Oscillation Overthruster from the movie Buckaroo Banzai 26 August 2014
The picture should have grabbed your attention if the page title didn't. I really love the movie, and have wanted an overthruster for years, but sculpting such needs more artistic talent than I possess. As it turns out, there is Morganthirteen at therpf.com who has sculpted an overthruster (see above), cast a few extras and sold me two. This is going to be a long project and quite involved. I plan on adding tactile feedback to the gold (mine will be bronze) buttons and turning a metal round bump thingy you can see above.
If you have never seen the movie, then by all means go rent it. You will see a side of John Lithgow you had not thought possible.
29 Aug 2014
I just received my OT from Shawn and it is truly magnificent. It's really small, and has fantastic detail. I have designed the pushpins and ordered the brass. The pushpins will use opposing rare earth magnets to give the pins a button bounce.
If you have never seen the movie, then by all means go rent it. You will see a side of John Lithgow you had not thought possible.
29 Aug 2014
I just received my OT from Shawn and it is truly magnificent. It's really small, and has fantastic detail. I have designed the pushpins and ordered the brass. The pushpins will use opposing rare earth magnets to give the pins a button bounce.
5 Sept 2014
I want to replace the clear pins above with active pushbuttons. I would prefer they latch, but just being made of metal and moving will be enough. Here are my detailed engineering drawings for the pins. The three pins/pushbuttons will be milled into the overthruster body. The materials are supposed to arrive today to build these pins, so I may be in the shop this weekend.
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The over thruster was transported in its own little case and that case had an inventory tag which some of the folks at therpf.com have duplicated. I need to punch a small hole and add a little grommet. And a string to attach it to the case.
The fine folks at therpf.com have located the little case which was used in the movie, so I am looking to acquire one to house the overthruster and use this tag. More on that in a while. |
8 Sept 2014
I got to work and built a prototype pushpin and liked it well enough that I made a fifteen of them. Now I need to figure out how to hold the overthruster in the milling machine so I can mill off the grommets and drill a hole for the pushpins.
Here are the parts for a pushpin. There are two 3/8" diameter rare earth magnets, one will be glued to the bottom of the pin, the other is shown glued to the plug. Next photo is a completed pushpin/grommet ready to be milled into the overthruster. The translucent pin visible on the overthruster and the grommet surrounding it will be milled off. I have quite a few of these things to make, so it may be a few days before I show any more work on this project. I made a set of buttons for Shawn Morgan and he sent me a third overthruster in return. Wow, I got the best of that deal! |
16 Sept 2014
There is a solution to holding such a weirdly shapped object in the mill. I bought some oven hardening clay and made a few molds of the critical faces and here is one grommet being milled off, and hole being drilled. The clay is the brown stuff.
17 Sept 2014
I've been busy with the overthruster. The pushpins are all done, 15 in all, enough for five models and I have a few people asking for them. I milled off the existing grommets, small pushpins, bottom plate, and little bump thingy shown on bottom left. Then in bronze, I machined a new bottom plate, little bump thingy, and small pushpins and darkened them. Here is the result, waiting on paint on the main body. The pushpins have a really nice push action... The rare earth magnets give increasing resistance to pressure and the pin is so tightly fit in the main body, it has a slow return as the air bleeds back in. The little plate will attach to the bottom (not seen) of the overthruster.
25 Sept 2014
I have most of the painting done now and the various accouterments ready. I plan on painting the area with the bicycle looking chain a silver. I may make a new little bump thingy as this one is a bit small for the area I milled out. Then I will add a sepia wash to highlight the transitions.
29 Sept 2014
OK, enough is enough - this one is finished. Two more to paint. Photo 3 shows the button being depressed.
15 Oct 2014
Time to build a case for the overthruster to match the one in the movie.
I got this artwork from Stuart Morrow out of Taiwan. Stu is a member of theRPF.com. Here is the artwork for the stickers adorning the outside of the case:
I got this artwork from Stuart Morrow out of Taiwan. Stu is a member of theRPF.com. Here is the artwork for the stickers adorning the outside of the case:
2 Nov. 2014 Endiathetos
After waiting for several months, the case arrived from Zero Corporation and the color is perfect. I swapped out the handle (this I obtained from ahoudini at therpf.com) for the screen correct version and added my black and white stickers to get idea of scale. The color stickers are being printed and should arrive next week. I still have to construct a panel inside the case for the charging circuits and a foam area for the overthruster.
Here is a screenshot of the inside of the case. I have the Letraset rub-on letters on order and Stu Morrow has graciously provided the Kanji which I intend to add using a sharpie. The panel is being fitted and painted. interceptor6 from therpf.com made me two sets of Dymo labels for my case.
26 Nov. 2014 The stickers arrived and now I am working on the inside panel.
23 March 2014 I seem to be slowing down in my old age - it took me a long time to get the panel painted and the artwork applied. I drew the kanji by hand with a sharpie. Here is the completed overthruster in its case.
This project is officially complete, and it exists as one of my most cherished props.
This project is officially complete, and it exists as one of my most cherished props.
24 August 2015
Finally getting around to completing the last two overthrusters. Here are the last brass pins and bronze bottom plate. I just need to turn out the button thing.
Finally getting around to completing the last two overthrusters. Here are the last brass pins and bronze bottom plate. I just need to turn out the button thing.
Here are all three with the new pins and plate installed after applying a patina. Each has a slightly different color, and the middle OT needs a button thingy.
9 September 2015
Finally... The last button/bump thingy is machined. This one is 0.61" in diameter. The photo on the right is with the button installed.
This prop is complete, unless I decide to acquire two more of the cases to hold the other two overthrusters.
Finally... The last button/bump thingy is machined. This one is 0.61" in diameter. The photo on the right is with the button installed.
This prop is complete, unless I decide to acquire two more of the cases to hold the other two overthrusters.