Started Filling Slots in Left Foot Shell for Droid #2

Back to working on the aluminum foot shells for droid #2, for the first time in a long time.

These foot shells have very thin slots where the metal bends at a sharp angle, and these need to be filled in prior to painting. I've decided to use JB Weld for this job. Before applying JB Weld though, I cleaned the slots up with acetone.



Nice and shiny.



I used a toothpick to apply the JB Weld to these slots.



Then, I used a razor blade to clean up most of the excess JB Weld.



I repeated these steps for the slots at the top of the same side of the foot shell.




I'll let this dry overnight, and it may require some light sanding. I may also need to make a second pass if I notice any gaps, or once it's primed.

I still need to do the bottom slots on the other three sides. I'll probably only be able to do one side per day, so as to prevent gravity from causing the JB Weld to drip.

Pearson's Birthday Party

My friend Peter, who I've known since college and then worked with for many years, and his wife Effie, who owned the Droidmobile before I bought it from them, were celebrating their son Pearson's sixth birthday Star Wars-style. Many months ago they asked if I could bring R2, and I was more than happy to do so. They also invited Rob, Michelle and Andrew from the Saber Guild out, and they made a nice charitable donation in return for the Saber Guild's appearance.



Effie put together 40 Jedi outfits, and made lightsabers out of pool noodles. Nothing like seeing a bunch of kids whaling on each other non-stop for 45 minutes.



Master Argus lead the kids through the basic Jedi lightsaber moves.



Not long thereafter, Sith Assassin Darth Draven showed up to challenge Master Argus to a battle.



Master Argus won that round, but the challenge wasn't over yet, as Darth Vader appeared.



Eventually, with help from the kids in the form of a Force-push, Vader was defeated. Afterward, the kids got to line up for pictures with the characters.



And of course they got to have a picture with R2 as well.



Pearson blew out the candles on a successful night. Fun stuff.



Five events in four days. I think R2 and I can use a little break right about now.

Comikaze 2013 - Day 2

Today was Day 2 of the Comikaze convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center.



My droid and I were joined by Todd Gottfried, Chris Romines, Gene Arena, William & Nikki Miyamoto, and their droids. Michael McMaster and Mike Senna each brought their WALL•E robots too.

Everything we left in the booth last night was still there this morning. They do staff the exhibit hall with 24 hour security, but there is always that concern.



Thankfully, our Exhibitor badges allow us to avoid joining the thousands of people waiting to get in.



At 9:00am they threw open the gates, and the non-stop visits began!









Meanwhile, the main stage behind us was busy throughout the day with various personalities.

Alyssa Milano.



Stan Lee, who is very funny and quick on his feet, both literally and figuratively. Not bad for someone going on 91 years old!



The voice cast of the Powerpuff Girls. They were very funny.



Much further down the hall, Michael McMaster's WALL•E paid Louis Anderson a visit.



Mike Senna was getting his head examined by Mark Chu Lin.



After a very fun but tiring day, 8:00pm finally arrived and it was time to wrap up with a partial group picture.



Why is my droid on a cart and the others are still ready to go? Well, Comikaze goes for one more day tomorrow, but my droid already has a prior commitment, so he'll be elsewhere closer to home. It was another fun day, and I'm sure our next convention will be here before we know it.

Comikaze 2013 - Day 1

Today kicked off Comikaze 2013, and the R2 Builders were there once again to represent the club. I was joined by Gene Arena, Chris Romines, Ed Perello and William Miyamoto. (Ed had to leave a bit early.) Michael McMaster was adjacent to us with WALL•E.



We had a nice 10'x10' booth right on the main aisle way, next to the main stage, which was sure to be a center hub of attention all day long.






R2 visited his two favorite Ecksteins, Ashley and David, as WALL•E managed to sneak into the picture.



R2 spent some time in the Variety Childrens Charity booth with Mortal Kombat actor Brian Tee.



Of course, there was plenty of other fun stuff at the con.



William substituted a Minion in place of one of his biological children in his droid, although that will change tomorrow.



Finally, closing time at 8:00pm rolled around, and we secured our booth as tightly as Fort Knox. No one will ever figure out what is under those covers.



Out the door for a few winks of sleep, and we'll be right back at it tomorrow morning.

Halloween 2013

Tonight was another evening with the droids greeting Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween.



In between visits I folded over 150 R2 Builders Club brochures, in preparation for Comikaze that begins tomorrow.



There were plenty of kids and adults in costume, although I'd say the crowd was somewhat smaller than the last few years.



Despite a couple kids taking handfuls of candy, the smaller crowd meant I had some candy left over. I'll give it a good home.

CHOC Halloween Event 2013

Today R2 was invited out to Childrens Hospital Orange County, for their annual Halloween event. Dozens of staffers dress up and hand out candy along the perimeter of the second floor, as the kids staying at the hospital go Trick-or-Treating for goodies.

When I arrived a little before 10:00am, they were just about done setting up.




The staff got creative with their costumes, which included some Minions, as well as ET and Elliot.




Even some pups got into the act.



Anaheim Ducks Dynasty



I'd guess at least 100 kids came through the line, along with family members and staffers helping them make their way. I had to select a couple of pictures that don't show the patients though.




For those patients that weren't able to make it, they broadcast the event to their rooms. Not sure how jealous I'd feel, but as long as someone brought me some loot, I'd be okay.



It was a good visit and a nice warm-up for this evening's Trick-or-Treaters.