R2D2 Budget Mod by Frenk Janse

R2D2 Budget Mod by Frenk Janse

Foreword by Richard Swinburne:

It's not often that we get a mod that's simple, awesome, and cheap. Many of the mods we feature often have parts milled by CNC for precision or a workshop the size of a small warehouse.

Frenkie's R2D2 mod is a little different because the vast majority of the work he's done throughout the build was completed with hand tools and personal skill, with only the odd occasion needing heavy-duty tools to get the job done.

What makes the mod all the more impressive is that Frenkie spent only $120 on this creation and so this is probably one of the cheapest builds we've featured in a while. Although the R2D2 computer has been done before, rarely do they make noises, have webcams, fan control and blue lighted feet: Frenkie has thought of it all and on that note I'll leave him to get onto telling us about his latest creation.

Modding on a budget

This is the worklog of my R2-D2 case mod, which is an ultra-low budget project - so far I have spend about 120 dollars on it. The basis of this mod is a written-off garbage can that I was told to get rid off. Rather than doing that though, I gathered pictures of R2 from the Internet and started my first Dremel-cuts, based upon guessing the size.

I split the construction of this mod into three big stages; the Dome, the Body and the Legs. I decided to build all three simultaneously, so I'll be jumping from one to another all the time.


The start of this mod: an old garbage can about to be thrown away, and my drawings on how I wanted it to end up... then below, how it finally turned out.