The Build:
The first thing I’ve done is get the parts for the actual R2-D2 frame cut out and set aside (I’ve decided on polystyrene plastic from McMaster Carr as my material of choice). The way the build process is broken down is essentially into five major components: Legs, Feet, Frame, Dome, and Skirt.
For no particular reason other than I felt it would be one of the more satisfying parts to begin with I decided to start with the frame. After many weeks spending time painstakingly cutting out paper templates and gluing them onto the polystyrene sheets, I finally was able to cut them out on a band saw I got access to.
The first step of building was mounting the rectangular verticals to the rings of the body to connect the bottom and lower rings.
I then went on to the upper ring and attached the long verticals that will make up the majority of the body height. For added support at this stage the wider vertical panels, which will eventually have the legs attached to them. In the view below the bottom ring you see is actually the top-most ring. The legs will attach at the shoulder just above it.
The rest of the long verticals resting at the bottom in the above picture have been attached in the next. I have then taken them and attached them to the two lower rings in the first picture. At this point the frame is about 75% complete and spans the full height of the droid. The parts that are not in pace are ring segments that well go between the verticals.
At this point I needed to cut out more pieces to continue to make any kind of significant progress, so I had to call it quits. As of the time of this posting I’ve gotten additional parts laid out and am planning on getting them cut and ready for assembly hopefully sometime in mid-late October.