've finally completed the duo! This will be the last entry for the build. As I type the video is compiling and I hope everything goes well. So... to complete the build I had to make a name plate. So here's what I did... I made my own decal. Wasn't too difficult... First I started with an image I made in Photoshop...
then I printed it couple of times on plain paper to get the size right. When the size was right, I took a sheet of photo paper and printed it out in the highest detail I could get. I made sure to let the ink dry completely before continuing. Then taking some gloss clear spray I sprayed a couple of coats over the printed decal. I let it dry throughly. While waiting for it to dry, I cut out a couple of pieces of styrene to make the name plate. I glued them together and let that dry.
Now just like any other decal I put it in some water, and it slid right off. I used a little distilled white vinegar (more commonly known as Decal Set but a helluva lot cheaper) and set it onto the plastic. Then, using some Future Floor Wax (this stuff goes a LONNNNNGGGGGGGGG way... I bought this stuff like 10 years ago and still have almost a full bottle!) I sealed the entire name plate and set it aside to dry... and it came out looking all shiny and new!
I took some of my epoxy putty and put it on the base and then pushed the completed name plate into the putty. Since this stuff is pretty tacky by itself, it holds it pretty good when it hardens and then painted it flat white to match the base.
Now it's time to finish up the droids. First up... I used some epoxy putty and put 3PO's arms into position. They aren't going anywhere now. Then I had to finish up R2. First thing I did was put a hinge on the back panel and moved the extra arm closer to the edge so it's easier to remove/replace.
Then I have been dreading this part. I cut the circuit board in half. Why? With it whole it wouldn't fit on the top properly, but with it in two pieces I could tuck them into the dome further and once I did I tested it to make sure it would still work and it did. The way I set the chips on the board I was certain that if I halved it in the middle it would come away clean with no circuit damage and it did.
I tested out the circuit and everything still worked but now I was having another problem. Even thou I had soldered the capacitors to the board, the light flashing would stall out completely. So I tried something new. I soldered a jumper wire from the 12 pin of one chip to the 12 pin of the other and what do you know... no more stalling. Now it's time to glue the dome onto the body. This is the one part that took probably longer then anything else. I used 5 minute epoxy glue to glue it down... the problem with that is that you have to hold it down for at least an hour before it sets to a point where it don't move.
Since the circuit inside is a tight fit, it has the tendancy to spring upward, so I had to sit there holding the dome down for about an hour to make sure that it wouldn't move anymore. When everything was dried, I did some touch up painting along the rim of the dome and in various other places. When you're handling prepainted pieces, it tends to wear off in spots so you have to go back and touch it up here and there. But I also printed up a good background image for it too. I found a great one of the Hoth Corridor built by MonCal that would be perfect. But alas it was too small to make a good background image... the paper is too small... would have to print it up alot larger to fit these two. But now without any further ado... I give you all the completed R2-D2 and C-3PO!
And just so you can see the scale I was dealing with, because this isn't an easy thing to see in the photos, I made a video so you can all see the flashing lights working!
R2-D2 and C-3PO Complete
I hope everyone enjoyed the build as much as I did. I want to say a special thank you to Grendel, Zombie, Bryan, MMTom, and of course Scott. You all have been great inspirations to me. I just hope that I was able to help someone out with this build and show that even on a budget, you can really make some really detailed stuff! And of course thanks go to everyone that has been watching and commenting on this build... Thank you all! Now it's on to the next project!
Happy modeling everyone!
