Construction Day 2

I needed supplies so the first thing I did was head down to my neighborhood True Value hardware store. They had my screws I needed, and also had some vinyl strap that would work for attaching the various pieces to myself.

Now that I had screws, I got my feet-flaps hinged onto my leg stilts. I trimmed off the wood that was extra.

Most of my time today was spent building the housings for my arms. It was a pain getting the boxes lined up on the drawer slides. They work pretty nicely, though.

Construction Day 1

I had a late start today because I wanted to listen to the Badger football game on the radio (Damn you Big Ten Network!). Then I had to drive out to Home Depot for supplies. They had most of the raw supplies I needed, and the hinges, the casters, the drawer slides, the PVC, the steel pipe, the Plexiglases, the wire, the paint, and the spray foam insulation. The most expensive pieces were the wheels, a third of the total cost. They aren't even what I would like, but I hope I can get them to work because I don't know where I'd be able to find better ones.

When I got back and started working, I realized I didn't pick up any screws for the hardware I got. It was late, though, and I didn't have time to do much more than put together the frames for the legs.

Inspiration

A few years back (2004), I was hurrying to finish up my TRON costume (not mine, but worth the link). Out of the blue, I thought to myself, "You know, I could probably make a costume that would fold up into a car." Then I thought, "That's just ridiculous," and went back to painting circuitry on the back of my shirt.

But the idea would not go away. The idea to build a robot suit that would allow me to transform into a car, with a working drive train. As much as it seemed like an impossible idea, I kept coming up with ways to actually pull it off.

Still, I knew it would require work to build, and so I put it off. Until now. I have waited long enough. Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Now I will build. I will build the Halloween costume so great its awesomeness will be unrivaled for years to come. This blog will be a record of my efforts.