R2D2 Full Size

Google Sheet of total cost so far

I’d been itching for another proper build for a while. Ever since I finished my Imperial Star Destroyer from Gambody, there’s been that familiar gap — the one where you keep scrolling through files, thinking “yeah, that’s nice… but it’s not the one.” I didn’t just want something to print; I wanted a project. Something big enough to get stuck into, something that would take time, planning, and a bit of problem-solving along the way.

Naturally, my search kept drifting back to R2-D2. It’s one of those iconic builds, the kind of project that sits right on the line between model and full-on prop.

After a bit of digging, I came across a full-size R2 unit on Maker World by Ryan@TheMajinLab. It looked fantastic — detailed, well-designed, and clearly a lot of work had gone into it. But there was one thing that kept nagging at me: the finish. A lot of these builds rely heavily on post-processing and painting to really bring them to life, and if I’m honest, painting just isn’t something I enjoy. I’d much rather let the printer do the work, using different filament colours to get as close to the final look as possible straight off the bed.

That’s what led me to the version by Mr. Baddeley. The design felt like a better fit for how I like to work — cleaner separation of parts, more suited to multi-colour printing, and less reliance on heavy finishing afterwards. It still captures the look of R2-D2 brilliantly, but in a way that leans into the strengths of 3D printing rather than fighting against them.

I’ve also decided to keep things simple and skip the electronics for now. As impressive as the moving panels, lights, and sounds are, they add a whole extra layer of complexity that I don’t really want to get bogged down in on this build. This project, for me, is about the print itself — the scale, the assembly, and seeing a full-size R2 unit come together piece by piece.

So that’s the plan: a full-size R2-D2 build, focused purely on the physical model, printed in colour where possible, and (hopefully) looking the part straight off the printer. Now comes the fun part — actually getting started.

To get things moving, I picked up some filament to kick the project off properly. I went with four spools of Bambu PLA Matt White and two of Bambu PLA Matte Blue. I’ve found matt filaments tend to print a bit cleaner and, more importantly, they just look better straight off the printer — less shine, fewer visible layer reflections, and a more “finished” feel without needing loads of post-processing.

I did have my eye on some PLA Silk+ Silver for the dome and some of the accent parts, but it was out of stock at the time. something to come back to later, depending on how I decide to handle the finer details.

Originally, I was thinking about starting with the feet but I decided to just dive straight into the main body. It’s the core of the whole build, and getting that underway makes it feel like the project has properly started rather than just testing the waters.

Plus, there’s something more satisfying about seeing the bulk of it come together early on

I decided to begin with the base ring. The base is made up of six separate parts that all slot together using dovetail joints, forming the foundation for everything else that stacks on top.

The prints are flat to the print bed with no supports or overhangs, the parts printed well with just a few issues with curved edges and a few curls in the corners.

So I will need some filler when I glue them together, and one part failed on the first print dew to the print bed not been clean

With the Base ring completed this it what it looks like, not yet glued.

On to the second ring shown here, there are 12 parts, and most need supports

The first part MB-Ring 1-1 I didn't use any supports and it came out not to bad, the locating lug was off and the step is a bit messy.

MB-Ring 1-2 I used PETG as supports, but it didn't stick to the print bed and was a bit of a mess as seen here, this is on the inside so will not show.

When it came to MB-Ring 1-3 the supports were PETG interface only and worked as they are super easy to remove from PLA.

Parts MB-Ring 1-4, MB-Ring 1-5 were spot on but I had a little trouble with MB-Ring 1-6, this was two parts, the main part was fine but the smaller part failed, so I printed this smaller part again and it came out the same until I saw there was a small area under it that wasn't flat to the print bed, so the third time I printed it the other way up.