Photo credit: Cpt. Maggi via Laughing Squid
R2-D2, which stands for Second Generation Robotic Droid Series-2, was portrayed mainly by radio controlled props and CGI models in the Star Wars movies, but one German professor decided to create a larger than life version of the astromech droid. Professor Hubert Zitt decided to transform the Zweibrücken Observatory of the Natural Science Association into a giant R2-D2. Read more for another picture and additional information.
Photo credit: Ferwen04
Did you know that George Lucas’s creation of R2-D2 was influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 feature film The Hidden Fortress (1962)? That’s right, inspiration came particularly from Tahei and Matashichi, the two comic relief characters that serve as sidekicks to General Makabe. Lucas and artist Ralph McQuarrie also drew inspiration from the robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 film Silent Running.