What a difference! I could easily have achieved a mirror finish, but I felt that a satin finish was more in keeping with the spirit of the original robot. Of course, in the original robot, the side panels and tread boxes were painted. I refuse to paint these beautiful works of art. Gleaming metal looks so much more like metal than metallic silver paint. The original robot was a prop designed to look good on film under the hot lights and through the distortion of a camera. Paint might have been the best way to give the illusion of a smooth, non-reflective metallic finish under these circumstances. My robot, however, must look good in person.

Note the nice little screw in the top middle of the side panel. It is just like the original. Some builders consider this detail a flaw of the original robot that should not be slavishly repeated. I admire their spirit, but I rather like this way of attaching the side panels. To my mind, it is simple and elegant. It also makes removing the side panels very simple.

---