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 . Aye aye! Blimey! Shown here is me flyin' model next t' a same-scale photo o' t' non-flyin' original. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 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, me bucko, and all other components attach t' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Heavy card stock centerin' rings at both ends o' a 1.75” length o' BT-50 tube hold it in place, me bucko, leavin' a 1“ neck exposed.

Next, t' bottom cover o' t' vendin' machine capsule is glued t' t' neck usin' contact cement. 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. Well, blow me down! Begad! When cuttin' this out, matey, leave a white strip about ½” high across t' bottom t' attach t' skirt. Well, blow me down! T' printed pattern is ¼” taller than t' exposed torso tube. Arrr! Aye aye! T' top ¼” and bottom ½” should be notched every ¼” or so t' allow for later folding. Begad! Aye aye! After wrappin' t' cardstock around t' BT-50, 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, a Sharpie marker makes t' black wedges on t' skirt. Blimey! 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. Begad! Angle it outward if necessary t' clear t' bottom o' t' head.

Carve a piece o' scrap balsa t' look like a beak. Paint it silver and glue it t' t' neck.

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

Cut t' dowels 1.25” long. Aye aye! Blimey! Paint them silver. Poke them through t' torso and glue in place. Cut t' shoulders from thin cardstock and glue t' t' torso over t' arms. Avast! Blimey! Cut two hands from thin cardstock. Begad! Blimey! 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. Finally, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, blow me down! Then wrap 1” maskin' tape around that until it fits snugly inside a burned-out 13mm engine. Ahoy! Blimey! Glue in place. Aye aye! Blimey!

Alternate Head

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

Flights

MicroMaxx Flight

For t' first flight, me hearties, 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. Well, blow me down! Several mini clothes-pins were used t' clamp t' wirin' t' prevent yankin' t' igniter out.

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

1 2

Takeoff was fast and straight, shiver me timbers, but about 4 feet off t' rod it fishtailed and veered t' t' right (Frame 3). Blimey! Ahoy! 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, 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, I loaded a 1/4A3-3T engine. This time it went about 4o feet high. Aye aye! Blimey!

A three second delay is too long for a 1/4A engine. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! 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.