Dome....dome ....DOME !!!

So, I start having a look at the head or Dome or R2D2, will I be able to make one? Aquire one from someone? There's a lot of builds that start with things such as Planters and other dome cooking bowl ideas. I was immediately drawn to one of the part runs which was the Darren Murrer 300mm Laster cut dual layer Aluminium dome. Probably if not the best on the market. And also an expensive item. But worth it if you can afford it ! Hastily I signed up on a part run, that was about to commence - The dome was around 600 dollars if I recall, plus shipping and plus import tax, and before long - its one of those items that you have let slip through your fingers. This item alone, no matter how much i wanted it was beyond what i could spend, and sheepishly, someone else was fortunate enough to get the one I had put my name on the list for. Now a word of warning from my mistake for new builders getting on part runs - don't do what i did - put your name down for one if you can afford to pay there and then on Paypal. Think carefully before committing to buy. The guys who organize these runs are spending their own time for getting you the perfect item for your build, the last thing they need is people backing out ( unless in a valid emergency in which a simple email direct to the Seller will suffice if not a phone call out of courtesy). The majority of builders are tolerant people, and don't need their time wasting. I hold my hand up to not completely understanding from the outset. Being excited to get what you want is not always the best situation to jump into. However - I will get one from Darren one day - when I can pay for it in one go. These Aluminium Runs can take several Months to complete and ship out - so start saving now ! 

However - there are alternatives available to the work of art shown above. There are Laser-cut Styrene domes around $200 from the States, and there are in some cases Fiber Glass Domes.

Now, a lot of the perfectionist builders will stay a million miles away from a fiberglass dome, but you pay for what you get. I fortunately managed to acquire one from in the UK for such a tiny amount -its embarrassing to even display the figure on screen, lets just say that I assumed it was a Proto-type. I managed to acquire it from Ebay, and I will mention Ebay do's and don'ts in a future post , entitled 'Ebay Bits Yay and Nay'