Swapped Out Dome and Sound Automation Switch

The small paddle switch I use to enable and disable the Dome and Sound Automation circuit was starting to die, so it was time to replace it. I had to unscrew it from its location at the bottom-front of the droid so that I could begin disconnecting the five wires that were soldered onto the terminals.



Next, I transferred each wire over, one at a time. I flush-cut the wires from the old switch's terminal, and soldered them to the new one.



All done with the transplant.



Next I needed to screw it back down, where it belongs. It's always tricky to reach way down in there and get the screws to go perfectly through the PVC mounting stick and then into the matching holes in the frame, although it doesn't look that bad in photos.



And the underside.



I have a couple of things I want to do with the feet, so I may be posting again sooner than later.

Saturn Awards - 2026

Tonight R5-D4 and I joined several fellow droid builders and their droids to provide atmosphere for the 2026 Saturn Awards, in Studio City, CA. We were joined by Steven Dodds & B2EMO, Matt Hobbs & Rust-E, William Miyamoto & Chopper, Darren Moser & K2-SO, Michael and Kyle McMaster & R2-D2, and Gordon Tarpley as C-3PO.



I arrived around 1:30pm and checked in with the guys, and then unloaded the car and brought R5 up from the underground parking structure, where he joined the other droids that had already arrived. We wanted to be set up once the guests started arriving around 3pm.



I took an opportunity to check out the guest list, and saw that Ravi Cabot-Conyers was nominated for Best Younger Performer in a Television Series. I got know Ravi and his mom a bit from when I was working in the Droid Department on Skeleton Crew, and we see each other from time to time at conventions.



And sure enough, we got a chance to catch up and take a picture with my droid, so that was nice.



As it got closer to showtime, things got more crowded just outside the ballroom, as I spotted Karl Urban in the distance.



Geena Davis got a picture with K2-SO.



Skeleton Crew show creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford, along with producer Chris Buongiorno happened to enter the door right next to us, so I said hi to them, as I hadn't seen them since the premiere, and we got a picture together, along with William, who helped puppeteer on Skeleton Crew. (Jon was involved in another conversation, so he isn't in the photo.) Thanks to Matt Hobbs for taking the picture.



I also saw Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni and said hi to him, although I didn't bug him for a picture. It turns out that George Lucas and Mark Hamill were also in attendance for a short while, but we didn't get to see them.

Around 6pm people started entering the ballroom for the awards show, and in the meantime we had a pizza dinner.



Kyle played the live stream of the show on his phone, so we got to see when Ravi won the award for his category. Congrats!



The awards show ended somewhere around 10pm, and we obliged a few more pictures.



Vivien Lyra Blair, who portrayed young Princess Leia in Kenobi came by with her mom. Vivien loves the droids.



And finally, Ravi came by, award in hand. Good job!



Around 11pm we wrapped up, and I got home around 12:30am. It was great seeing my buddies and their droids, as well as catching up with a few of the Skeleton Crew peeps. Good times.

KABC-TV Spark of Love Toy Drive - 2025

Today R2 joined members of the 501st and Rebel Legions and the Mandalorian Mercs for KABC-TV's Spark of Love toy drive. We were there for the 3rd shift of the day at the Los Cerritos Center mall.



I arrived around 2pm for our appearance on the news at 3pm, and unloaded.



At 3pm, R2 and the other characters started roaming the closed-off parking lot to greet visitors. Families in the area bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate, and they get to interact and take pictures with the Star Wars characters. During the newscast, there are regular reports from the event that showcase the Star Wars characters and other volunteers, including companies that donate a lot of toys, and local fire and police department representatives.



A person in attendance managed to spill coffee on R2. It made for a different smell on the drive home.



Santa Claws was there.



KABC reporter Danny Romero spoke with various organizations that were there to donate toys.



At 5pm we wrapped up with a goodbye to the TV audience.



The event ended up filling 7 buses and 4 flatbed trailers with toys. There was at least one other event identical to this one, so lots of kids will be getting gifts.

This is one of my favorite events because it helps bring some holiday happiness to those who might not otherwise get a gift, and it has immediate feedback to those watching the newscast, as they can come meet R2 and all the other characters. I hope to be back next year.

Hollywood Christmas Parade - 2025

Tonight was the 2025 Hollywood Christmas Parade, and for the 9th time R2 joined in on the festivities.

I arrived right around 12:30pm for the 6pm parade and met up with Gordon Tarpley, who had planned to be C-3PO (more on that later), and minutes later with William Miyamoto, who would be driving his Bumblebee car in the parade.



With a lot of time to kill, we checked out the cars.



We also walked the parade route, looking for any hazards that might be hiding under the red carpet. I did find a couple of manhole covers that we would need to avoid, and the center of the street looked like the best bet.



Then we ate lunch at Johnny Rockets, where we were joined by Darren Moser, who would be joining us as K2-S0. On our way back from lunch, we stopped in front of the Chinese Theater as we did last year, where R2-D2's, C-3PO's and Darth Vader's footprints live. William has costumed as Darth Vader in the past, so we each filled the footprints of our respective characters.



Before we knew it, it was time to get set up. Gordon unpacked his pile of C-3PO costume, and we got ready.



Only one problem: Gordon got all suited up, but when it came time to put on his C-3PO helmet, it just wouldn't fit over his head properly. We tried for 20+ minutes over dozens of attempts, but it just wouldn't go on, so we had to abandon that, and Gordon suited down. Gordon and I then joined Darren at the front of the red carpet, where the parade was already under way.



In fact, I had some concern that we may have missed the Star Wars groups, since the parade started around 6pm and we didn't get to the red carpet until around 6:40pm. But the Star Wars clubs were #26 in the parade order, and they were told not to line up until 6:25pm. Eventually, we confirmed that we had not missed them, they were still down Hollywood Boulevard too far out of view. It wasn't until around 7:21pm that they finally arrived.



Moments later, K2-S0 and R2-D2 joined in, in between the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion. R2 and Chewie moved together, with K2-S0 just behind. I wasn't able to take pictures, but I found a YouTube video (plus when the parade airs on December 14, I'll post some more captures).



We marched/drove down the red-carpet portion of the parade route on Hollywood Boulevard, from Orange Avenue to Highland. Once we got to the end, a 501st wrangler worked with the security staff to get us through the crowd. We headed down the scary alley, back to the parking structure.



Things went well for R2 this year, and hopefully we'll will be back again.

CHOC Epilepsy Awareness (& Oncology) Visit

Today R2 and I returned to CHOC in participation of their Epilepsy Awareness Month.



Although R2 was the only character visiting this day, he wasn't the only non-human.



We went room to room, visiting the young patients. We were running a little early, so after visiting the neurology floor, we visited the oncology floor, as we did on our last visit. As usual, no pictures with the patients, but the staff enjoyed getting pictures.



I hope we can visit again in the not-too-distant future.

CHOC Visit - Fall 2025

Today R2 joined Kylo Ren (hey, why not?) as they visited young patients in the oncology ward at Childrens Hospital Orange County.



The floor was decorated everywhere with Star Wars balloons and such. Several of the patients had R2 plushies, and one wore an oversized R2 t-shirt.



As always, I can't take pictures with the patients, but the staff got a group photo (Kylo Ren is toward the back of the group).



The kids loved meeting the characters, and one 2-year-old in particular was so fascinated with R2 that we made a return visit to her room before wrapping up for the day. These visits are always meaningful, and I hope to be back before too long.