Brian.. Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Well, this is my take on the Aviator Robot. Click on the images to see them at their best - the board distorts images. It has been an absolute pleasure to walk in Henk's footsteps. The advantage of 3D printing is that I can make my own Horikawa chassis, so that saves the price of a junker. I'm also left with a chassis that is just begging to be adapted for other designs. You'll see that I've gone for a "real" rotary engine rather than Henk's picture of an engine. I wanted it to spin along with the propeller, but the motor just couldn't reliably manage the mass. Other than that, I've stuck close to the original. I intended doing all the design on the computer. I was determined not to use up countless reels of plastic on parts that would have to be discarded because they weren't right. Well, that didn't happen and I've had to print about five versions to get it right. The Horikawa design is a peach, with tons of room for everything. The short legs make it very stable. The one big problem was the propellor. I couldn't take a drive off my stock motor and my first attempts with micro motors were not successful. Finally I found a tiny right-angled worm drive unit that fitted into the 10mm gap available. It worked better than I expected. So this robot has two motors, powered from a pair of AA batteries. I've put a separately powered LED in the head that runs off a coin battery. I like this method because it saves me hours of fiddling with wires running from the body to the head. The extra switch is inconspicuous, and you can leave the lights on without him walking off the shelf. That wavy effect on the face is just a temporary plastic mask to improve the spraying of the eyes, nose and mouth. I'll post a video of him in action later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kirk Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 What a fine piece! I'd think Henk wouldn't mind if you did away with copying the tin can head and made your own Horikawa influenced design. With your printer and the skills you've got, you could do anything. On the other hand, I have never minded heads made out of that particular tin can! Can't wait to see the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Love it!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Gil Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Outstanding! That's a fine looking fellow, kudos Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gernot Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 very nice work Brian! Can I order one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Yes, Gernot, available soon. Here's a video, though the sunlight has swamped the internal head illumination. In a darkened room it is quite atmospheric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kirk Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Even better in motion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roboto Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Fantastic Aviator!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBODUDE Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 WOW !!!!!! Brian, you have designed and produced some incredible robots, but this one is the incredibleist-ist !!!!!!! Please put me on the list for one if you are formulating one---AMAZING !!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBODUDE Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 And the color---PERFECTO !!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Nice work there, Brian. Henk would be proud. BTW...rotatory engines don't spin anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted June 15, 2018 Author Share Posted June 15, 2018 Thanks, Andy. Radial engines don't spin, but some rotary engines do. As a child I had an interest in WW1 aircraft and remember building a Fokker Triplane with a spinning engine. The look would have suited Henk's Aviator but a few seconds of mad spinning stripped the paintwork and shook the robot. Those micro engines spin at mad rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imago Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Amazing robot! Such a beauty! Congrats Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
target Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Brian please email me ! mark@anchorcomputer.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 On 6/15/2018 at 2:34 AM, Brian.. said: Thanks, Andy. Radial engines don't spin, but some rotary engines do. As a child I had an interest in WW1 aircraft and remember building a Fokker Triplane with a spinning engine. The look would have suited Henk's Aviator but a few seconds of mad spinning stripped the paintwork and shook the robot. Those micro engines spin at mad rates. Well now, I just learned something today. Seems a bit impractical though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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