A New Droid, R9.E1 Zoe

Here we go again. I have been inspired to make a new Astromech, a sister for Emy. I am going to construct an R9.E1. This Astromech will differ slightly from Emy, not that it is an R9 and Emy is an R6, but that I will ensure that all the weaknesess in Emy will be designed out in the new build. Everything will be slightly over engineered to add the strength. The original R2D2 designs are fine if you make the droid from metal but if you build in wood the design is simply not strong enough to deal with the punishment of events each weekend. I will make the legs out of MDF but I will go for Ply on the body this time to save weight. The legs will be slightly bigger and wider than the set dimensions to add strength and the ankle pivots increased in size.
The reason the Droid will be a sister for Emy and called Zoe is that it has been partially inspired by the TV series Caprica.Even thought the build will be designed around an R9 model I am considering not covering the main body but instead leaving all the electronics visibile. I will fit fake circuit boards into pannel spaces to give the look of the Astromech having its skin partially removed and place skin panels in certain places only. The final build will have a mixed look, partially Droid and partially cyborg. Emy will be the beautiful sister and zoe the robotic hybred, her beauty hidden inside the robot, hence the Caprica link.