The original R2-KT has seen 17 years of hard service, traveling all over the world, visiting countless kids in hospitals, attending conventions, appearing on the big screen, and promoting good will wherever she’s needed. That can take a toll, even on a droid. She’s been transported by truck, cargo ship, and plane. She’s been knocked and dinged and run hard – just to get to her fans. She even fell off a truck during a Christmas parade! But we never hesitated to deploy her – wherever she was needed, KT was on the job. That can take a toll, even on a droid.
Luckily, KT has a whole family ready to help her. It started with Jerry Greene, Andy Schwartz, Pat Coajou, and a bunch of other droid builders back in 2006. Over the years, they’ve helped keep our girl going. But it was little Alex, son of Pat, who would see KT at the time of her birth and then grow up to become a builder in the tradition of his dad. Alex remembered KT in her prime. He saw the beating she’s taken and resolved: we can get her back in top form! So, in 2022 the father and son launched into Project: Revenge of the Pink!
Below are some of the many photos and notes following their hard work. Every care has been taken to retain KT’s original build and appearance, but with extensive work to repair and strengthen her where time has set in.
Progress in Repairs
In 2022 R2-KT was transported to the Coajou family workshop in South Carolina. Alex and Pat jumped right into repairs: disassembling KT and removing rust, corrosion, and badly mounted screws. Paint was stripped and a new powder coating ordered. Components have come in from donors including Philip Wise with skins, Paul with his Logic Engine, Maxstang and the Sacramento Astromech Builders Group donating PSI’s. The work is long and hard, but the dynamic duo are giving KT an epic repair job that will get her BACK IN ACTION!
July 2023 Updates
The work continues. Each day, years of wear and tear are being repaired. It is our hope to continue the work to get the original R2-KT back in top form. If you want to be a part of the R2-KT Repair Crew, just email us at r2kt@r2kt.com and get your Repair Crew Swag Pack! Your support will help us get KT back to her mission: spreading hope and bringing smiles! Thank you!
You can read all about KT’s original build here: https://www.r2kt.com/birth-of-a-droid/
And here’s a roster of all the amazing Droid Builders who have made this entire thing possible: https://www.r2kt.com/the-kt-builders/
