The Robot Award

When I began building the robot sign, I had no plans to enter it into a contest...but when I saw that WETA (the guys who did special effects for movies like "The Lord Of The Rings" series and "Narnia") was holding a contest to redesign/build one of their rayguns, I had an idea to do something really different and incorporate the redesign into my robot sample.
I knew when I did it that it was a bit of a stretch...wonderful prop makers from all over the world were building amazing rayguns for the contest and I pulled a hard left turn and built a robot. 
I was even a little concerned that if I were to win, some might call 'foul'..."You were supposed to build a gun, dummy...not a robot!" 
I was thrilled to find out today that although I didn't win, I received an honorable mention.  They liked it enough to give it it's own award category (The Robot Award).  I'll accept a running, wind up front-flip high five from the folks at WETA any day!
Now on to the next one!

Done!

It's always exciting to watch a sign come to life...and this was no exception. In fact, it has been the single most exciting project so far! I'm very happy with the results and ready for the next one!

Paintgun for my Ray Gun...

A deadline has a way of helping you get things in order.  I've put in some time on this robot this last week and the progress has been fast and furious.  I got the claws carved and attached as well as the two ray guns that mount on top of the arm.  I also completed the porthole and got lots of little details added.  Then came primer!

I am also including a fun little project I did for the interior...A miniature version of the original raygun for the pilot!

End Stretch...

After a bit of a break, I'm back at it and have made much progress on the robot/mech.  Arms are attached, as are the feet.  I finally added the rayguns to both arms today and am nearing completion.  Next comes the fingers, the port window and a few other little add-ons that will help bring it to life. 
I literally can't wait to start painting this thing tomorrow!

Toe To Toe...To Toe...To Toe...etc.

As I near the end of this project, I'm finally adding lots of little details that will bring it to life once it's all painted.  I took some time today to get the feet assemblies finished and mounted. I also put on some detail pieces. Each "Toe" is attached with a hinge for a reason.  I envision that this robot may stand on a surface that isn't completely level and/or flat.  They would create a great deal of surface area and if the total weight of the piece rested on one of the toes, it might not hold up. The hinges allow each toe to "float" and adjust for almost any surface.  In reality, the robot will continue to stand on the 3 inner "feet" that are hidden inside these assemblies.

I also whipped up some pieces that will sit between the mid-leg assembly and feet. They look sort of like old electrical transformers.

I drilled the holes that allowed me to mount them on the legs, and glued them up using the Coastal Enterprises HDU glue. Once they were installed, I spent a some time adding the leg "shocks". These will get some additional Magic Sculpt detailing later.

I think the legs are very close to complete. Now on to the arm assemblies! Tally Ho!