Adam’s latest build is a special treat: he’s been tasked with making the hero prop for the new TV show Year of the Rabbit! For this Victorian-era procedural comedy, Adam is making the police truncheon for Matt Berry’s Detective Inspector Rabbit character. It’s also a build that has Adam experimenting with new processes like acid etching!
Episode 506 – The Bitcoin Rises – 6/27/19
Announcing Project Egress, a Collaboration with the National Air and Space Museum!
I’m SO excited that I can finally announce this, but I’ve been working with the National Air and Space Museum on a special build to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission, the first time humankind set foot on the moon. We’re calling it Project Egress, and it consists of a LIFE-SIZE replica hatch to exhibit in the museum!
Most of all, I will be assembling it LIVE at the National Air and Space Museum on July 18! (No San Diego Comic Con for me this year; I’m all about the Apollo 50th Anniversary.)
There’s a story behind the project, too. Using 3D scan data and original technical drawings from Air and Space’s archives, an amazing engineering student named Andrew Barth modeled the various intricate mechanics of the Apollo 11 Command Module hatch using Fusion 360.
That detailed digital model of the hatch was separated into its individual mechanical components, which we sent out to more than 40 different makers. They then recreated each piece in their preferred medium, and the artists and fabrication shops who participated are listed below. (Thank you again!)
Note that, like the We the Builders: Rosie the Riveter project, this is an artistic representation of the hatch, and a departure from my typical realistic replicas. While the parts are all accurate in size to the original, they will be made in all different colors and finishes, a celebration of different fabrication techniques, some traditional, some cutting edge. I will have the challenge on build day of fitting them all together, but luckily I’ll have the help of Jen Schachter and Andrew Barth. (And yes, we’ll be filming this for Tested.)
And that’s not all! If you want to take a 3D tour of the hatch or even build your OWN, the Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office has made the files and drawings public at 3d.si.edu/apollo11cmhatch. The .stl files and engineering drawings used by the Project Egress team are ALL public domain. As always, if you decide to build your own hatch — in ANY scale — let me know please take a photo and tag me and #ProjectEgress!
We’ll have LOTS more about Project Egress later on on Tested, but for now, enjoy the files and thanks again to the following contributors!
PROJECT EGRESS CONTRIBUTORS
3D Printing Nerd
Autodesk
Baker Ripley Fab Lab
BLDG 61
BlondiHacks
Bullis BITlab
Chris Yohe
CSU Bakersfield FabLab
Dano Wall
Digital Harbor Foundation
E-Hove Education Center
Estefannie Explains It All
Evan & Katelyn
Fab Lab Richmond
Fran Blanche
I Like to Make Stuff
Ian Charnas
Incite Focus
IU1
Jimmy Diresta
Kayte Sabicer
Kennedy High School
Toy Photography with Miniature Sets and Dioramas
Professional toy photographer Johnny Wu visits our studio for another awesome photography session! This time, his subject is one of our favorite new figures: Mezco’s Popeye, using custom toy clothing and posed in a highly-detailed foam set made for 1:12 scale photography. It’s like a miniature movie set!
Making Borderlands 3’s Giant Character Statues!
At this year’s E3, the Borderlands 3 booth stood out with six larger-than-life statues representing the games’ characters at 1.5x scale. We met up with our old friend Frank Ippolito–whose team at Thingergy built these statues–to get a behind-the-scenes look at how these mixed-media figures were fabricated. From foam milling to clay sculpting, fabric patterning to silicone casting, here’s how giant convention displays are made!
Offworld: Forbidden Planet (1956)
Why are exoplanets–those outside our solar system–depicted the way they are in science fiction film? We revisit the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet to examine one of the first representations of exoplanets in cinema, and our expert guests help explain the state of exoplanet imaging and what we know about the planets astronomers have detected so far. What’s your favorite exoplanet seen in film?
Hands-On: Lone Echo 2 and Beat Saber 360!
At this year’s E3, we went hands-on with the first gameplay demo of Lone Echo 2, as well as the upcoming 360-degree update for Beat Saber! Here’s how those games look and why the next wave of VR games is so exciting!
Inside Adam Savage’s Cave: Star Wars Tauntaun Statue!
Adam is ecstatic to show off his newest acquisition: a Tauntaun statue based off of Phil Tippett’s original design sculpture for the creature from The Empire Strikes Back. We take a close look at the gorgeous sculptural details of this 1:1 piece, which is produced by our friends at Regal Robot. Adam can’t wait to paint it!
The Wand Company’s Fallout 76 Pip-Boy Kit Upgrades
We meet up with The Wand Company at E3 this year to check out their new upgrade modules for their Pip-Boy 2000 kit. From an actual radio (with wasteland frequencies) to actual radiation sensor, we can’t wait to incorporate these mods to our Pip-Boy. Plus, a look at their new die-cast Fallout 76 vehicles!
Episode 505 – Daystrom Instiute – 6/20/19
We talk about Simone’s Truckla build, Pixar’s new film announcement, Facebook’s crypto ambitions, and Oculus’ statement on app development. Plus, we introduce Jeremy to some fun Star Trek fan theories. And, with Kishore back this week, we have a return of a Moment of Science!