Gonk Gonk Gonk

Valor

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
A few years back I build a mini Gonk and I always wanted to revisit the character.

Walking through a big box store I came across these bins. Nice and industrial. Too good to ignore. GONK TIME!

For the past week I've been collecting and making surface detailing. My goal is to have him fairly industrial-looking. And have parts that are fairly unrecognizable. So I'm using some obscure items on the surface and casting a lot of my own details.

I plan to include some electronics. Along with light, I'm remastering a gonk sound file that will be cued by a SparkFun mp3 player. And I have an unconventional idea for movement. Stay tuned.

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Okay, here's my idea. Got it while I watched my cellphone on vibrate rattle and hum across my desk. I made a large version of the vibration motor found in cellphones. The off center weight at slow speeds should be enough to rock the little guy back and forth and give him a bit of kinetic personality. At just the right rotation, I seem to be able to get him to shuffle forward. I still need to build the legs and feet which should improve the motion. It kinda looks like my Gonk has a little heart pounding away inside :)

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Love your idea for motion.
I had built a similar setup on a couple Gonks I built for a birthday party.
The body was completely separate from the legs.
PVC came out the tops of the legs, then secured to the corners of the body with small bungee cords.
It gave the body a floating suspension.
I then used reindeer motors with an offset weight to help it sway alittle.
Looked so cool.
Your faster movement is gonna be great.
Cant wait to see this come together.
Robert
 
Hey Valor ! Try adding a second motor just for kicks. Make this one spin vertically! If it works, it may give him a little upward movement during the left/right wobble and he might be able to take a step... in some direction or another! ;)
 
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I love it!
I've been collecting greeblies for a while, for the one I want to build, but love the larger pieces you have on the top & sides.
Awesome, awesome! Love it!
 
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Haha! This is awesome! I love the motion, and agree adding some sort of suspension at the legs would make it perfect! Love the little details too. Nice work!
 
I think for this application I'll need a rigid system from body to feet. I want to transfer the wiggle enegery right down to the feet. If I have any sort of suspension, I believe it will absorb to wiggle. We'll see. More testing :)
 
I feel like a rigid system would create a whole lot of noise, but it would be best if you're intent on making it "walk". I think the suspension would be really cool to give it a little wobble personality and would be quieter but you wouldn't get that same type of motion.
 
Made some progress on the Gonk. The structural build is complete. The feet were a chore. I built them out of 1/4" and 1/2" Sintra. And lots of Bondo. I modeled them after the original Kenner Gonk figure. A little different from the screen-used Gonks.

Electronics are as follows:
- Spark fun MPS player with a micro SD loaded with a custom Gonk track
- A 12 channel relay to remote cue the Sparkfun board
- A Bluetooth speaker
- A set of LED Christmas lights
- A 12V battery
- Speed controller for the Wobble Drive

Right now I'm really struggling with a paint scheme. I had my heart set on a black and red design. I've tried a few Photoshop mockups (seen here) ... I don't know, maybe it's too much for a Gonk. Opinions?

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Usually I think these found tub gonks can be very hit and miss. I think the ones in episode one even are an example of a miss.

This one you have here has a great in universe feel, you have a good eye for good tubs :)
 
I've seen those containers and had the same thought. I should have bought them. I really want a Gonk. Yours looks awesome. I love the movement.
 
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