[31st Street Haunting]

I was lucky enough to get a treadmill to play with this year. I was planning on a walking zombie (snagged in barbed wire) but the movements came out very rapture looking. I'd made a very simple dragon face from a ATV fender years ago and when I ran across it in a pile I decided to res the dragon. I have to add some wing bones and cloth them as well as decide what paint color (trying for tiger/camo striped)(rather than all green or red). I have to reattach the arm as I was showing it off in the dark and hadn't double nutted the arms yet. I can't capture videos and pics don't do it all justice but also just wanted to show how nice this controller (in bag, been raining) laid down onto the tread and keeps the weight on the friction drive tires.

I added the skellys and the arms lift as the dragon head raises. The wings also move back and forth with the head rise. As for the armature, it's made with whatever I have on hand, lol. It ain't pretty but she works and under the black lights all the ugly goes away 8^) On a sour note when I was wheeling it under the trees and into the yard (I forgot it a big hinge) and as I leaned it forward to get under a branch I watched (in horror) as it did a 6' face plant into the ground cracking it's face in half. Bummed me out bad...until I went back out and looked at it and thought, it's a ghost dragon, it's dead and that crack is what killed it 8^o I made two arrows and inserted them into face and neck and have a small sword I'll add soon.

Anyway, just wanted to post some pics as I start getting things up and running, even if not fully dressed yet nor the best of pics.

 

[Danny-Girl]

I'm loving it

 

[StanFam3]

The trick or treaters are going to FLIP!!! I look forward to more pics.

 

[Skeletoncrew]

Wow, wow, wow ! Would so love to see a video of this if possible, he's awesome! Love the skellies holding him down too!

 

[31st Street Haunting]

I'll try and get video of it in action. I love treadmills as they're designed to run for hours and they make for easy to do friction drives and can be adjusted for speed as needed. I want to put a 3rd small skelly that gets lifted off the ground when the Dragon head lifts but, the only one's I have are pretty heavy talking types. I have so much to do, hard to say just how detailed I'll get on any one project as I have almost a dozen more scene/prop areas to build still. The best thing about this prop is it cost me 2 skellys and a couple cans of rattle can paint, the treadmill, motorcycle fender (dragons face), steel, tubing, rotten rope were all free goodies I got my greedy little hands on 8^) I do still plan on building either a cage or a crypt the dragon is trying to escape from to hide the lack of body and the mechanic's of it although you can barely see it at night but still want a bit more on the scene

 

[Trex]

Holy! I can't wait to see more pics, very cool!

 

[31st Street Haunting]

I put a tail on the dragon yesterday and now feel I can do at least a basic rib layout for a full dragon (rather than crypt in and hide the body). I asked my daughter to make me a Youtube page so I can post vids. Hoping I'll get some up by weekend.

 

[Zombie Machairodont]

Fantastic idea! Brilliant incorporation of the bluckies, too - I love that you translated the movement of your dragon to animate its skeletal captors!

 

[31st Street Haunting]

Hey ZM

it's all about bang for buck around here, lol. I actually have the jaws hinged and sprung shut via rubber tubing as well as another joint in the neck for a more fluid motion but doubt I'll be able to add those effects this year as the dragon was a last minute throw together and not what i was going to make (but happy I did). I rebuilt DC motors all my life (electric forklift and golf cart motors) so I know motors a bit and if they ain't at least warm I'm not pushing them hard enough 8^o although I have been known to be a bastard to them being I can rebuild them as applicable. Lastly, the treadmill is not even close to doing work so I will at minimum add a bunch of lift/drop spiders throughout the front yard via the left drive wheel and lots of fishing line and should get about a 15" lift/drop from them. Motion brings the haunt to life and offers lots of distractions. I also try to do a nice front yard for the young crowd not brave enough for the backyard scary part 8^) I'll post pics/vid as soon as possble