Restraining Bolt

I'm the first to admit I suck at math. Hell - I got a 16 in Algebra the first year I took it. Yeah you read that right -- Sixteen. That said, I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how much polystyrene I need to purchase. I think I finally have it worked out, thanks to some nice guys on the R2 Builders forum. There is a supplier in Syracuse who is supposed to give me a quote on their stuff sometime today.

I'm sourcing all the resin parts and will probably put in an order along with my friend Tim (who is building a custom R6) to try to save on shipping. The devil truly is in the details. The resin bits are about $400-500 for all the junk that goes on an average R-series body. Some things I've decided to get out of wood (booster covers, for example) which, though are more expensive, have the detail I'm after.

The first "real" piece of this droid I'll have is -- a restraining bolt. Someone was doing a limited run of aluminum ones for less than the cost of a resin one so I jumped on it. As a whole, to the uneducated or unconcerned it's not an impressive piece. A lathed aluminum stubby cylinder that resembles a lid to a bottle, but for a Star Wars fan it's just awesome.

This will keep that little droid from escaping...

This attaches with an embedded high-powered magnet to a metal plate I'll epoxy to the inside of the skin.

Speaking of skins, I've decided to just buy them pre-cut. Given the limited space I have to work on the droid I want the things that require space to be somewhat easier.

Also - I was reading about the weight of R-series droids in general. Someone was talking about metal vs. wood vs. styrene and said that they saw someone lift their styrene droid - whole - above their heads with one hand. Given that I'm assembling him in a basement I think this is GREAT NEWS. Poor R5 might be living down there now that I know he can be carried out easily.