Norman Chan and the gang over at Tested were kicking it around Maker Faire a couple of weekends ago, and were able to meet up with one of the members of the Bay Area R2 Builders Club at the convention. Chris James talked to Norm about the club as a whole, and how they work as a community in the building of their individual R2 units, but also in the detail put into both the physical building and the electronic control of their droids. “It took two years to look like this, but it was really a ten-year project.” Chris compared building and maintaining an R2 unit to the work and dedication of building or restoring a car. He also recommends to anyone interested in building an R2 to start with the dome, just in case they decide not to go through with the entire build. “At least you will have something cool you can put on top of your car or something.”

What is truly fascinating about these creations, though, is the electronic work and how they are actually more advanced than the R2 models used on the actual Star Wars films. The films would use various models that were designed to only carry out specific functions for a scene, but the Club models are built to do all kinds of things at the touch of a button or two. Check out the video for even more facts about how Chris brought his R2 to life, and if you are interested in building your own, be sure to check out theR2 Builders Club website.

What did you think of Chris’s R2 unit? Want to build one? Let us know in the comments below!