I am making an R2D2 cake in a few weeks and I have some ideas about how to construct this, but I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions, tips or anything from you guys who have tried it before or even if you haven't.

I am thinking I am going to use a 7" round for the body well 3 of them. The top will be the sports ball pan (1/2 of it.) The arms I will make out of rice krispies with, which I have never used before. Any tips would be appreciated as to what recipe to use and when it is best to carve.

I have not quite figured out the structure part of it. I need something sturdy enough to hold 6 layers of cake plus the top will be 7. I am thinking of making my own stand and screwing a dowel into my base so it will be sturdy.

Thanks in advance.

Here's a really great photo tutorial: http://www.bsideblog.com/2008/06/making-the-most-amazing-r2d2-c.php

This tutorial is for a smaller version: http://smartmama.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-make-r2d2-cake.html

What I did was put two skewers into the arms, one on the top and the other one half way and then I "Stabbed" the arm into the body of the cake. Also, before doing this I put a lot of white chocolate in the body (midway only) and held it for a minute to make sure it was secure.

I put the white chocolate on the outside of the body of R2D2 to glue the arms on. Just an extra step. Also, what happened to me was that the body wasn't really straight so when you put the arms on they were not touching the cake in some parts. So the white chocolate really helped because I just piped more on those areas AFTER the arms were attached just to fill the gaps. Since it was white chocolate you couldn't really see it. I took a skewer and scrape the overflowing. PM if you have any questions as you go along.