CLASSIFICATION: KITBASH
BASE FIGURE: STAR WARS: EPISODE I R2-D2
MATERIALS USED: ELECTRICAL WIRING, ENAMEL PAINTS
FIRST APPEARANCE: STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE

"The shield generator's been hit!"

Preamble: R2-B1 was among the astromech droids under the service of Queen Amidala, and stationed on the Naboo Royal Starship when it attempted to escape the Trade Federation blockade.  After the shield generator was disabled, the crew of droids attempted to effect repairs, but poor R2-B1 was blasted into space before he could complete his mission.

After seeing The Phantom Menace in the theater, I decided I wanted to own the entire complement of droids as seen in the movie, so I bought some extra R2-D2 toys so I could paint them.  Some of these droids got official Hasbro toys in their likeness after I completed my repaints, but in this case I happen to prefer my version.

Construction:  I'm classifying this project as a kitbash since I did actually make some minor physical changes in addition to the new paint job.  To add the third sensor to the top of his head, I chopped off the tip of the nozzle from a tube of super glue, which was nicely cone-shaped, and glued it in place.  The new cables on the feet are electrical wiring, which I glued in place after drilling tiny little holes in his feet to accommodate them.

In painting the toy, I coated him with blue paint first, then went back and painted the yellow details.  The only real problem I encountered was that the enamel yellow paint I was using was awfully gooey, which made it hard to work with.

Comments: Hasbro released their version of R2-B1 right when I was in the middle of working on this project.  Instead of just repainting one of the existing molds (the mold for the very nice red R2-unit that came with the Royal Starship playset would have been a great choice), they did some retooling and got rid of the middle leg and ankle articulation.  Why they would spend the time and money to remove existing features is entirely beyond me.  I'm glad I own the official version, but I like my version so much better.