Star Tours: RX-24 Captain "Rex" build

Time for a little update to show you what I've been working on. Here we go!

I was never satisfied with the consistency of scale that I was getting from my estimates. Things seemed off, ball-parking physical objects seemed odd and after listening to a lot of Adam Savage's podcasts and hearing about his propensity to build ~10% too big the first time he attempts a replica, I decided to build something easy that I could take to Disneyland and hold in my hand to get a better feel for things.

I chose to start a better 3D model with more care and attention paid to scale and to stop before getting too far.
Earrender.JPG



I built one entire ear in CAD, and decided to 3D print just the outer section to check for scale. Even when modeling, the ear was difficult to nail down. The reference images we have at the beginning of the thread are quite old and pixelated. The ear appeared to be 5" around or so and that was only .2" different from my original estimation so I figured I was on the right track.
Snip2.JPG



As soon as it was on the build table of the 3D printer though it immediately seemed too large. The printer at my work doesn't have a very large build volume so I talked myself into thinking it was just contextual.
photo 1.JPG



Once we arrived at Disneyland, however, it was immediately clear that it was .5"-1" too big in diameter. I returned to work and printed two more at 4.5"dia and 4"dia and have just painted them in anticipation of nailing down the dang scale.
photo 2.JPG



On the electronics front...
I've acquired 2 used Electro-mechanical actuators (lead-screw type) one with 100mm (~4") of travel with some maintenance required...
photo 1a.JPGphoto 4.JPG



...and one with 150mm (~6") of travel that hasn't been used in years.
photo 5.JPG



There's going to be some work to do but both should work just fine. I need to purchase a couple serial to USB adapters to get them to talk to the computer. I intend to use these in conjunction with an arduino controlling some servos and some LEDs to get all of the degrees of freedom necessary.


That's all for now... Stay tuned for more!
 
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Woo! :D

Are you planning on 3D printing a lot of it? or doing sculpts or woodworking, or something?

I'll do wood, metal and "other". 3d prints are fantastic for quick prototypes and scale and getting something in your hand quickly but finishing a 3D print into something smooth is a long sad road (at least on the machines I have access to).
 
Quick update:

I put together a video of all of the onboard footage that I've found to date for the purpose of studying Rex's movements throughout the ride. Check it out!

 
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Hi!

Glad to see my Mega Edit, which I mentioned on the first page, was included among the videos you put together, down in the lower right quadrant.

But I should warn you that I got creative on some of the Rex footage. For instance, that seemingly linear motion of him pushing the handle forward to go into lightspeed?

Well, it didn't exist in the source footage. The real motion, from a different part of the ride, had it go halfway forward, then back, then halfway again, then the rest of the way.

I literally grabbed frames of his hand at different positions and pasted them together to fake the singular move I wanted to see.

Just thought I should warn you. There's definitely some creative license in that particular video.

You may want to look for a copy of the Star Tours electronic presskit, which I *think* was the original source for many of those closeups of Rex.

Alex
 
Hi!

I believe I recognize the footage used in the lower right quadrant of your video. It's my Star Tours Mega-Mix from many many years ago, edited on iMovie on an ooooold iMac.

I should warn you that I got creative on some of the Rex footage. For instance, that seemingly linear motion of him pushing the handle forward to go into lightspeed?

Well, it didn't exist in the source footage. The real motion, from a different part of the ride, had it go halfway forward, then back, then halfway again, then the rest of the way.

I literally grabbed frames of his hand at different positions and pasted them together to fake the singular move I wanted to see.

Just thought I should warn you. There's definitely some creative license in that particular video.

You may want to look for a copy of the Star Tours electronic presskit, which I *think* was the original source for many of those closeups of Rex.

Alex

Ah where are my manners. I meant to give you credit for providing the main spark of inspiration for creating that video. You did a lot of work to pull all of those clips together and I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the warning. I'm really interested in the head movements as I imagine my final version with have little vignettes of his most recognizable lines. Good to note though and actually if you look closely you can see broken Rexs, inconsistent movements and all kinds of variables.

Thanks again!
 
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Small Update on the inner workings of Rex...
Well, it was bothering me so I decided to sit down and figure out the visor linkage details. Thankfully it is a one bar affair as reverse engineering partially hidden multi-bar linkages is not exactly fun. Turns out the bar is 62deg from vertical. I suppose that was a design choice based on internal room in Rex's head. Here's a shot of the linkage and the range of motion.

Visor Study comp.jpg

I've also been researching show control software.
I'll need to use this to sync the audio and the motion. So far a software package called VSA seems to be the most handy solution. It can talk to arduino and run many servos. We'll see if I can get it talking to steppers and actuators. If anyone has experience with a direction to go for Show control stuff., by all means speak up :)

More soon!
 
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Small Update on the inner workings of Rex...
Well, it was bothering me so I decided to sit down and figure out the visor linkage details. Thankfully it is a one bar affair as reverse engineering partially hidden multi-bar linkages is not exactly fun. Turns out the bar is 62deg from vertical. I suppose that was a design choice based on internal room in Rex's head. Here's a shot of the linkage and the range or motion.

View attachment 343424

I've also been researching show control software.
I'll need to use this to sync the audio and the motion. So far a software package called VSA seems to be the most handy solution. It can talk to arduino and run many servos. We'll see if I can get it talking to steppers and actuators. If anyone has experience with a direction to go for Show control stuff., by all means speak up :)

More soon!

I haven't been on is such a long time but I hope your build is doing great. Don't forget that I also I am anxious to see what you have in store for us to see. Figuring out his head is very hard I imagine. Would it help if you had the action figure on Rex? I am also glad you're using my pictures for your hard work!
 
Hi guys,
Wow, nice work so far for not being able to get accurate measurements! I just found this as I'm considering taking on a Rex build myself. I'm currently part of the R2 Builders with my R2 being about 3 years old since he was finished, and part of the Disney/LFL official droid list (for events, commercials, etc.). If you happened by D23 last year and the Imagineering Pavilion, that was us at the Star Wars display. So, I had this crazy thought the other day about building an RX-24 to go along with R2. My plans would be he'd be fully R/C, complete with a simulated repulsorlift locomotion. That would basically mean he'd have two motorized wheels under his base with casters for stability, with the inner base having the ability to retract via linear actuators (4). So basically he could sit flat on his base skirt, and when he needs to move he'd lift up off the ground a few inches. My R2 is wood and styrene with aluminum and resin parts. Sound would be, maybe, wireless mic (I do an okay Pee Wee impression) so he can interact with people. I'm considering building Rex the same way, but using some 3D printing (hopefully from the files being made here) for the head sections and body greeblies.
I'll keep you guys posted as there doesn't seem to be a Rex Builders club officially - yet.
 
I haven't been on is such a long time but I hope your build is doing great. Don't forget that I also I am anxious to see what you have in store for us to see. Figuring out his head is very hard I imagine. Would it help if you had the action figure on Rex? I am also glad you're using my pictures for your hard work!

Oh I haven't forgotten! I wish this build were going faster than it is, but it's a large and involved build that also happens to cost some real money. I'll have some updates for you this week so stay tuned.

Action figure Rex doesn't seem to be too accurate so for the moment I'm okay without him. Thank you for offering! Also your profile picture of Rex is by far the best so HUGE thanks for that.
 

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