WB8 - a droid from the WrightBuilt.ca workshop
Hello, Stephen here with the introduction to My Own BB-8 project.
WB8 is a droid created on the third planet (Earth) in the settlement known as Edmonton in the WrightBuilt.ca workshop. The WB designation identifies the droid as a BB design manufactured by the WrightBuilt company.
In the fall of 2024, I was surprised when I attended Edmonton’s Comic Con (Fan Expo) to see someone could build a ‘real’ BB8 droid. I had see R2D2 and other droids made, and their movement seemed simple to me. To get a rolling ball to move in the right direction and controlled speed while keeping the dome head at the top - was something I had never considered possible. I assumed it was all special effects in the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens or you had to work at Industrial Light and Magic like Grant Imahara. Not only was the BB8 rolling around the Expo Centre here in Edmonton built by a regular person, but that person lived only a few miles away. If he could make a BB8, I figured I could too.
I was given the advice to check out the BB8 builder sites and join some of the droid building groups on Facebook.
I also started collecting information on the movie version of BB8 and the remote control version built after the movie was made. (The movies used a puppet version.)
Inspirational Image from Star Wars production drawings on display at Disney World Florida.
For further information:
While I am building my version of BB8, I will be documenting what I have learned to share with you. If you would like to know anything about my process or progress, please contact me; form or email - info.wrightbuilt.ca@gmail.com
