Hey folks, I've been meaning to do this project for a while. I wanted a droid, but can't really afford to build R2. Plus, I've always loved the concept of the Gonk. I wanted a smallish Gonk because I don't have much room. I built this out of two Rubbermaid 4-gallon containers, so this is more of a half-size Gonk. He stands about 24-inches tall. He's small but still feels full-scale, as opposed to a model of a Gonk. This was important to me. I wanted him to feel "life-size."
I wanted to build a bit of "plausible use" into him. I know Gonks are essentially walking batteries. I postulated that he would need a number of powered connections for machinery, ships, etc. to hook into. So there are a number of powered "ports" on him that various connectors would attach.
I also wanted him to be "powered". So there is a single LED inside each power port (perhaps signaling port status). He also has a muti color blinking center "eye" and a lit main power button. All the led lighting effects were created with a simple batter-operated LED holiday light set from Target. I just added a push button switch from Radio Shack to the front to turn it on and off.
Philips 18ct. Battery Operated Multicolor Twinkl... : Target led light holiday
The rest of him is greebled up with various things I found in my shop and at the American Science and Surplus store.
His feet are cut from wood and greebled to look legitimately "hydraulic".
I wanted a color-scheme reminiscent of the classic Kenner action figure.
I didn't keep exact track of the budget, but I can safely say i spent under $80 total. I'm really satisfied with him.
I wanted to build a bit of "plausible use" into him. I know Gonks are essentially walking batteries. I postulated that he would need a number of powered connections for machinery, ships, etc. to hook into. So there are a number of powered "ports" on him that various connectors would attach.
I also wanted him to be "powered". So there is a single LED inside each power port (perhaps signaling port status). He also has a muti color blinking center "eye" and a lit main power button. All the led lighting effects were created with a simple batter-operated LED holiday light set from Target. I just added a push button switch from Radio Shack to the front to turn it on and off.
Philips 18ct. Battery Operated Multicolor Twinkl... : Target led light holiday
The rest of him is greebled up with various things I found in my shop and at the American Science and Surplus store.
His feet are cut from wood and greebled to look legitimately "hydraulic".
I wanted a color-scheme reminiscent of the classic Kenner action figure.
I didn't keep exact track of the budget, but I can safely say i spent under $80 total. I'm really satisfied with him.
Last edited:
