My son and I made these neat Claptrap robots from Borderlands using aluminum flashing and other assorted parts. Metal isn't the easiest thing to work with, but using my template we churned out four different claptraps. And, if you mess one up, you can just smash it up some more and use it as a casualty in the robolution!
Tools:
- Tin snips
- Drill
- 1" hole drill bit; smaller bits for holes for rivets
- Vise grips for sheetmetal beding
- Rivet tool
- Jigsaw
- Screwdriver
- Soldering iron and wet sponge
- Pliers and wire cutters
Supplies:
- Aluminum flashing
- Spray paint (three varieties)
- Rivets
- Wood to make 1.5" square pieces
- Solder
- Wire coat hangers
- Alligator clips
- Screw-on caps for electrical boxes
- Wheels for furniture, etc. in a suitable size
- Sandpaper
Basic Procedure:
- Create stencils from my template. (Be sure to download the full-size image.)
- Spray paint the aluminum flashing using the stencils (it helps to sand it first so the paint sticks better).
- Snip out the shape of the claptrap (be sure to leave tabs on the sides to rivet it together!).
- Drill the hole for the "eye".
- Drill as many holes for rivets as possible while it's flat.
- Drill holes for the arms.
- Bend the metal into shape using the metal-bending vice grips.
- Rivet the sides (but not the top).
- Insert and screw on the eye.
- Cut a small block of wood to attach to the bottom.
- Bend the metal on the bottom to hold in the wood. Drill holes in the layout of the wheel's mount, through the metal and into the wood block. This will keep the wheel and bottom structure secure when attached. Be careful when doing this; it's tricky.
- Attach the wheel to the wood block, with the screws passing through holes in the bottom of the metal.
- Bend the coat hanger wire such that it goes through both holes and has a bend to keep the arms from flapping down.
- Rivet the top down.
- Solder alligator clips onto the wire (it helps to sand the coat hanger wire first because most of them having a coating).
Adding the AI required for it to stand on one wheel is an exercise left for the reader.
See my photo set for more pictures of the process!
