Built in a garage not far away
Take the globe from a street lamp, a 3D printer, a handful of motors, magnets, computers, and ‘‘years of tinkering’’ and you too could have your own working droid.
Matthew Reading, a police officer turned public servant, had no electronics education but turned his hand to recreating a robot from a galaxy far, far away in his own garage, complete with sound effects, flashing lights and a swivelling head.
Now Reading’s BB-8, the loyal droid featured in two Star Wars films, is one of several replicas in the world, but the only one in New Zealand.
‘‘I don’t watch much TV and instead I like to tinker, so this is the result of years of tinkering.’’
Reading, who lives in Whitby, north of Wellington, spent a year making the BB-8 for charity events.
This weekend he would be raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation at Wellington’s Armageddon pop culture and entertainment expo.
The BB-8 has six motors and two computers, and it can move and talk when operated by a playstation controller.
‘‘I saw someone else who’d done it, and I thought it didn’t look too hard.’’
The head of the BB-8 was made by a 3D printer and then painted to look more authentic. The body was harder to make, Reading said.
Reading had to find a supplier of street lamp globes of the right size, and eventually found one in Whangarei.
Luckily, they had one street lamp globe to spare. The person Reading dealt with was able to deliver it to Wellington himself, the very next day, he said.
Inside the street lamp globe is a large pendulum, six electric motors, eight magnets and two computers, allowing the BB-8 to move, spin and steer himself around.
The inside mechanics of the droid are the product of hours of research and his own design, and built by Reading from scratch.
‘‘A lot of people ask me what my background is and do I have anything in the movie industry or electronics.
‘‘The honest thing is I don’t. I was a police officer for five years, then I moved to New Zealand and I’ve been working in the superannuation business.’’
Reading said he learnt everything from the internet and the international BB-8 Builders Club had information and advice.
‘‘It was just something I felt passionate about and enthusiastic about.
‘‘You can do anything in your garage.’’
The reactions of adults and children was what drove him to continue, he said.
Reading’s first project was an Iron Man costume. He made it in 2013 for the Wellington Sevens, and it took months to create.
He was invited to a birthday party wearing the Iron Man costume. Soon other invites began arriving.
‘‘People wanted to pay me for it, but I ended up donating it to the children’s hospital.’’
Reading and his sidekick, Kevin, dressed as Batman, still visited the childrens’ wards in their costumes.
Over the years he had donated more than $4000, he said.
The BB-8 will be part of the Star Wars costume group, Outpost 42, at Wellington’s 2018 Armageddon today, and the group would be collecting money for the Child Cancer Foundation.