Tom Servo

Robot from

Mystery Science Theatre 3000

Tom Servo is one o' t' wise-crackin' robots from t' TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Shown here is me flyin' model next t' a same-scale photo o' t' non-flyin' original. Begad! My model flies on either a 13mm or MicroMaxx engine.

T' fans at MST3K.org have complete instructions for buildin' your own life-size 3D non-flyin' robots.

Construction

A BT-5 tube be t' core o' t' airframe, shiver me timbers, and all other components attach t' it. Ahoy! Begad! Heavy card stock centerin' rings at both ends o' a 1.75” length o' BT-50 tube hold it in place, leavin' a 1“ neck exposed.

Next, matey, ya bilge rat, t' bottom cover o' t' vendin' machine capsule is glued t' t' neck usin' contact cement. Arrr! Blimey! T' neck and capsule cover are then painted red.

Torso

This torso pattern shown below is printed 3.1” wide by 2.0” high on light cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! When cuttin' this out, leave a white strip about ½” high across t' bottom t' attach t' skirt. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' printed pattern is ¼” taller than t' exposed torso tube. Begad! T' top ¼” and bottom ½” should be notched every ¼” or so t' allow for later folding. After wrappin' t' cardstock around t' BT-50, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' notched top is folded over t' cover t' top centerin' ring.

Skirt

T' skirt is printed on light cardstock usin' t' transition tool in t' VCP program. Usin' a crude template cut from scrap card stock, matey, a Sharpie marker makes t' black wedges on t' skirt. Finally, t' skirt is mounted on t' torso and t' ½” white notched area is fanned out and glued t' t' inside o' t' skirt.

Punch a small hole through t' back o' t' skirt, and glue a launch lug along t' back o' t' torso. Angle it outward if necessary t' clear t' bottom o' t' head.

Carve a piece o' scrap balsa t' look like a beak. Well, matey, blow me down! Paint it silver and glue it t' t' neck.

Glue t' engine block into t' BT-5 at a depth o' 1.5”. Begad! Avast! Blimey!

Cut t' dowels 1.25” long. Begad! Begad! Paint them silver. Aye aye! Poke them through t' torso and glue in place. Cut t' shoulders from thin cardstock and glue t' t' torso over t' arms. Cut two hands from thin cardstock. Aye aye! Cut a notch in t' end o' each arm and insert t' hands.

Spray t' entire body with clear coat t' protect t' cardstock from water. Arrr! Finally, attach t' clear top o' t' vendin' machine capsule for t' head.

MicroMaxx Engine Adapter

Wrap a MicroMaxx engine with two wraps o' plain copier paper. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then wrap 1” maskin' tape around that until it fits snugly inside a burned-out 13mm engine. Blimey! Glue in place. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Alternate Head

Shortly after takin' t' first set o' pre-flight photos, me hearties, matey, me fat clumsy fingers managed t' shatter t' clear capsule. After searchin' t' local Hobby Lobby store, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' best replacement I could find be a 1” clear Christmas ornament. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I drilled a hole in t' capsule base, tied on an 8” Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, and anchored it through a hole near t' base o' t' neck. Arrr!

Flights

MicroMaxx Flight

For t' first flight, matey, I loaded a MicroMaxx engine into t' MMX engine adapter, disassembled an MMX igniter, and loaded t' rocket onto a standard Quest launch pad on me front sidewalk. Begad! Arrr! Several mini clothes-pins were used t' clamp t' wirin' t' prevent yankin' t' igniter out.

MMX engines aren‘t very powerful, but they do look quite impressive at twilight. (Frames 1 2 below)

1 2

Takeoff be fast and straight, me bucko, but about 4 feet off t' rod it fishtailed and veered t' t' right (Frame 3). Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! After burnout it continued t' coast in a straight line (Frame 4) t' a maximum altitude o' about 15 feet.

3 4

Ejection (Frame 5) ejected t' engine casing, me hearties, me hearties, and Tom plunged into a snow bank for a safe landing.

5 6

13 mm Flight

After inspectin' for flight damage and blowin' t' snow out o' t' model, shiver me timbers, I loaded a 1/4A3-3T engine. Well, blow me down! This time it went about 4o feet high.

A three second delay is too long for a 1/4A engine. Aye aye! T' engine ejected at belly-button height, launchin' t' still-burnin' casin' over me head and landin' about 2 feet away from me. I don’t think I want t' witness ejection quite so close-up ever again.