# Lighting the X Plus Robbie



## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Had a guy get ahold of me and sent the 12" X plus Robbie and wanted me to add the Starling Tech Lifeforce kit (with some mods)
The entire sound and light kit fits inside the robot's torso.








Battery access will be through the easily removable arm.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/stev123/jimsXplusrobbie/Jimsrobbbie029.jpg

The way the Xplus kit is desigined you can easily light it with little or no modification, or you can hide your fear and do lots of cutting...lol
This is how the voice light would look without having to do anything more than open up the robot's pieces:








Of course, I'm going to open him up..with POWER TOOLS!!

















More pics in a bit

Steve


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## walsing (Aug 22, 2010)

Your post came at a good time for me. I am considering getting this robot and was wondering what could be done with it. Looking forward to your updates!


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Go steve!


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Thanks guys.. we are going to add 3 upper chest lights









Make the "Face" look more like the movie poster.









Light the gun, and experiment with a I.R. remote to run the features.










Steve


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Got an X-Plus on my wish list. Looking forward to seeing all that can be done.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

DCH10664 said:


> Got an X-Plus on my wish list. Looking forward to seeing all that can be done.


Steve's a freakin' genius with this stuff! Pay attention to this one!


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Yea. This is very cool. Remote is an awesome idea.


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## neps (Apr 3, 2009)

How is this progressing, Steve? I'd like to see more....


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Thank you for the kind words Chris!
The goal of this build is at add as much Hoo-Ha as I can without changing the stock look of the model..stuff any collector can do if he want a talking lighted Robbie..

I was just diddling around with mods to the model 'till The Starling tech life force kit showed up.

Stan at Starling installed a tiny R/C unit to cycle through the voice channels without touching the model..it really works well!
I am also lighting Robbie's gun as well as the weapon neutralizers and chest lights, and the stuff on top of his noggin
























The best place for the battery is inside one of the arms...

Steve


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

"Stuff?"


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

I understand..*stuff* is a mighty generic term...I'm talking about the doo dads, feinbergs, and greeblies.....

I hope that clears up any questions....

Steve


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## Moderbuilderzero (Mar 29, 2013)

Chrisisall said:


> "Stuff?"


To quote Robbie...... "Stuff, Sir??"


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

*OT - English lesson request*

What do "feinbergs" and "greeblies" mean? 

Oh, and, by the way, fantastic job as usual. I wonder how many projects can you run at once.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

DCH10664 said:


> Got an X-Plus on my wish list. Looking forward to seeing all that can be done.


http://www.robotisland.com/p743/Robby-The-Robot-12%22-Figure-X-Plus/product_info.html


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

To quote the teens I work with OMG!!!!:freak::freak::thumbsup:

That gun especially. Holy simple blaster, Batman!


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Neps, I'll show how simple it is to install. 
But I'm not doing a step by step this time.
HT is just too slow due to all the ads and such..it takes 20 mins to upload 5 pics where it used to take 4 mins.
The Robbie lifeforce kit will have a step by step tutorial if you decide to buy the kit. (I think you will see some pics you recognize..lol)

Steve


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Today I focused on the last few holes I needed to drill for the lights and switches.
This pic shows What I'm doing for this build. The kit will do all this,.. it's merely a matter of the Builder. If you want a simple lighted talking Robbie, you can do that, but if the builder has the skills/gumption to carve up a 150 dollar kit, it will be a showstopper!









We are lighting the weapons neutralizers..so the kit parts need to be removed to allow drilling out holes for the fiber optics. I tried to simply pull them off, I ended up sawing them off.








I'm also lighting the gun, and that reqired drilling the gun and the arm for FO









Steve


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## MGagen (Dec 18, 2001)

Fernando Mureb said:


> What do "feinbergs" and "greeblies" mean?


Irving Feinberg was the Property Master for TOS Trek. That little rotating scanner McCoy used to certify that a given redshirt was "dead, Jim" was nicknamed the _Feinberg Oscillating Framizam_ on the set. Generic props were given the name _Feinbergs_, as in, "I need a Feinberg for this scene."

Greeblies, as far as I know, was a term coined by the Star Wars production folks for the little bits of model kit glued over the surface of the various ship models.

M.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Steve, great stuff!


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

MGagen said:


> Irving Feinberg was the Property Master for TOS Trek. That little rotating scanner McCoy used to certify that a given redshirt was "dead, Jim" was nicknamed the _Feinberg Oscillating Framizam_ on the set. Generic props were given the name _Feinbergs_, as in, "I need a Feinberg for this scene."
> 
> Greeblies, as far as I know, was a term coined by the Star Wars production folks for the little bits of model kit glued over the surface of the various ship models.
> 
> M.


Thanks MGagen. It's very kind of you. I had read about Feinberg in "The making of ST" book, but hadn't linked the name to this coined expression, realy.


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

WoW !!! Talk about going above and beyond. Robby really will be a showstopper when Steve is done !!


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## neps (Apr 3, 2009)

Steve,

I have left you a PM.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Spent a lot of the day working on Robbie..

Started with the fiber optics

































My contact info is in my bio.
PMs take days to get to me

Steve


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Fantastic!!

On the weapons neutralizers, will the fiber optics be sanded to glow, in order to lighting the neutralizers bodies? Actually, I never work with FO and I do not even know if this is possible.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

No, I'm just going for a pinpoint light effect. but there will be some glow from the fiber.
I should have some lighting pics of the chest and "face" by tonight.

Steve


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

XPlus Robbie is done.









































When I have a vid I like I'll post it.
It was a sucessfull build, the sound & light kit does a great job in the larger figure...

Now, where is the Moebius B9?


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Great work as usual Steve.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Can I have it?


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Thanks Guys! Sorry he has a home waiting for him.

My heart about stopped..he has been functioning perfectly..remote, lights, etc.
I *finally* get it all buttoned up..and _*the remote won't work!!!*_

Moving the antenna and a new 9 volt solved Robbie's problem...Me? I'm still trying to get my heart rate down...lol
Here is a quickie vid:





Steve


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

I hated letting that LIS Robot go his home, you must feel similarly...


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Not really... The big Robbie isn't my cup of tea.. I really like the Polar lights one better.. 

Here is a longer vid... it's 1 min 50 seconds:





Steve


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Wow !! This is seriously over the top. And I like that it does'nt look to be "over lighted" Unfortunately, some of the lighted robots I see, you could put a lamp shade on. And use it to light your living room. But this looks great !


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Thanks! it's really the same install for the Polar lights Robbie.
The thick vinyl is a bear to deal with..and all the face lights took some F O wrangling.
Light blocking...lol was not a problem with that thick black vinyl.
I taped the white plastic connectors with black tape to eliminate errant light from those...


















Steve


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Simply fantastic!!



steve123 said:


> *My heart about stopped*..he has been functioning perfectly..remote, lights, etc.
> I *finally* get it all buttoned up..and _*the remote won't work!!!*_
> 
> Moving the antenna and a new 9 volt *solved Robbie's problem*...Me? I'm still trying to get my heart rate down...lol
> ...


I know what this is... with the difference that there wasn't a redemption for me.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Thanks Fernando, what happened with the build you mentioned?


Steve


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

When I finished my PL Jupiter 2, with a huge use of LEDs, and was about to put the kit on the shelf, I torn the power on just to see, for my despair, that the 6 LEDs I used to lighting the main control consoles (solidly super glued on the floor) had their brightness faded out in about 50%. Go figure.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

Fernando Mureb said:


> the 6 LEDs I used to lighting the main control consoles (solidly super glued on the floor) had their brightness faded out in about 50%. Go figure.


Doesn't that just produce a subtle effect that works well? Or do you mean they're like TOO dim?


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Chrisisall said:


> Doesn't that just produce a subtle effect that works well? Or do you mean they're like TOO dim?


Yes, too dim. The central upper console (burroughs electrodata) is almost off. I think when I'm about to mount the second kit, I will be willing to address the two major problems of the first one: the faded LEDs and the incorrect layout of the backwalls of the galley, which prevent the perfect fit of the two hulls. :wave:

I'm sorry Steve, all this is OT.


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

steve123 said:


> Here is a longer vid... it's 1 min 50 seconds:
> Jimsrobbbie 154 - YouTube


Back on topic- this is amazing.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

It's no problem I asked..
fernando, Mine fit fine (Moebius J2) But the walls needed to be cleaned up carefully the parts clamped together and the slots cleaned and tested for fit.








I used thick white glue and lots of clamps to make sure all walls were plumb.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Thanks for the support, Steve. 

I did not want to hijack your thread, but would add to the previous posts that the problem with the PLJ2 is that it wasn't made to have the landing bays. 

So, if one decides to build them, he's got to deal with the inside arrangement of the various compartiments, making room for the landing bays and trying to keep the scale and proportions between everything there.

In this process, I made a mistake when I placed the galley back wall, because it was glued too high on that part of the inner lower hull that is angled, raising itself to match the upper hull. 

To move the wall to the right position, several parts around it need to be proportionally displaced and some even trimmed, since the movement should be towards the center, where space is obviously smaller (and I glued each part with superglue!!).

In other words: a nightmare. :freak:


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Before I undertook..lol this project I read all the horror stories.
I built mine like I build a house.
























This won't save your old one, but it will make the next one a prize winner.

The structural stuff needs to be clamped and glued with a medium that allows adjustment while drying/aligning.
The gear bays *do* fit. it just takes a few days work to refine the fit and to let them dry...
It's well worth the time. _the structural integrity of the lower hull, and eventually the upper hull,..depends on how the gear bays fit into the hull._

do you see any popsickle sticks in my build?...


The client that payed for this build bought one from e bay earlier.(didn't want to wait for my build schedule) His was wobbly, misaligned and a pile of crap.
It was so bad he commisioned this one.

I build kits that will last 'till the will is read.

Steve


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

steve123 said:


> Before I undertook..lol this project I read all the horror stories.
> 
> I built mine like I build a house.
> 
> *This won't save your old one, but it will make the next one a prize winne*r.


Yeah, I hope so. :thumbsup:



steve123 said:


> The structural stuff needs to be clamped and glued with a medium that allows adjustment while drying/aligning.
> The gear bays *do* fit. it just takes a few days work to refine the fit and to let them dry...
> It's well worth the time. _the structural integrity of the lower hull, and eventually the upper hull,..depends on how the gear bays fit into the hull._


Those clamps are on my list. 



steve123 said:


> do you see any popsickle sticks in my build?...


LOL. I know. :lol:



steve123 said:


> The client that payed for this build bought one from e bay earlier.(didn't want to wait for my build schedule) His was wobbly, misaligned and a pile of crap.
> It was so bad he commisioned this one.
> 
> I build kits that will last 'till the will is read.
> Steve


Never fear, Steve is here! :tongue:


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Don't be flippant with me again.
It takes decades to master these skills. if a kit goes south on you, the best thing a builder can do it work around the problem.
I've hijacked my own thread to make a point.
Just because YOU can't get a kit together..does not mean it's a bad kit.

Steve


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

steve123 said:


> Don't be flippant with me again.
> It takes decades to master these skills. if a kit goes south on you, the best thing a builder can do it work around the problem.
> I've hijacked my own thread to make a point.
> Just because YOU can't get a kit together..does not mean it's a bad kit.
> ...


Oh... excuse me, I didn't understand your mood on this post. Did I say something wrong?


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