So You Want to Build Tom Servo....

[KrangPrime]

I'm running out of Ghostbuster parts to build, so I'm looking for something else to tackle to pass the Time. Tom Servo seems rather simple enough to do...but how easy are the parts to find? I can't imagine him costing much more than $100 to build...

Any experienced Servo builders out there?

 

[Guardian Devil]

If you can find the parts and build him for $100 then you'll be a hero :lol

Resin casts and vac-formed pieces of almost all of the unobtainable parts can be purchased from Joe Crow (servo parts) who is the one-stop shop for all your bot building needs, plus he offers completed bots at an absolute bargain price. - I wish he'd been offering these when I built mine!

It's much more fun to source the parts and build it all yourself in my opinion, but it's a lot more costly than you might think

 

[deck5]

The gumball machine is cheap, and still being produced. So is the pipe insulation that goes around the bottom of the hoverskirt.

The real barrel is a vintage item that turns up from time to time on eBay, though I'd recommend sourcing a replica, as I think it's a shame to cut into real one.

You may be able to find a suitable hoverskirt bowl, or else go with a replica.

If you want exact matches to the original, you'll need to go the replica route for the engine block, hands, shoulders springs, and the vacuformed shoulders & bowl details.

 

[MrSinistar]

I extremely recommend Bob (MST3KGuy) for bot parts of both Tom Servo and Crow.

My Servo was made using almost exclusively with his parts.

EDIT: His Tom Servo kit is on eBay all of the time. He sells the kits for $150.

Yes, Guardian Devil and deck5 are absolutely right. Tom has a LOT of parts that can only be practically available in resin replicas. I knew a guy who payed $200 + for a Money Lover Barrel.

We don't even know where the engine is from. Some guy did find the car, but ripped the engine off and threw out the toy car before realizing the rarity of the piece; but he did mold the engine and sold the castings. I got in contact with a guy named Randy who makes castings of the accurate engines and after waiting for several months, I finally got one and it's 100% accurate to the one on the show. I showed it to Bob and he offered to trade parts in return for him making a mold of it, so now Bob has accurate Servo engines...his previous ones were scratchbuilt.

Bob also recently got an original Boo Bowl, so his bowls are going to be super accurate now.

 

[KrangPrime]

EDIT: His Tom Servo kit is on eBay all of the time. He sells the kits for $150.

Wow, I thought that with something as home grown looking as Tom Servo, all the parts might be stuff that are readily made with each generation. But it's nice to know there are Kits for him. I'll have to do an ebay search and see what is up, despite that I hate dealing with ebay these days..

thanks

 

[MrSinistar]

Oh yeah, all the items that Tom Servo and Crow used are either out of production or rare vintage pieces or commonplace items that have become rare thanks to other bot builders or other means. The only items that come to mind that are easy to get are Servo's snack dispenser head, Crow's tupperware torso and the Tyco Turbo Trains on Servo's hoverskirt. Cooper XL7s used to be easy to get for Crow's net, but it's gotten to a point where Crow's head has to be all resin parts. Crow's hands also used to be really easy to get as they were party favor toy grabber claws, but they got out of production and as a result, Bob told me he hasn't seen any in 4 years.

If you don't wanna deal with eBay, you can buy the kits directly from him (he uses paypal). Just PM me and I'll send you his email.

 

[Hogosha]

Listen to the men who know. When I built a Tom Servo for my buddy as a present, the majority of the parts had to be replicas. Just use the sources above, and you can't go wrong.

 

[Double T]

Turbo Trains?
Those are Turbo Trains around the base?
Heh, I think I still have one in my parent's garage, waiting for my brother's kids to get older...

T

 

[deck5]

Those are Turbo Trains around the base?

Thin styrene shells, vacuformed over a Turbo Train.

 

[MrSinistar]

Thin styrene shells, vacuformed over a Turbo Train.

If you do vacuuform them by yourself, be sure to add a bit of a curve to the plaster casting so that the final shape has a contour to it in order to hug the bowl better.

 

[ewokus]

Super nice - love those robots!!!

 

[Contec]

I got another gumball head today at a fleemarket... Got like six or more now
Im planning on doing the moneybarrel and boobowl in pepakura.

 

[KrangPrime]

I'll have enough money saved up to justify ordering it sometime next week .. Mr.Servo will have a prominent place on my work desk when he's completed ..