So I'm buidling this robot. Not a functional robot, unfortunately, because I just don't have the electronics chops for that. Or the time to learn. I have a little tiny bit of inclination to learn because that would be COOL! Stay-at-home-robot-builder! (I could make it into a career. Like cryptozoologist.) But again, time & commitment outweigh inclination. Which is probably some fundamental statement about my placement in society. Or something. (deep waters! deep waters!)
Anyway, I'm building this robot. I'm already planning my Halloween decorations and I've decided to add killer robot into the mix. See, last year I went with a mad scientist theme, a little Victorian, in the sunroom and it was a lot of fun. I dig the mad scientist/steampunk look. Did I tell you last year we won an award? Well, we did! From our local councilmember for a "spookily decorated house" or "halloween spirit" or something. And sure, he probably just printed that up on his home printer but it said the name of our city at the top and it had golden glittery bits on it and it was still an award! I haven't gotten many of those. (Can you tell?) So what I want to do this year is have the robot look like he was attacking the scientist before they both went kaput. (See, because the scientist is actually a skeleton in an lab coat. If you work with skeletons you just have to assume the scene entails what they were doing before they died. Industry fact.)
So I have a dilemma. I've spray painted cardboard boxes in silver and copper. I've gone to the .99 cent store to buy metal grates and things to make it look mechanical (and less like cardboard boxes). I picked up that cool accordian aluminum tubing that all great robot limbs are made out of. I think I even have the head down (bucket, halogen bulbs for eyes, a grill for an "angry" mouth).
What I don't have are hands. What good is a killer robot without implements of death for hands? All the great killer robots have giant pinchy clamps or sharp talon-like fingers. I picked up some barbeque tongs that could be like giant tweezers, but I'm not sure it's threatening enough. Don't make me grill a hotdog! I'm a robot on the edge! I'd love to find a small fan propeller for the other hand (remember The Black Hole? that robot scared the crap out of me!) but I can't think where one would buy a fan propeller that is both small enough and wicked looking.
And of course, you don't want it too scary. I'm not doing buckets of blood here. Just a scene that invokes the spooky without giving any of the children traumatic nightmares.
So does anyone have suggestions for hands? Any other robot-builders out there? Come on, it can't just be me, right?
And yes, I'll post pictures.
– the weirdgirl
Those grabber thingies that people who are disabled can use to pick crap up when they drop it? I’ve seen them in toy stores. They’re basically a spring loaded claw on a stick…. GAH! I can’t remember what they’re called…
http://www.google.com/products?q=toy+grabber&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wf
Turns out they’re called “toy grabbers” – who knew?
Would that work?
How small? What if you could get a small fan blade and then paint it the right color? or what about using a tennis ball cut in half, spray painted the right color?
A couple of those garden hand tools with the three prongs. Like this: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=garden+hand+cultivator&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&cid=11153052183709340573&ei=7nOaTNXuHYTM2wSAlLCjBA&sa=title&ved=0CB8Q8wIwBDgA#p
What about something with springs or metallic tubes with marbles for joints? A strategically placed red light would make the joints glow. I can’t wait to see what you finally come up with!
These are all excellent suggestions!! I actually have a toy grabber but it’s in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s hands and just doesn’t look very menacing. I’m going to keep on the lookout for all three of these items; menacing toy grabber (I liked that galaxy one), fan blades, and garden tools. A garden tool would be the easiest thing to find. I like the marble suggestion but I’m not sure I’m up for building a custom piece right now. Plus, I’m out of springs. (Is it sad that I usually have springs on hand?)