legitimately saw the square shaped dirt, grime and rust around the eye and thought "Adam should clean that" immediately followed by the realization that it was so intentional and effective I was tricked into believing it was real dirt. that's WILD
That's what I like about Adam, as well as a few others I watch here on TH-cam... Everything, even if it's homemade looks like a professional prop studio made it, right down to the paintjob... I watch a computer building channel, called JayzTwoCents and he's did 2 or 3 custom case modded computer systems over the years, where he has did everything from banging holes to simulate blaster damage, to airbrushing the cases, and although he doesn't do custom mods all the time, when he does it's a treat to watch his creativity at work... Same here with Adam except 90% of the time you know what it's supposed to look like already, while still wondering what he will do to make his version unique
That there is one of the FIRST batch of domes created by myself and Ron Barclay waaaayyyy back in 2003…They eventually came to be known as the “R&J Dome”…glad to see it still looking so amazing after all these years. 😁
@@j0hn00 It means that a flat sheet metal is fixed to a dome shaped jig, and while the sheet rotates, a lever with a wheel is pressed against it, moving from the center outwards, so that the spinning sheet is wrapped around the jig. During that process, lines are left in the material from the occurring bending.
26:45 this whole section made me realise.. You are the Bob Ross of this generation of makers. It is not about following perfection, it is about inspiring and giving joy to others. I love this so much:D
Still blown away at how Adam makes these fictional mythologies real, and how casually he assembles the components from the orthogonal bag-of-holding that is his workshop. That fibreoptic colour wheel effect (which I learned here was how they did that!) is wonderous. I wont see New Hope the same way again.
It's always amazing to me to see the most obscure supplies and tools he pulls out of a random drawer or cabinet somewhere when he needs it. Like that air powered handheld sandpaper gun thing he used around 13:20 into the video. Most of these tools I would never come across a situation where I would need one, but Adam Savage has come across those situations often enough that it becomes practical to own one. What an adventurous life
Started my R2 build back in 2014 and am still at it (with a lapse for cancer treatment and recovery). I'm using the JAG plans to make a 95% handmade all-aluminum droid. I've water-jet, milled, and lathed most of the pieces and kept the accuracy (to the JAG plans) to within .004. Never done any metalworking or machining before. It's truly a long-term labor of love. All aluminum R2D2: because sometimes you do things the hard way.
The fact you use fiber optics also gives the data display partial illumination in each node, because certain strands have light and some don't. That gives it such a more sci fi look than each node being solid on and off
@@ArnaudMEURET my family had a fiber optic flower lamp in a clear box with a gold foiled base. It shifted through multiple pastels, and we left it on as a nightlight in the living room for my entire growing up.
I started an R6 back in 2012 and finished it about 2017. I started an R2 (not D2, mine is green) because of the availability of 3D print files towards the end of 2021 and I'm already thinking about a 3rd and possibly a 4th astromech. Proof that once you pop, you can't stop! Awesome video, dude. Keep it up!
You literally inspired me to 3-D print from the ground up a full-size R2D2 with electronics I’m not even that big of a Star Wars fan but the idea of having a life-size R2-D2 sitting in the corner of my living room sounds amazing. Thx Adam.
I feel like the affect would look better with a little more mixing up of the Fiber Optic cables in the bundle. Like: when only the left side has a light on it, you get the occasional random light on the display and not just the whole left side lit up.
This was a deeply enjoyable video to watch. I just finished 3D printing my entire R2D2. That was a milestone for me in its self. When this video launched I received the lazy Susan for the dome. He is coming together and I am making R2 to satisfy my childhood need to see how it works 😃. Keep inspiring, thank you
Tears to my eyes listening to you talk about your love for your R2 build. I’m not the biggest Star Wars Fan but R2 is Amazing. I’m 3d Printing mine and it will be a highlight in my life and a Joy to share with my friend and family because everyone loves R2! U r my hero, but this video and your attitude about your build is my Favorite you have done. Thank you for sharing your builds, wins but mostly the mistakes. Keeps me going
Im super impressed you even got the blue paint to look correct. In ANH you can see the horizontal brush strokes when the light hits it. Amazing attention to detail.
I can watch you build anything. It is calming to me. I am part of a group rebuilding a replica of a Viking Longship. The time and busy work hurts but once we pass a hurdle it gives us major high.
Love seeing this. I'm working on my R2 since 2005 and It's pretty much complete. For the logic display's I also have the fibers and decided to make them look a bit more random by un bundeling the bundels at the side of the light so you won't see any "clear" patterns at the front.
Thank you Adam for the great insights. I will echo you statement that building your own R2 is a truely rewarding experience. Mine is entirely 3D printed and weeks away from "completion". It has been a wonderful experience that I've shared with my daughter spending a few hours ever couple of nights doing little projects to bring him closer and closer. When we got him up and driving a few weeks ago, it was amazing!
It always makes me smile to hear one of my favorite makers shout out to another of my favorites. Adam mentioning Ted Woodford is just such a case. Ted is not just a brilliant luthier, but his running commentary is humorous, gentlemanly and brimming over with knowledge. Adam, of course, is one of a kind and embodies a kind of Tom Swift spirit where all things imaginative excite him. As a devoted MB fan, I'm so glad that Adam found a new home in his cave on Tested.
Remember the old 'floppy tree', colour-changing fibre optic lamps that you'd find for pennies in charity shops? (I can't recall what their proper name was/is). They'd be perfect for this application!
Adam. Adam. My man… the oh-so-subtle Newt “mostly” from “Aliens” - something that I mimic often - was pure and existential gold. Love your work and sending my best!
We also got some nice shots of the self-destruct handles from Alien in the background of the decapitated R2 (around the 30 minute mark.) Took me a second to place them, but once I did the self-destruct siren and the computer reading out how long the crew had to reach minimum safe distance played in my head.
I always say to new builders when they ask what a droid should look like that its up to them. So many differences between films (and if you're talking ANH, then scenes!). The only people who will notice are other builders, and none of those will think any less of you. We all know theres no single answer or 'right way' When you take it out in public, noone cares that a panel is 1mm out, or a dome panel is painted blue when it should be silver. You'll get the same smiles and reactions from people no matter what, and thats the best part of it all! Love the old school colour wheel approach. IIRC someone in the club actually worked out the pattern on the original colour wheel at one point!
The attitude with which you approach life is so refreshing, because you are just as excited to take chances, make mistakes and get messy as you were when I was a kid. Thanks for being yourself Adam, you make us so overjoyed to join you as Makers. I've put together two scratch built model ships, each exactly to the plans of the original ships (USS Cumberland and CSS Virginia) and nothing makes the hours of sanding and painting go by faster than your one days builds.
I am super-stoked that you're diving back into R2! I always watch your videos when I'm working on mine. I've been working on him for over 8 years now. I call him R2-DL, or "Toodles". Hope to see more R2-related projects in the future. Life-long fan! \m/
Can't wait to see how the rest of this comes together! Watching the fiberoptic work was fascinating, always loved those. Also, you mentioning Tom Hanks reminded me that you might enjoy the movie Finch, in which he stars. Really fantastic practical robots mixed with excellent puppeteering and mocap, very enjoyable movie
You probably wouldn't be able to see the photo in the display as all the fibres a bunched up at the end. It might work if all the strands were win the same place at the end as they are in the display.
Very interesting, I have always wanted to make an R2-D2. I always assumed the lighting was some sort of LED array, but this alternative method was really creative. I remember going to see STAR WARS back in 1977 at the age of twelve. It all seemed so futuristic and fantastic. What is really amazing is that four-six years later, I can still watch the movies and they come across as authentic. .
Adam, I love the video, but my buttcheeks were thoroughly clenched watching you hack away at those fiber optics without eye protection. I got a bit of fiber optic shrapnel in my right eye while working on a build back in 2007 and it is not an experience that I would wish on anybody. This was a blast to watch; top notch, as always.
Devcon 2 ton epoxy is some really nice long lasting clear epoxy. 5 minute epoxy gets brittle and goes yellow pretty quickly. And WOW those diplays look awesome
AWESOME!!! So now that the head is self powered, that means you can make it turn as tho he's looking around. Love ya Adam. Been watching you for decades.
This is very different from how I did the logic display lights on my R2. I loved seeing how this was done using the old school approach on the Kenny R2. RIP Kenny Baker.
Ted's channel is so blissful, and his voice is the perfect thing to fall asleep to, in the category of Big Clive and Michael Stipe. Adam, have you ever considered doing a Johnny 5?
6:14 We have a nearly identical dead blow hammer in our workshop. I know this since my childhood. It was one of the earliest tools I was allowed to use and now I am using it professional from time to time. It might be a few years older then myself. And I allways get a little nostalgic when I see those transparent orange hammers, even if they are very common. 🙂
@@gorgonzola86 A dead blow hammer is hollow, and partially filled with sand or some other heavy powder. When you strike with such a hammer, the powder shifts as the hammer hits, so that it doesn't "bounce" -- hence the name. This is good from a safety standpoint, and it also means all the force is delivered to your work piece -- no wasted energy. Such hammers are typically made of plastic, so they aren't used to hammer nails -- more generally, for hammering pegs, shaping wood or soft metals, and other such tasks.
@@chuckoneill2023 that is what I asked. That filling is the counterweight. Sand is a very cheap filling and not very good. It then seems to me the use of names shifts in the same direction in english and in German. As our word for those hammers (rückschlagfreier Hammer) is also more and more often is used for other rubber hammers.
@@gorgonzola86 I think some of them are filled with iron filings. I suppose sand is useful when it needs to be non magnetic. We've invented so many different hammers, over thousands of years. Pretty sure they were our first tools --- one of our ancestors tied a rock to a stick, and hit his enemies.
NOTE TO THE EDITOR: Putting an ad break right after the part where Adam goes "This is just a break from our regularly scheduled programming"... *Chef's kiss*. Brilliant. I just wanted to point out that that genius editing choice did not go unnoticed. 😁
Adam and bob ross occupy the same space in my head for being artists at the height of their craft but also being so accessible and open about messing up
It’s appropriate that you are working on your R2 unit on the anniversary of Grant’s death. I think about that photo of grant with the remote-controlled R2D2 all the time, and I miss him terribly. Which feels weird because I never met him! But he had such a delightful presence in every show and in every interview that I can’t help but miss him as I would miss a friend or family member!
It was a video of you going through Grant's R2 unit that brought me back to the Astromech site that I had joined some 4 years earlier. Thanksgiving of 2021 and I felt I needed a winter project, and a deep dive back into the Artoo build. The "Childhood Happiness Machine" line sealed the deal and I ventured into a fully 3D printed build. 6 months later, and dozens of spools of filament, I now have 2 R2-D2s and an R2-Q5 in my work shed. Thank you for the inspiration.
Love it, at 37:34 when Adam throws down the Holy S***b*lls, when he realizes he has the best luck. Keep up the amazing ODBs, dude! They make my day when I see them pop up and I look forward to the end of ever work day to be able to watch you work 🤘
There might be something to these 17 yr. cycles we experience. It's not just the Locusts that are affected. Your project is the principal behind the wildly popular 80's fiber-optics lamps that had the color wheel in the base! A bit of Star Wars tech there Nice!
Can I just say that you are an EXTREMELY…just a NEAT guy. You really are. All of your projects, your experiences, your skills in the “cave”, your observations and comments while you’re working and talking to us. I’ve often noted to myself that you’d totally be one of my friends. I’m quirky, just like I find you to be…guess that’s part of my intrigue with your persona, but beyond that, y’a, you have had the GREAT fortune of having had a pretty terrific and unique career and what I’m sure is an equally robust life. Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful experiences with us.
I've got a question Adam. So as a model and diorama maker myself, there's 4 types of builds. The Screen Accurate version, The Model's manuals version, Your personal touch version and, the realistic version... Have you found a sweet spot when cooking up replicas or is it a very fluid, flexible/depend on the object thing? Example: The millennium falcon, the engine part at the rear. We can clearly see that there are Flaps above and below the engine, to control the spacecraft, but!!! all models, including the movies, don't transcend those Flaps, to the inside of the engine. Meaning that it's just flat on the inside, "where the light is". Which makes my head hurt!!! So, on all of my falcon models, i make them as they were intended to be, full blown Flaps.
I like props that look and feel like they would if they were functional. Having exposed wood grain on a replica where it's supposed to be metal, even if it's true to the hero prop, just bugs me. So do weird colors that were made to photograph on specialty stocks. I don't want to pick up a set-accurate prop, I want to pick up a universe accurate blaster.
I'd say : build what you like best and don't let others tell you that you are doing it 'wrong' 'cause there's no wrong way to build stuff, unless you hurt yourself in the process ... and even then it may just be an unlucky accident ;)
I think it's the coolest when it becomes an object that feels real and intentional and part of a world, and honestly however that gets achieved is cool in my book!
I love watching anyone work on their R2-D2 and to see your R2 get some TLC and how you recreate the original lighting effect was amazing. Thanks for sharing. I learn something new every time I sit down to a Tested video.
You can still use the fiber cables, but at the end replace the color wheel with small array of RGB LEDs, and then you have addressable lights of any color in any order; as opposed to the wheel which inherently produces a sequential flow instead of random. In addition it consumes less and it is silent; and with a good controller you can even make it such that you can alter the sequences remotely.
Adam please please please add an appropriately rated fuse to the battery feed if there isn't one. I really don't want to see you lose all the wonderful things you have to an electrical fire if something fails and shorts out the battery. Otherwise awesome video! thanks!
29:26 "... a 50-page pdf on the differences between the R2s..." I haven't come across that document in the droidwiki. Per the color wheel, I'm glad to see how it could be done -until now. Thanks, Adam! Per the DeWalts, thanks for throwing one in your dome! Welcome to the club. Again! lolz.
So weird and wonderful to hear that Adam does miles math during tedious drives - I do the same thing! Back and forth between miles and minutes, decimals and fractions. Keeps my brain humming. Also so true about racing someone on tedious tasks. Back in the late forties or early fifties my father worked the night shift processing IBM cards. One night he and the other guy on the shift, who was missing one thumb, decided to go as fast as they could and set a record. And they did it - one spatially challenged guy and one guy with one thumb beat out the best that the six or seven guys on the day shift had ever managed. 👍🏻
Thank you for an awesome build episode! I think your right, it’s time to start collecting information and build options for an Astromech build. Getting out of brain surgery, chemotherapy, and wanting to do a project with my 12 year old son is a hell of a motivator. Thank you for the inspiration!! James Webb USAF medically retired, Multiple Myeloma Warrior (celebrating 10 years)
Love this “a lot of R2D2 makers use plans off the internet, and that’s fine” what they do t have is a good friend who actually makes it for the movies to send me pieces to help :).
I just found this channel and I feel so blessed. I was a kid who grew up watching Mythbusters and I am so glad that I now get to see more of Adam as an adult, see some neat engineering and hear some of the awesome stories about one of my all-time favorite TV shows. Thank you so much.
Could you make a working holo-projector? Is it possible to put out a fine mist, maybe CO2 or something, and then have the emitter project into that mist?
He, and others, built an R2 unit. What a joyful, probably very stressful, experience it must be and the end result is perfect. He is the star of Star Wars and the joy when he appears on screen is genuine. This is great.♥️😁👍
Could you get a more "random"-seeming display by jumbling up the bundles near the light-source so that it doesn't look so much like the displays are sweeping as the wheel spins?
I love that this channel has a lot to show. Because during my cosplay builds or crafting, I enjoy these videos and it feels zen to craft or make my cosplay with the tested videos in the background.
You are so correct Adam I am never happier then down in my man cave building my R2 Unit, puts a smile on face every time I see him / her? And Yes R2 is my happiness machine, and actually most of the pleasure is in the actual build, you almost don't want to get to the end of the build, but then again is R2 ever really finished? Great video Adam cant wait for the next 1 Hour and 26 Minutes. Cheers! Brian aka Falleensith
1:19:16 Please be careful with this! Unless they changed it in the Dewalt 20V system the battery BMS is located in the tool and NOT in the battery pack so if you don't add a BMS to the system the battery will go under it's rated voltage until it's completely dead (i figured out the hard way)
Yes, Milwaukee does the same thing. I drained an M12 battery running a fan off it and the battery cells dropped to a voltage lower than the charger would accept. You can revive them if you take them apart, but it's really not worth it. There are some 12V battery packs made for studio lighting that you can get cheap off Amazon ($30-40) that have a built in BMS.
@Adam - FYI: Dewalt have released a new series of batteries called Power Stack, that are fully compatible with the 20v XR tools. And i think i can safely say that we´re all desperately looking forward to the upcoming episodes in this build. Great work as always!
I work at the Martin Guitar Factory, you should come take the tour. The amount of time, effort and technology that goes into building some of these instruments is fascinating, impressive, and one of the things I love most about the job. Seriously if you are ever in Pennsylvania come see us.
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: th-cam.com/channels/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA.htmljoin Adam Savage in Real Time: Gutting R2D2's Head: th-cam.com/video/biqf_jAx0S4/w-d-xo.html Adam Savage in Real Time: Threading R2D2's Fiber Optics: th-cam.com/video/QJN9KhNdeoc/w-d-xo.html Tested Ts, stickers, mugs and more: tested-store.com
The blue color wheel, I think the pattern you're looking for is a zig-zag going around the wheel. Make two. So the upper display has a blue zig-zag and the lower display has a white zig-zag and I think that will create the pattern that will look most familiar.
Adam is sort of guy you want as a best friend, dad, grandad, boss and mentor all rolled into one.
Time-laps 40:52 with dancing Swiss Army Knife in background. Good stuff Adam.
legitimately saw the square shaped dirt, grime and rust around the eye and thought "Adam should clean that" immediately followed by the realization that it was so intentional and effective I was tricked into believing it was real dirt. that's WILD
Right?!
@@tested LOL yeh, when Adam was next to the body of R2....I had to keep reminding myself, "That's not REAL dirt...."
That's what I like about Adam, as well as a few others I watch here on TH-cam... Everything, even if it's homemade looks like a professional prop studio made it, right down to the paintjob... I watch a computer building channel, called JayzTwoCents and he's did 2 or 3 custom case modded computer systems over the years, where he has did everything from banging holes to simulate blaster damage, to airbrushing the cases, and although he doesn't do custom mods all the time, when he does it's a treat to watch his creativity at work... Same here with Adam except 90% of the time you know what it's supposed to look like already, while still wondering what he will do to make his version unique
The nonsense of a sycophants hollow comment. Even called out by Savage. Funny stuff.
@@michaelc3977 And what are you then? 🤣
That there is one of the FIRST batch of domes created by myself and Ron Barclay waaaayyyy back in 2003…They eventually came to be known as the “R&J Dome”…glad to see it still looking so amazing after all these years. 😁
Did they use one of yours in Fanboys?
Was it spin formed? I saw the joint lines inside. We’re these welded pieces?
@@Sommertest Adam mentions in the video that they were spun, I'm not sure what that means, but I assume that's also what you're talking about lol
@@j0hn00 It means that a flat sheet metal is fixed to a dome shaped jig, and while the sheet rotates, a lever with a wheel is pressed against it, moving from the center outwards, so that the spinning sheet is wrapped around the jig. During that process, lines are left in the material from the occurring bending.
Omg! the difference is staggering between LED's and the fibre optic! man, what a fantastic effect.
The fibre makes R2 look alive.
The difference between analogue and digital- just like Adam’s work process!
@@HLR4th haha yes!
3d printed my life size R2D2 as my covid project. Took months on a couple of Ender 3s. Makes me smile every time I see it.
26:45 this whole section made me realise.. You are the Bob Ross of this generation of makers. It is not about following perfection, it is about inspiring and giving joy to others. I love this so much:D
exactly
10:30 And thank YOU, Adam, for introducing me to Teds channel. I only play guitars, not repair them, but I love watching him do his thing.
Still blown away at how Adam makes these fictional mythologies real, and how casually he assembles the components from the orthogonal bag-of-holding that is his workshop. That fibreoptic colour wheel effect (which I learned here was how they did that!) is wonderous. I wont see New Hope the same way again.
It's always amazing to me to see the most obscure supplies and tools he pulls out of a random drawer or cabinet somewhere when he needs it. Like that air powered handheld sandpaper gun thing he used around 13:20 into the video. Most of these tools I would never come across a situation where I would need one, but Adam Savage has come across those situations often enough that it becomes practical to own one. What an adventurous life
Started my R2 build back in 2014 and am still at it (with a lapse for cancer treatment and recovery). I'm using the JAG plans to make a 95% handmade all-aluminum droid. I've water-jet, milled, and lathed most of the pieces and kept the accuracy (to the JAG plans) to within .004.
Never done any metalworking or machining before. It's truly a long-term labor of love.
All aluminum R2D2: because sometimes you do things the hard way.
41:00 the dancing Swiss Army knife in the background matching the beat of the song is epic
Adam I love watching your videos as I go to sleep not because I find them boring but because I find your presence calming and comforting
The fact you use fiber optics also gives the data display partial illumination in each node, because certain strands have light and some don't. That gives it such a more sci fi look than each node being solid on and off
it also seems to save on mass amounts of wiring. Looks a hell of a lot cleaner
It’s an easy and cheap solution that was used all over the place in the 70s a 80s. Every home had to have one “light fountain” to be trendy then!
@@ArnaudMEURET my family had a fiber optic flower lamp in a clear box with a gold foiled base. It shifted through multiple pastels, and we left it on as a nightlight in the living room for my entire growing up.
You could achieve a similar effect with a dot matrix, backlit, grayscale LCD panel.
I started an R6 back in 2012 and finished it about 2017. I started an R2 (not D2, mine is green) because of the availability of 3D print files towards the end of 2021 and I'm already thinking about a 3rd and possibly a 4th astromech. Proof that once you pop, you can't stop!
Awesome video, dude. Keep it up!
You literally inspired me to 3-D print from the ground up a full-size R2D2 with electronics I’m not even that big of a Star Wars fan but the idea of having a life-size R2-D2 sitting in the corner of my living room sounds amazing. Thx Adam.
FYI just the dome is 67 pieces. I’ll report back in 5 years with the progress. Lol
@@Grimslife89 How is its coming along, after one year? :)
Thanks for making the beat match up with the moving thing in the top background during the time lapse around 40:25
I feel like the affect would look better with a little more mixing up of the Fiber Optic cables in the bundle. Like: when only the left side has a light on it, you get the occasional random light on the display and not just the whole left side lit up.
I love that in the time lapse around 40:00 the Swiss army knife display in the background seems to be grooving with the music. 🤘
🤘
This was a deeply enjoyable video to watch. I just finished 3D printing my entire R2D2. That was a milestone for me in its self. When this video launched I received the lazy Susan for the dome. He is coming together and I am making R2 to satisfy my childhood need to see how it works 😃. Keep inspiring, thank you
Woodford getting a name check and thank you…
I too love his work.
I really found the dowel falling off at 18:46 to be super funny. Thanks to the editors for such a silly joke
Bruh i read this as it fell 😂😂😂
Had it not been for this comment, I would have completely missed the text afterwards
Tears to my eyes listening to you talk about your love for your R2 build.
I’m not the biggest Star Wars Fan but R2 is Amazing. I’m 3d Printing mine and it will be a highlight in my life and a Joy to share with my friend and family because everyone loves R2!
U r my hero, but this video and your attitude about your build is my Favorite you have done.
Thank you for sharing your builds, wins but mostly the mistakes.
Keeps me going
Im super impressed you even got the blue paint to look correct. In ANH you can see the horizontal brush strokes when the light hits it. Amazing attention to detail.
I can watch you build anything. It is calming to me. I am part of a group rebuilding a replica of a Viking Longship.
The time and busy work hurts but once we pass a hurdle it gives us major high.
Seeing anything R2 related immediately reminds me of Grant Imahara. I bet he would have loved so much to help you refresh your Artoo unit. ❤️
Love the Woodford shoutout! Instrument building/repair channels are the best
Love seeing this. I'm working on my R2 since 2005 and It's pretty much complete.
For the logic display's I also have the fibers and decided to make them look a bit more random by un bundeling the bundels at the side of the light so you won't see any "clear" patterns at the front.
Love the talk about TWoodford. I enjoy watching him as well. very calm guy with complex repairs.
Thank you Adam for the great insights. I will echo you statement that building your own R2 is a truely rewarding experience. Mine is entirely 3D printed and weeks away from "completion". It has been a wonderful experience that I've shared with my daughter spending a few hours ever couple of nights doing little projects to bring him closer and closer. When we got him up and driving a few weeks ago, it was amazing!
It always makes me smile to hear one of my favorite makers shout out to another of my favorites. Adam mentioning Ted Woodford is just such a case. Ted is not just a brilliant luthier, but his running commentary is humorous, gentlemanly and brimming over with knowledge. Adam, of course, is one of a kind and embodies a kind of Tom Swift spirit where all things imaginative excite him. As a devoted MB fan, I'm so glad that Adam found a new home in his cave on Tested.
Remember the old 'floppy tree', colour-changing fibre optic lamps that you'd find for pennies in charity shops?
(I can't recall what their proper name was/is).
They'd be perfect for this application!
Here they were called UFO lamps.. for some reason 🤣
I think those are worth some decent money nowadays.
I have a battery operated fiber optic decoration sitting on my desk! Not near bright enough to use in an R2 though.
@brikhouse22 I doubt it, they're super common.
Love the shoutout for Ted Woodford. His channel is so good.
Adam. Adam. My man… the oh-so-subtle Newt “mostly” from “Aliens” - something that I mimic often - was pure and existential gold. Love your work and sending my best!
We also got some nice shots of the self-destruct handles from Alien in the background of the decapitated R2 (around the 30 minute mark.) Took me a second to place them, but once I did the self-destruct siren and the computer reading out how long the crew had to reach minimum safe distance played in my head.
I always say to new builders when they ask what a droid should look like that its up to them. So many differences between films (and if you're talking ANH, then scenes!). The only people who will notice are other builders, and none of those will think any less of you. We all know theres no single answer or 'right way'
When you take it out in public, noone cares that a panel is 1mm out, or a dome panel is painted blue when it should be silver. You'll get the same smiles and reactions from people no matter what, and thats the best part of it all!
Love the old school colour wheel approach. IIRC someone in the club actually worked out the pattern on the original colour wheel at one point!
I love your shout out to Teddy Woodford! He's so humble but is truely a master at restoration. Keep up the great content Adam!
The attitude with which you approach life is so refreshing, because you are just as excited to take chances, make mistakes and get messy as you were when I was a kid. Thanks for being yourself Adam, you make us so overjoyed to join you as Makers.
I've put together two scratch built model ships, each exactly to the plans of the original ships (USS Cumberland and CSS Virginia) and nothing makes the hours of sanding and painting go by faster than your one days builds.
I am super-stoked that you're diving back into R2! I always watch your videos when I'm working on mine. I've been working on him for over 8 years now. I call him R2-DL, or "Toodles". Hope to see more R2-related projects in the future. Life-long fan! \m/
R2-D2! Be still my beating heart.
That is so much detail I have never seen about the 77 head and the battery in the head is absolutely genius.
Can't wait to see how the rest of this comes together! Watching the fiberoptic work was fascinating, always loved those.
Also, you mentioning Tom Hanks reminded me that you might enjoy the movie Finch, in which he stars. Really fantastic practical robots mixed with excellent puppeteering and mocap, very enjoyable movie
Twoodfrd reference! I really enjoy what he does!
I think a viewmaster reel would be a sneaky addition to send tiny pictures onto a really dotted and random display.
You probably wouldn't be able to see the photo in the display as all the fibres a bunched up at the end. It might work if all the strands were win the same place at the end as they are in the display.
@@daveyognaut6132 Yeah. It's technically encrypted this way.
Will it play Doom?
Very interesting, I have always wanted to make an R2-D2. I always assumed the lighting was some sort of LED array, but this alternative method was really creative. I remember going to see STAR WARS back in 1977 at the age of twelve. It all seemed so futuristic and fantastic. What is really amazing is that four-six years later, I can still watch the movies and they come across as authentic. .
Adam, I love the video, but my buttcheeks were thoroughly clenched watching you hack away at those fiber optics without eye protection. I got a bit of fiber optic shrapnel in my right eye while working on a build back in 2007 and it is not an experience that I would wish on anybody. This was a blast to watch; top notch, as always.
It also seemed like one of the less optimal options. Couldn't he have used some form of fine-toothed saw? Hold it up against the disk sander?
Love that your watching Ted too, such a great guy!
Devcon 2 ton epoxy is some really nice long lasting clear epoxy. 5 minute epoxy gets brittle and goes yellow pretty quickly.
And WOW those diplays look awesome
AWESOME!!! So now that the head is self powered, that means you can make it turn as tho he's looking around. Love ya Adam. Been watching you for decades.
Oh yeah, and a light saber launcher...? Or possibly a projection lends,,,?
This is very different from how I did the logic display lights on my R2. I loved seeing how this was done using the old school approach on the Kenny R2. RIP Kenny Baker.
Ted's channel is so blissful, and his voice is the perfect thing to fall asleep to, in the category of Big Clive and Michael Stipe.
Adam, have you ever considered doing a Johnny 5?
6:14 We have a nearly identical dead blow hammer in our workshop. I know this since my childhood. It was one of the earliest tools I was allowed to use and now I am using it professional from time to time. It might be a few years older then myself. And I allways get a little nostalgic when I see those transparent orange hammers, even if they are very common. 🙂
Dead blow hammers are a different thing.
@@chuckoneill2023 I had to use a dictionary as english is only my second language. Is it only called a dead blow hammer if it has a counter weight?
@@gorgonzola86 A dead blow hammer is hollow, and partially filled with sand or some other heavy powder.
When you strike with such a hammer, the powder shifts as the hammer hits, so that it doesn't "bounce" -- hence the name. This is good from a safety standpoint, and it also means all the force is delivered to your work piece -- no wasted energy. Such hammers are typically made of plastic, so they aren't used to hammer nails -- more generally, for hammering pegs, shaping wood or soft metals, and other such tasks.
@@chuckoneill2023 that is what I asked. That filling is the counterweight. Sand is a very cheap filling and not very good. It then seems to me the use of names shifts in the same direction in english and in German. As our word for those hammers (rückschlagfreier Hammer) is also more and more often is used for other rubber hammers.
@@gorgonzola86 I think some of them are filled with iron filings. I suppose sand is useful when it needs to be non magnetic. We've invented so many different hammers, over thousands of years. Pretty sure they were our first tools --- one of our ancestors tied a rock to a stick, and hit his enemies.
NOTE TO THE EDITOR: Putting an ad break right after the part where Adam goes "This is just a break from our regularly scheduled programming"... *Chef's kiss*. Brilliant. I just wanted to point out that that genius editing choice did not go unnoticed. 😁
Adam and bob ross occupy the same space in my head for being artists at the height of their craft but also being so accessible and open about messing up
It’s appropriate that you are working on your R2 unit on the anniversary of Grant’s death. I think about that photo of grant with the remote-controlled R2D2 all the time, and I miss him terribly. Which feels weird because I never met him! But he had such a delightful presence in every show and in every interview that I can’t help but miss him as I would miss a friend or family member!
I really love everything about this build, and I can’t wait to see the rest of it!
It's funny you mention Ted Woodford; I've been watching his back catalogue of videos lately and somehow just realized that he is local to me.
Watching Adam work reminds me of Luke scraping away at that carbon scoring on R2 😂
It was a video of you going through Grant's R2 unit that brought me back to the Astromech site that I had joined some 4 years earlier. Thanksgiving of 2021 and I felt I needed a winter project, and a deep dive back into the Artoo build. The "Childhood Happiness Machine" line sealed the deal and I ventured into a fully 3D printed build. 6 months later, and dozens of spools of filament, I now have 2 R2-D2s and an R2-Q5 in my work shed. Thank you for the inspiration.
Woohoo! As a fellow droid builder I'm happy to see you working on your R2 again!
Love it, at 37:34 when Adam throws down the Holy S***b*lls, when he realizes he has the best luck. Keep up the amazing ODBs, dude! They make my day when I see them pop up and I look forward to the end of ever work day to be able to watch you work 🤘
I like that they put an "Ahhh" on the pencil that fell, then an "I'm OK" message on the screen.
There might be something to these 17 yr. cycles we experience. It's not just the Locusts that are affected. Your project is the principal behind the wildly popular 80's fiber-optics lamps that had the color wheel in the base! A bit of Star Wars tech there Nice!
Im not a huge star wars fan like you are but i can appreciate your genuine excitement.
Can I just say that you are an EXTREMELY…just a NEAT guy. You really are. All of your projects, your experiences, your skills in the “cave”, your observations and comments while you’re working and talking to us. I’ve often noted to myself that you’d totally be one of my friends. I’m quirky, just like I find you to be…guess that’s part of my intrigue with your persona, but beyond that, y’a, you have had the GREAT fortune of having had a pretty terrific and unique career and what I’m sure is an equally robust life. Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful experiences with us.
I've got a question Adam.
So as a model and diorama maker myself, there's 4 types of builds.
The Screen Accurate version,
The Model's manuals version,
Your personal touch version and,
the realistic version...
Have you found a sweet spot when cooking up replicas or is it a very fluid, flexible/depend on the object thing?
Example: The millennium falcon, the engine part at the rear.
We can clearly see that there are Flaps above and below the engine, to control the spacecraft, but!!!
all models, including the movies, don't transcend those Flaps, to the inside of the engine.
Meaning that it's just flat on the inside, "where the light is".
Which makes my head hurt!!!
So, on all of my falcon models, i make them as they were intended to be, full blown Flaps.
I like props that look and feel like they would if they were functional. Having exposed wood grain on a replica where it's supposed to be metal, even if it's true to the hero prop, just bugs me. So do weird colors that were made to photograph on specialty stocks. I don't want to pick up a set-accurate prop, I want to pick up a universe accurate blaster.
I'd say : build what you like best and don't let others tell you that you are doing it 'wrong'
'cause there's no wrong way to build stuff, unless you hurt yourself in the process ... and even then it may just be an unlucky accident ;)
I think it's the coolest when it becomes an object that feels real and intentional and part of a world, and honestly however that gets achieved is cool in my book!
If you love it you are doing it right.
I love watching anyone work on their R2-D2 and to see your R2 get some TLC and how you recreate the original lighting effect was amazing. Thanks for sharing. I learn something new every time I sit down to a Tested video.
You can still use the fiber cables, but at the end replace the color wheel with small array of RGB LEDs, and then you have addressable lights of any color in any order; as opposed to the wheel which inherently produces a sequential flow instead of random. In addition it consumes less and it is silent; and with a good controller you can even make it such that you can alter the sequences remotely.
So nice to hear you talking about Ted. I find his videos informative, entertaining and very relaxing due to his wonderfully soft voice!
"How do you fill a hundred and twelve holes with a dozen strands? One at a time." - Adam Savage, Leader of the Cult of Savage
Ted is an absolute artisan of his craft! A pleasure to watch.... and I hope your enjoying your guitar he's just repaired...( As of April 2023 )
I appreciate him taking out. Him asking Alexa what those calculations were or everyone else's Alexa would answer for him too
Really all that needed to be edited out was "alexa", the rest of the question could have been left in.
Adam, thank you for sharing! You should see what happened when I was left alone with a dome-top trash can one weekend.
Adam please please please add an appropriately rated fuse to the battery feed if there isn't one. I really don't want to see you lose all the wonderful things you have to an electrical fire if something fails and shorts out the battery. Otherwise awesome video! thanks!
29:26 "... a 50-page pdf on the differences between the R2s..." I haven't come across that document in the droidwiki.
Per the color wheel, I'm glad to see how it could be done -until now. Thanks, Adam!
Per the DeWalts, thanks for throwing one in your dome! Welcome to the club. Again! lolz.
Even people who have never seen Star Wars, love R2. We can never have too much R2 content
So weird and wonderful to hear that Adam does miles math during tedious drives - I do the same thing! Back and forth between miles and minutes, decimals and fractions. Keeps my brain humming.
Also so true about racing someone on tedious tasks. Back in the late forties or early fifties my father worked the night shift processing IBM cards. One night he and the other guy on the shift, who was missing one thumb, decided to go as fast as they could and set a record. And they did it - one spatially challenged guy and one guy with one thumb beat out the best that the six or seven guys on the day shift had ever managed. 👍🏻
oh no way, I just built one out of foam! I should have waited a week, haha!
Thank you for an awesome build episode! I think your right, it’s time to start collecting information and build options for an Astromech build. Getting out of brain surgery, chemotherapy, and wanting to do a project with my 12 year old son is a hell of a motivator. Thank you for the inspiration!!
James Webb
USAF medically retired, Multiple Myeloma Warrior (celebrating 10 years)
I wonder if you twisted and braided the fiber optic cables you would end up with a more random light pattern.
I was thinking the same thing. The end result resembled the actual movement of the light source.
Or simply rotating the fused bundle so it interacts with the rotating gel differently
And here we learn that Adam watches Ted's guitar repair channel! He is an amazing craftsman. Nice to know that Adam enjoys his channel as do I.
Ted Woodford's channel is amazing!!
Love this “a lot of R2D2 makers use plans off the internet, and that’s fine” what they do t have is a good friend who actually makes it for the movies to send me pieces to help :).
Watching Adam cutting the fibers ends with a chisel and yelling at the screen - “ WHERE IS YOUR EYE PROTECTION!! “ 🥰
When your a legend u dont need eye protection inless yo ur welding 😂
"Engage safety squint!"
I just found this channel and I feel so blessed. I was a kid who grew up watching Mythbusters and I am so glad that I now get to see more of Adam as an adult, see some neat engineering and hear some of the awesome stories about one of my all-time favorite TV shows.
Thank you so much.
Could you make a working holo-projector? Is it possible to put out a fine mist, maybe CO2 or something, and then have the emitter project into that mist?
He, and others, built an R2 unit. What a joyful, probably very stressful, experience it must be and the end result is perfect. He is the star of Star Wars and the joy when he appears on screen is genuine. This is great.♥️😁👍
Could you get a more "random"-seeming display by jumbling up the bundles near the light-source so that it doesn't look so much like the displays are sweeping as the wheel spins?
Not since he locked everything in place with CA glue.
Adam, you are the internet's favorite uncle! Still too young to be the internet's favorite grandpa! I love coming to watch you work. Such a fun vibe!
Has anyone built an R2 with a digital video projector in it? That seems like an obvious addition
I love that this channel has a lot to show. Because during my cosplay builds or crafting, I enjoy these videos and it feels zen to craft or make my cosplay with the tested videos in the background.
Thank you for creating such great content that I can spend a portion of my life enjoying!!
Thank you for the kind comment!
You are so correct Adam I am never happier then down in my man cave building my R2 Unit, puts a smile on face every time I see him / her? And Yes R2 is my happiness machine, and actually most of the pleasure is in the actual build, you almost don't want to get to the end of the build, but then again is R2 ever really finished? Great video Adam cant wait for the next 1 Hour and 26 Minutes. Cheers! Brian aka Falleensith
Came for the ODB. Stayed for the R2-D2 impersonations.
I was about 3.5 years when I first saw that droid in 1977, this is a great treat to watch, thanks! 😁
1:19:16 Please be careful with this! Unless they changed it in the Dewalt 20V system the battery BMS is located in the tool and NOT in the battery pack so if you don't add a BMS to the system the battery will go under it's rated voltage until it's completely dead (i figured out the hard way)
Yes, Milwaukee does the same thing. I drained an M12 battery running a fan off it and the battery cells dropped to a voltage lower than the charger would accept. You can revive them if you take them apart, but it's really not worth it. There are some 12V battery packs made for studio lighting that you can get cheap off Amazon ($30-40) that have a built in BMS.
@Adam - FYI: Dewalt have released a new series of batteries called Power Stack, that are fully compatible with the 20v XR tools.
And i think i can safely say that we´re all desperately looking forward to the upcoming episodes in this build. Great work as always!
Hi droid builders! **waves**
👋
I work at the Martin Guitar Factory, you should come take the tour. The amount of time, effort and technology that goes into building some of these instruments is fascinating, impressive, and one of the things I love most about the job. Seriously if you are ever in Pennsylvania come see us.
I have missed your English accents adam
That blue data display is "Chef's kiss". The whole build is awesome! :D
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You should make a Dalek
hey buddy
Do you have a link for the transfer plug set?
The blue color wheel, I think the pattern you're looking for is a zig-zag going around the wheel. Make two. So the upper display has a blue zig-zag and the lower display has a white zig-zag and I think that will create the pattern that will look most familiar.
Best 'modern' film soundtrack? I personally stand by Dune. Hans Zimmer did AMAZING WORK ON THAT MOVIES.
This was deeply satisfying and might be my new favorite video on Tested. Can't wait for the rest of the build