Nominee – Jason Harris

What would you improve within the droid building community?

The droid building community has grown significantly, especially with the rise of new fabrication methods like 3D printing. While this growth is fantastic, I believe there’s room for improvement in supporting newer builders—particularly through better educational content and resources.

One key area I’d focus on is enhancing our social media presence to provide more accessible, engaging content for builders of all levels. This has been discussed before, and I was previously nominated to help in this area. Unfortunately, I encountered some blockers, such as access and login issues. As a committee member, I believe I could push through these hurdles more effectively.

Additionally, I’ve noticed many smaller independent groups—similar to my own—that could benefit from guidance, especially when organising events. I’d like to contribute by offering advice on basics such as health and safety, best practices, and community support.

What could you bring to the committee that may benefit the droid building community?

I consider myself an approachable and supportive member of the community, always willing to listen and engage with others. I currently run a successful group in East Anglia, which many of you may be familiar with, and have extensive experience in planning and running events.

In addition to that, I actively serve as an MOT officer, carrying out inspections and supporting builders at various events. I believe there’s currently a gap in representation from the East Coast, and I’d be proud to help fill that void and ensure voices from our area are heard and supported.

Please include a builder profile of yourself, as though we don’t know anything about your droid building journey.

My journey into droid building began in 2016 at Star Wars Celebration UK. I attended with my son, and as we admired the incredible droid displays, he turned to me and said, “Daddy, can we make one?” My first thought was, “I don’t even know where to begin!”

Three years later, I bought a 3D printer and started experimenting with small projects. One of my first big builds was actually a full Iron Man suit for my son. After completing it, I stumbled across someone who had built a 3D-printed R2-D2—which reignited that spark from 2016.

I joined Mr. Baddeley’s Facebook group and started work on the Mk2 R2-D2. Printing on my Ender 3 was a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but after about 12 months, I had a completed droid. I then added Padawan control and dome panel movement using Marcduino. Not knowing where to take my droid, I brought it to a local Comic Con—which included a few bumps and breakages along the way!

Since then, I’ve built multiple droids to enhance interaction at events. My collection now includes various static builds like Huyang, Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Pit Droids, Essie, IG-12, and K-2SO, as well as moving droids like Ch33p and the Baby Ride-On droids. I’m also finishing a couple of 39% ALT droids.

More recently, I’ve been working on a new Mk3 R2-D2 using ABS and aluminium parts from Lee Towersy. This droid is fully RC and runs on Kyber. Like most builders will agree—a droid is never truly finished!