Spring is almost here!

Today was the first signs of spring with weather in the upper 40s so I decided to open up the shop for real and get some work done on the bigger projects.

With the new jigs I made I made 5 pieces of the Dalek skirt.

 Next I did a new basecoat on the GONK where the paint has chipped off over the years. When it is a bit more warm I will put a topcoat.

 Also got some spring cleaning done in the basement where all the robots like to hang out. :)

Gonk repair.

After many a con the gonk is starting to show it's age. So I decided to spruce it up a bit while cleaning out the garage. I started by repainting all the chipped areas.
Then I modified the inside so it can hold and charge more batteries.

This and that and this and a....

Tonight Little City, Brad and Jen came over to glue up another set of legs. The set being glued is L.C.'s, we got a pattern down from yesterday so it only took us 15 minutes from start to finish.
With all the extra timewe had I showed them my battery recharging gonk.
LC even took the time to sport the R4 dome Jen and I got glued together before the guys arrived.
No I could not wait a week to glue it up : )
Tomorrow night we will glue up Brad's legs. Then we only have two sets left after that :)

Astromech charging system in a GONK droid

I have been wanting to finish this project for some time and now I have.
I got some new tools for the job that I was lacking. A better soldering iron with a long tip, a solder sucker, and some connectors.
First I cut a hole for a car power adapter.
I then attached the power adapter with a washer on the front so it will not put out easily.
I then took my spare charger and used the solder sucker to take out the LEDs.
Next I put extension wires in it's place so I can route them where I want them.
Everything seem to be working ok.
I drilled 3 small holes above the power outlet and installed the charger's LEDs.
Green for charged
Red for Charging, and the yellow is for if there is a dead battery.
After cleaning up some of the internal wiring and making an adapter for the alligator clips that clip onto the batteries I gave it a test run. The adapter can also be changed to connect to other types of 6v and 12v batteries.
Later I will also put in a charger for my smaller batteries with a special connector, but right now this is what I really needed for long events so I always have fresh batteries waiting for the drive system of R2-CM. The gonk is also strong enough to carry 6 extra spare 12v 7amp hour batteries inside of him.

E.G. the Power Droid!

It has been 2 days sence i glued and painted my Gonk droid and the glue and paint are still tacky because of the high humidity and cold temps. Today it warmed up a bit so I set him outside to dry. Being outside some of the frozen glue reactivated and I had to puts some parts back into place that let loose. EG still needs another coat of paint and the electronics put in but it will have to wait until after tomarrows Halloween event. I just need to break down and get a heater for the BARN, especially if I want my R2 skins to turn out right when I paint them LOL.

Here is some photos of how he looks right now....

SIDE FRONT
SIDE FRONT FROM DOWN LOW
HEAD ON
REAR VIEW

Power Droid painting

Back to the power droid today. I decided not to take the time and replicate the original feet to the letter and made some out of some Rubbermade containers. I cut the top out of the lids and a hole on the bottom side for the leg to fit threw. I also used some caulking to block out all the logos. Then i liquid nailed the lids together permanently.

I primered the feet then used a stone spray texture I had left over to give everything a texture and color when painted.
I glued down the angle brackets and screwed them down for a strong leg joint.
After painting the feet I set them on the stand to dry for a while.
Next I glued on the "E" on both sides of the head and the main power couplers.
I also tackky glued and liquid nailed the top cover on.
I then primered, spackled, then painted the body parts.

Next was the feet hoses, I cut some old hose to length.
I clamped the hose ends together.
Plugged the end of the hoses, and filled them with more liquid nail to drill out later for mounting screws.

Sexy GONK Legs

I added some items to the GONK "Head", it still needs a few items. I also took the rest of the tabs off and glued it into place.
On the back bottom side of the gonk I installed this bottom part of a plastic crate. It will help ventilate the charging devices.
I then took the wood legs I made and cut off the corners so some drainage tub can slip over them.
I took the extra drainage tube I had left over from a job and I washed them clean.
Most GONKS in the movies use metal dryer vent tubs for the legs but they are easily damaged so I went with the next best thing.
I took four shelving hangers and used them for extra supports. The two bottom ones will be hidden by the feet and the upper ones by the body.
The legs may look long now but once the feet are made the legs will look closer to the right size.

R2 paint and GONK work

Today I tested out some different colors of brown for my R2. I like the dark leather brown on the left but it is to glossy.
I also bought some items for my GONK droid while at the store.
Here is a close up of the charger I use for my 12 volt batteries. They trickel charge and have a float built in so you don't over charge.
I cut out a hole in the top tub of the GONK to recess the front panel into. Later I will cut the rest of the small tabs off.
I then cut some 2x4s and glued them together and some 1/2 inch MDO.
I will show some pictures of how everything is supported later but here is the mock up so far.