11-Foot Grim Reaper Experiment

mogub · Nov 25, 2009

11-Foot Grim Reaper StalkAround Experiment

For Halloween 2009, I made a 11-foot StalkAround. The result was beyond my expectations. The reactions of children and adults were very satisfactory.

But this year I decided to redo my Grim Reaper to add some modifications. In fact, apart from the dress, I'm going to make a complete reconstruction.

I'll post the work in progress.

Planned
Control of the jaw by servo motor and LED eyes.
Finger control by buttons on the handle
Pan movement of the head with a potentiometer.

For now, here are some pictures of the monster this year.

mogub · Nov 28, 2009

To continue with the experiment, I was able to finish my new structure this week, so, here the pictures of the old and new structure for the StalkAround.

I switch to copper because the PVC is too flexible for the size of the Grim Reaper. I used copper grade "L" and the weight is almost the same compared to PVC.

I used a army frame backpack. As you can see, I hooked the pipes diagonally from the backpack because it makes an angle when it is worn. This fixes the problem that StalkAround be leaning forward when we place the pipes in the same angle as the backpack.

mogub · Nov 29, 2009

The head is now in place.

A receive and connect my speaking kit to the skull. I can now talk in a headset and the Reaper is now talking with me. Here picture of the piece :

I use a ST-200 BOARD from Cowlacious design, the board cost only $39.95 with the battery pack and the LED, only have to add a motor. I pass a bicycle break cable into the head to attach it to the jaw and install all component in the torso. The only remaining thing to do it's to plug all the power together to a RC 6v Battery.

Video coming shortly...

scary1215 · Nov 29, 2009

Looks great! Cant wait for video

mogub · Nov 29, 2009

Here a video of my talking head.....

YouTube - Speaking 11-Foot Grim Reaper StalkAround

....and please be patient with my English, my native language is French.

With the pair of big amplified speaker on later, we should not hear the servo motor.

I just waiting for my servo tester and new servo motor to add the pan to the head.

Forgot, the voice it's done by the little black box, a cheap (10$ to 15$) voice changer who I connect an output and input 1/8 speaker connector, like this one :

And by the way, do anyone try to connect a 6v power supply to this kind of voice changer, I would like to connect it to my RC 6v battery and remove the weight of 3 mores aa baterries but I don't know if I will send too much voltage to it?

savagehaunter · Nov 29, 2009

looking good. the way it talks works well.

Trinity1 · Dec 13, 2009

Amazing!! There are definitely some very talented people on this forum.

Glass 'eye' · Dec 13, 2009

Nice job, that works really well I wish I knew more about servos and electronics.

mogub · Dec 14, 2009

11-Foot Grim Reaper Experiment - Pan head

Last year (2009), I try to connect an helmet to the beast with all the thing, pan & tilt. But the day preceding Halloween, when I tested the monster, I realized it was much too big to control the head with an helmet. The backpack is moving on my back and the skull is too far for the helmet to stay on my head without pulling of pushing on me. I needed a suspension system for this to work.

So, I forgot the project for 2009 and start looking for something else and "talala", the idea come at the same time I bought the voice controller and the servo: "Why not put another servo to control the pan of the head?".

The servo was not a problem but the controller, yes. Don't know if you have seen my presenting thread, but I try to keep the price of my haunting as low as possible (Have 3 kids to keep in life, lol) and the price of those controller are horribly high. Ex : 115$ for the controller and a potentiometer. And one day I found that :

Turnigy Servo Tester (pen for size comparaison) :

This thing is a servo testing unit, but that only cost 8$ and that got exactly what I want : A central position and a manual control of the servo (for only 8$)

So here the thing installed :

YouTube- Pan Head - 11-Foot Grim Reaper StalkAround

Will install a little control bar on it and attach it on my grip.

P.S. For those who read my previous post, no, you can't connect a 6v Rc battery on the voice changer without "BOOM", need another one now.

alucard · Dec 14, 2009

What a great setup for a stalkaround! I really like the idea of using the tester for the control knob. You'll have to post us pics of the finished product.

scary1215 · Dec 18, 2009

excited to see the finished product

icemanfred · Dec 23, 2009

Great work!
I always thought these should have a moving jaw.

what skull did you use?

mogub · Dec 24, 2009

I buy this skull last year (2008), but It's a pain to find stock..... The skull is all made of very light and hard foam, just have to fill it with a can of foam with a cross in PVC tubing in it.

http://www.halloweencostumesale.com/GIANT-SKULL-Grp-123VA696.aspx

shadowopal · Dec 23, 2009

Great work. Wanted to know what servos you're using.

mogub · Dec 24, 2009

Hitec 425BB for the jaw movement and Hitec 322HD for the pan movement of the head.

You can find it for approximatly :
Hitec 425BB = USD $14.99
Hitec 322HD = USD $9.99

shadowopal · Dec 24, 2009

Thanks for that. I have the same project going and wasn't sure what servo would work for the jaw movement. Thanks much. I love your design.

Gym Whourlfeld · Dec 26, 2009

My Design-22 yrs. ago

I glued together a huge styro foam block, carved the skull. Found broken sticks along the road, drilled and wired them together for boney hands, long sticks were the arm bones.
I made a boney chest cage that was similair to football shoulder pads, I looked out between the ribs.
I wired two long, thin steel rods to the wrists, painted them flat black and made the arms move this way, the black raggy clothing hid them perfectly.
I made lifts bolted via steel straps to my work boots from 2 by 4's held about 12 inches apart using 1/2" threaded rods, nuts and washers. I had to practise walking over various kinds of surfaces before I put on the costume.
I was about 8 foot tall and scared the bat-poop out of alot of kids without even knowing I had done it, but for days later people were chewing me out for it!
I think the moving arms freaked out most of them since there was no way they could figure out how that could be happening.

mogub · Dec 26, 2009

Gym Whourlfeld said:
I glued together a huge styro foam block, carved the skull. Found broken sticks along the road, drilled and wired them together for boney hands, long sticks were the arm bones.
I made a boney chest cage that was similair to football shoulder pads, I looked out between the ribs.
I wired two long, thin steel rods to the wrists, painted them flat black and made the arms move this way, the black raggy clothing hid them perfectly.
I made lifts bolted via steel straps to my work boots from 2 by 4's held about 12 inches apart using 1/2" threaded rods, nuts and washers. I had to practise walking over various kinds of surfaces before I put on the costume.
I was about 8 foot tall and scared the bat-poop out of alot of kids without even knowing I had done it, but for days later people were chewing me out for it!
I think the moving arms freaked out most of them since there was no way they could figure out how that could be happening.

Would like to see picture of it...... lol....

I call the thread experiment because this year (2009) i use it without all the stuff (movement jaw and other), just a skull head and a robe, and I can tell you that a lot of kids stay out of my hallway, too afraid to come in get candies. My girlfriend even ask me to stay behind the house..... So imagine next year.....

Gym Whourlfeld · Dec 27, 2009

One Halloween a customer came through my house wearing a very good looking field marshall's uniform (German, WW2) He had a field marshall's baton, leather gloves, officer's hat, tunic, boots and a skull for a head.
He looked out from a small dark netted area behind the ribbon holding the Maltese cross medal.
I was not only in awe of the costume but very impressed that he wore it all the way through my haunted house!!!
(He was kind of wide and barrel-chested in this costume.)
I used to tell people that my costumes were not so much costumes as torture devices for the person wearing it (me).

mogub · Dec 27, 2009

Can tell you that I know what you are talking about. In 2009, the backpack of my stalkaround was badly adjusted and the top bar was behind my shoulders, I can tell you that I had trouble putting my pants for 2 days.

rwelch · Jan 24, 2010

This is a brilliant idea. Question... The brake cable is fed through the back of the head, and attached with a eye hook to the jaw, held with two part epoxy, right? And then you affixed the brake cable to the had using expanding foam so that it doesn't move in and out. Is that right?
Very smart idea. Very similar to the animatronic mechanism used for movie props. But much less expensive.

mogub · Jan 25, 2010

Exactly, except for one thing, I don't use epoxy to held the brake cable to the jaw, simplest then that, hot glue!!!!

The skull is made from very hard light foam, so i only press the end of the cable inside the foam (1/8 inch) and hed it with hot glue so the end of the cable don't quit is mold.

halloweenjunkienick · Jan 26, 2010

can you please post a link to all the electronics you used this would help so much, thanks
Oh yea and one question, does the speaker with the batteries showing come with it.

mogub · Jan 26, 2010

ST-200 BOARD (Talking Board) - 39.95$ assembled
Cowlacious Scary Terry Products

Digital Voice Changer - 34.95$ assembled
http://www.canakit.com/digital-voice-changer-ck1011-uk1011.html

Cheap Self Powered Speaker (The Source) 15$

Turnigy Servo Tester - 7.28$
HobbyKing Online R/C Hobby Store : Turnigy Servo Tester $7.28

RobotShop.com (.ca for me)
Servo Motor
For Jaw - Hitec 425BB = USD $14.99
Hitec HS-425BB Servo Motor - RobotShop
For Pan - Hitec 322HD = USD $9.99
Hitec HS-322HD Standard Heavy Duty Servo - RobotShop

A couple of
Lynxmotion SEA-03 Servo Extender Cable - 24" - 2$ each
Lynxmotion SEA-03 Servo Extender Cable - 24" - RobotShop

And 4 x 6v light RC batteries from ebay (4 for 40$) + a charger
Shop eBay Canada Store - All-Battery Center:: Battery Charger Kits, Esky Heli Replacement Parts

The last thing is my problem, batteries. I can't find a way to connect all four components to 1 battery without feedback and grouding problem. I need a board to do so but can't find any with 1 or 2 input (any voltage will be fine) and 4 x 6v outputs. If anyone know something that will do the trick without having to solder a board, let's me know?

Have another project for my hand, will update when I will have time (new baby born 1st of January) and for test you will have to wait for spring, I'm living in Quebec so, 2 meters of snow here and -20 celcius (don't have the celling to test it inside, lol).

MarkOf13 · Jan 29, 2010

Good work on the prop and congrats on the newborn!!

zedhed · Sep 11, 2010

Any Update yet... Getting close to Halloween 2010. video would be great.. like to see the head in action.

edit: SPEAKERS? ---> Also what is the big Black thing on right next to the soundboard it looks like it hinges to.

keep up the good works.

mogub · Sep 11, 2010

It's the voice changer I use in the beginning, a cheap (10$ to 15$) voice changer who I connect an output and input 1/8 speaker connector, like this one :

zedhed · Sep 11, 2010

I do allot of custom stilt Beasts I want to do more off stilts but keep the size and height.

Here is one of them.

zedhed · Sep 11, 2010

o thought so.. can you post more video on it pan and talk of the head?

kittyvibe · Sep 12, 2010

This is brilliant. I loved the video of you talking. I would be interested to see a video of you talking naturally (in French) but with your voice "scary". I appreciate all your tips so far, and your pants comments was funny but owch!

mogub · Oct 11, 2010

The creation of a beast.....

Almost finish, will publish progress all day long...

First update, Hands....

I desperately searched an idea for the hands and I came across this site:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Animatronics-robotic-hand/

I found the idea excellent so I did it 2x largest. I can't hold anything with it but the fingers are moving.

4 feets of rubber hose, some rope, white glue and paint later, here the result.

Now for the problem, finger are very long and rubber hose not very flexible even with the hole in it, so I good trouble with the handle. Last year (2009) I came with the PVC and keychain design, but it was too difficult on field to get finger in it :

So I do a complete remake of the handle for this year. All year long, I thought of putting motors for each finger and buttons on a handle but the price of a servo controller for 5 servos motors was too much expensive (more then 200$ by hand), so I return to the PVC design but with 1/4 copper tubing. I hold the four tubing for the finger with a very soft cloth elastic from top to bottom and attach rope to it. Much more simpler to put finger in it and less painful then keychain. Add a bycicle handle and voila :

Only problem is the thumb. I have to pass it over the handle and down so I can handle it with my thumb, but It even more difficult to handle. So, for this year, the thumb will not move.

Next post, chest, shoulder and universal joint.

zedhed · Oct 11, 2010

Great keep it coming....

mogub · Oct 11, 2010

Keep it simple....

Now for the chest, shoulder and universal joint for the arms.

Why make it complicated when you can keep it simple?

Hanger, lot of metal hanger and a good metal cutter.

Make holes of each side of the copper rod with good metal bit, insert one extremity of the recently cut metal hanger, mold it in circle and insert the other end in the hole on the other side. Add one or two vertical line to keep the whole in place, some electric or paint tape to solidfy and you got a chest cage. Simply as possible.

The cage don't have to be beautiful or the exact replica of a real one, it hidden under the robe of the monster. The chest cage is only use here only to add some thickness.

Same thing for the shoulder, except that I add some sponge for consistency :

And don't break your head on universal joint, two screw and a little bit of rope or a big tie :

Next post, head movement, battery pack and wiring.

11-Foot Grim Reaper Experiment

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