GERTY 3000 replica - from Moon (2009)

[joberg]

Fantastic so far; eager to see your next update!!

 

[Markus]

This looks great.

Have you found an easy way to add the tabs and slots for assembly or are you doing it all by hand?

Thank you for the nice words!
I am not completely sure how to understand your question. The plywood is cut with a laser cutter and the tabs and slots are included in the .dxf files for the laser cutter. I am drawing the dxf files in librecad, based on my hand-drawn sketches. This includes the drawing of the tabs and slots. If this is what you mean "by hand", then "yes".

 

[Markus]

Help needed with PostIt stickers!
While preparing GERTY's stickers, I am also looking at the two PostIt stickers.
The left one is easy to read, even from DVD screen captures: "SERVICE ROVER 3 BOOM".

But I am not able to figure out one line on the right sticker. No way to read this on the images on the web - neither from DVD screen captures. So, I got me the BluRay, and here are the two best screen captures that I could make in the whole movie.

I read: "Check Power Assist Unit in Main Dock" plus "OK - Rover 1", "OK Rover 2", and "Rover 3*". The rest is harder, but I assume, it says "Weird Feeling" and, at the bottom "Sort it out". But I can't read the line with the two words in between.
Can anybody help me here?

 

[Fett_Ish]

Is the longer word ‘suspicion’? Or suspension

 

[Rik1138]

Looks like either 'rover suspension' or 'rear suspension'

 

[FingerPaint]

"Weird feeling rover suspension"

 

[Markus]

Is the longer word ‘suspicion’? Or suspension

Looks like either 'rover suspension' or 'rear suspension'

"Weird feeling rover suspension"

Nice to see how in 3 steps it comes together. Yes, that makes sense: "Weird feeling rover suspension - sort it out". Thanks a lot everybody!

 

[Markus]

More Top & Bottom Pieces
The next piece is the plate surrounding GERTY's eye.

Then the dark box at the top.

And the pieces at the bottom, with the weird-looking connectors (or whatever these are supposed to be).

And the status so far.

The next step will be painting...

 

[Markus]

Painting
Now, GERTY is getting painted. In the movie, GERTY's color depends a lot on the light settings. Sometimes (as in the image of the very first post in this thread) it is more gray, while in other cases (in yellow-ish light) it is more beige. I opted to go with the gray. I am only using water-based acrylic paints: Apple Barrel's Granite Gray and Pavement, and Minwax's Polycrylic for the finish.

I am starting with the dark areas, ...

... and then the gray pieces.

Actually, I needed quite a few iterations to get the boundaries between the two colors done.
Finally, I am adding a few layers of the finish.

 

[lunadude]

I have invited Steve Howarth to join in this discussion. He built GERTY for the original film.

 

[Markus]

I have invited Steve howarth to join in this discussion. He built GERTY for the original film.

Wow, what an honor! Thank you! I am very much looking forward to his input!

 

[funboy1013xx]

woo hoo markus!!

 

[Markus]

Something's missing on the right side...
The enclosure looked pretty good, in particular after painting. But then I found that, in contrast to the beautiful complex shape on the left side, the right side was just flat and boring. So, I decided to add another piece. Get the laser cutter to do its work, ...

... glue, fill, sand, and add two spacers, ...

... paint, ...

... and screw it to the body.

Yes!! This is one of those details that give GERTY its personality.

 

[Markus]

some fun on the side: combining the Gerticons as an animated gif