Starting Tom Servo

KennyZ

Active Member
I just received my Tom Servo kit from MST3KBots and I can't even begin to express how happy and impressed I am with this kit. There aren't any flaws in any of the pieces and great care was taken in the packaging of all the parts. It has everything I'll need to get this Tom assembled and functioning before Christmas.

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There's a dvd included which I imagine is the instructions on how to assemble him. I can't wait to get started. This Tom is going to get an MP3 trigger with a series of buttons so my sister will be able to annoy people with his insults and jabs. I just have to figure out where to install the speaker.
 
Hahaha, love the idea of him being wired up and able to insult people!

I want one of these kits too. I've seen some on ebay and they look pretty good for the price, especially compared to the Crow ones that were up there a few months ago.
 
I started tinkering on this earlier. The instructions are fairly clear on what to do.

This ring was a pain to remove. I'm glad it isn't used after it is removed. It gets mangled.
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I found that pushing a very small flat head screwdriver into the guide channel helps unstick the upper "jaw".
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I don't know if this is the standard install spot for this but it works. I suggest either pushing the eyelet together before installing it or using a bit of hot glue to seal up the loop because the wire kept slipping out otherwise.
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The blue tape helped me cut a decent line. I still have a little trimming to do though.
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Here is mostly assembled on my messy desk.
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There's a larger than normal gap between his head and the barrel. That is not the fault of the kit. I assembled his head differently than the instructions because my sister tends to knock the heads off things. She decapitated my K-9 twice. She's also a school teacher so I'm assuming that she may take this to show her class. I don't want one of them knocking the head off either. I'd rather have a large gap than a shattered globe.

Now that I have him assembled I have a better idea of what I need to do for the voice and puppet control. There is no way to comfortably make the mouth move and push buttons for voice at the same time. I'm going to have to work out some sort of lever function for the mouth. Possibly with an old brake handle from a bicycle. I may not get to work that out until next week though.
 
KennyZ
I feel your pain. My father decapitated my Servo,Crow and K9 all in one day. He was helping move stuff storage. I have Muscular Dystrophy and could not do it myself. I had to build a new K9 head. I had a new globe for Servo. Crow how ever has not been fixed. It has been a few years. I have the parts it just hard to get things done. Your Servo is looking great.
Mark
 
I finally worked out a comfortable way to move Tom's mouth and still have a hand free to push buttons for his speech.

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The handle is a curtain tensioner from a home improvement store. It's one of those old style things we used to play with as kids and then mom would yell to leave the curtains alone. What? Only me? Alright. You're right in thinking this can't fully open his mouth but it's enough for normal speech. If yo want him to scream you can put your finger behind the line and push outward. It doesn't take a lot of tension and can open the mouth all the way.

I'm still trying to figure out where I am going to hide one or two speakers. The buttons will be on the left hand side of the hoverskirt. The MP3 trigger will be mounted inside the barrel. I'm thinking I'll mount the battery pack under the hoverskirt to make battery changes easier. As it stands taking Tom apart with my new handle is not going to be a simple task.'

I've ordered the Mp3 Trigger. If it ever stops raining around here I'll begin to paint him. It it doesn't stop soon I'm going to start on an ark and grow a beard.
 
I spent most of the day sanding and painting Tom. One of the hands had some pinholes but a little glazing putty filled them in. I tried to get pictures of them but my phone couldn't focus on them. I hit the resin parts with 400 grit to rough them up for the primer to bite. I used a Rustoleum primer made for plastics and then the white areas were done with a Rustoleum semi-gloss white.

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Normally if I paint something I'm going to be using my airbrush or paint guns. I'm not a big fan of spray cans. I learned something about the Testor's paint. They work better if the can has been heated. I left it out in the sun for about half an hour and it definitely improved the quality. Before I heated the can the metal flake wasn't uniform and coverage was bad. Definitely heat the can with hot water or sunlight prior to spraying.
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I have to mask and paint the silver next but I want to wait until this paint fully cures. Fortunately I have another project to occupy myself for now. Unfortunately that project is rebuilding my beloved car that was rear-ended a month ago.
 
Your build is coming along nicely.

I got the same kit. It was a lot of fun. I didn't add an MP3 player. However, I wired it up just like the original. And Tom sits with my wife and I occasionally.

Check out my avatar to see Tom.

Ted.
 
The kit has everything you need to build a basic Tom Servo. All you have to supply is the paint, drill a couple of holes, and trim the vacu-formed parts. The instructions tell you what paint to use and how to get it to stick to the casts. I added the handle as the standard kit uses a pull string. It's sufficient for two handed use but it won't let you hold and puppet him with just one hand.

Your Tom looks good Prefect. I find that I constantly look over at him expecting a smartass remark or something. I drove him to my sister's house to see if the puppet handle works for her. On the drive there and back I kept expecting some sort of backseat driving remark.

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Looks awesome. Long time Mysty here. I go the Rifftrax Live! shows when they film in Nashville and people always bring some Tom and Crows along. Some cool costumes too.

One nit-pick if you don't mind, I think Tom's mouth should be silver. Other than that, great build.
 
Looks awesome. Long time Mysty here. I go the Rifftrax Live! shows when they film in Nashville and people always bring some Tom and Crows along. Some cool costumes too.

One nit-pick if you don't mind, I think Tom's mouth should be silver. Other than that, great build.

Yah! Nice build but the beak should be silver.
 
How much space is on the inside, do you think it could fit some small electronics like a couple of servos and an arduino?
 
The barrel is hollow. You could fit a lot of stuff into that including a couple of servos and an arduino. The hole in the bottom of the barrel is large enough to put my hand through. That's needed so you can thread the nut onto the shoulder bolts. The only thing taking up room in the barrel is the pvc pipe. If you were looking to automate Tom you might even think about sealing up the base (hoverskirt) and using it as an electronics bay.

The beak and engine will get some silver paint later. I didn't want to mask off anything until I was positive the paint was fully cured. I managed to nick a spot with my fingernail a day after he was painted so I'm being very cautious.
 
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