(robot chirping)
[TODD MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] This is our
R2 Northwest Expo at the Museum of Flight.
(robot chirping)
We build replica R2s or astronomechs
as we call them, from Star Wars.
(clicking sounds)
(Humming 20th Century Fox theme tune)
-It's the Star Wars theme.
-It's the 20th Century Fox...
[TODD MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] A lot of us, we think there's no way I can do this.
And then we come and we see ‘em at things like this.
And you get inspired.
You ask questions. You're like, well...
If I break it down into bite sized pieces
that you're dealing with something that's a long term project,
then suddenly, it's a lot less intimidating.
[JEANNE DEWITT] I started when I retired.
I needed something to do.
Never cared about math or science or engineering until I was 65 years old.
I've built four of them.
I wanted one, but I didn't want one of the little toy ones.
I wanted the full size one.
[STRUMMER MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] This is an R4.
His name is R4N9.
My dad's been doing this since before I was born
and then it kind of kicked in.
[TODD MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] He's just grown up around this, and it builds his confidence
that he's doing it in a safe manner.
And he's doing it in a way that is getting emotional reactions from people.
To me, that's the sort of thing as a kid that I wish I had.
[STRUMMER MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] It's cool because these are supposed to be like
space things and Star Wars and a universe so far away,
but we can build them here.
[TODD MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] You see a lot of different reactions and it's always joy,
It’s joy, its surprise that they're actually here.
Its surprise that they are doing the things that they see them do on screen.
-R5 has a bad motivator over here...
[TODD MAXFIELD-MATSUMOTO] People understand someone's controlling this.
But when they're interacting with those, it's real.
When you look around here, are these the droids you're looking for?
Well, they're some of the droids, that's for sure.
But we're all always looking
and that's why we keep building.