My first MSE "Mouse" Droid will be a blend of assembled and built, given my access to resources is currently limited. I bought the shell made by someone else, and will be using a stripped down remote control car. The top Greeblies, detailing added to the surface of a larger object that makes it appear more complex, were 3D printed and given to me by a builder with a 3D Printer. The building part will mainly be in the inner frame, the side panels, and any other extras (such as lights). There will be limited programming in the form of a small sound system with files from the Mouse Droid Builders Club wiki, which I may decided to automate, semi-automate, or keep under my full control.
This is a Granite Earth Shell that can be bought on the Mouse Droid Builders Club board. Both halves of the shell will need to be cut to fit at least the wheels, trimmed, and sanded before any paint is applied. After the paint is applied, details such as the side panels that I will build will be placed. I will be using 1/2 inch thick wood that will be measured and cut to build the inner frame, which will at least fit snug inside (if not glued). Doing this will keep the two halves aligned and together.
This bare Traxxas remote controlled car will be the way I make my droid move. It comes with a battery and charger, a small tool kit for disassembly and assembly in case repairs are needed, and more. I will be measuring and cutting openings in the bottom shell to fit the chassis, and be sure to make enough room for the wheels once they are reattached. Everything is disassembled for now so I can measuring once, twice, and three times before doing anything permanent. Measuring and checking your work many times helps you to avoid a mistakes big and small.
These are the top Greeblies that were 3D printed and given to me by another builder. These will sit on opposite ends of the top shell, evenly spaced from the ends of the shell. I will probably mount them on wooden blocks to give them height using velcro strips. This method will make it easier to customize the droid later and not damaged the shell so much.
I bought plenty of these velcro strips to use for the top Greeblies, side panels, and lighter parts as needed. Again, this keeps future customization(s) in mind, and helps to avoid unnecessary damage to the top shell.
And that is my starting point for my first MSE "Mouse" Droid. The main tasks here are to build the frame, work on the shell (cut, trim, sand, paint, etc), build/assemble the side panels, add the top Greeblies, and assemble the entire droid. An mini sound system will likely be placed inside the shell and mounted on the frame to give my droid a voice. Technically, the droid does not need anything else, but I may want to add lights and other extra details that come to me. I have a Arduino Uno kit that I would like to try and use for this project.
