TARS Robot From Interstellar - Steel Action Figure - No Welding
Introduction: TARS Robot From Interstellar - Steel Action Figure - No Welding
My favorite character from Interstellar, TARS the surplus military ex-Marine robot. Initially I thought it was the dumbest design for a 'military' robot that I had ever seen on a movie screen. Then the voice actor started to win me over, his sarcastic comic relief was quite charming, it was strange how much humanity he was able to convey. Then they show what the robot is capable of and all of its various configurations which really caught me by surprise, I loved it! After the movie I took a semi deep-dive in to all things TARS, I assumed the majority of it was CGI but learned that there were a ton of practical effects for the movie. Scenes I thought were 100% CGI where in fact a mix of both. My hats off to the amazing prop builders it is a great piece and a wonderful character. Also, huge shout out to <PERSON> who was the puppeteer for TARS; I've always been a big fan of his ever since I first saw him on Sesame Street.
Supplies
1/2-inch Square Steel Tube
3/8-inch Solid Square Steel Bar
1/8-inch Steel Rod
1/8" x 3/8" x 5/32" Sealed Z2 Lever Bearings
Hacksaw or Portable Bandsaw
Ruler
Fine Point Sharpie Marker
Gold Paint Marker - Fine Tip
Black Spray Paint
1x30 Belt Sander or Files
4x36 Belt Sander
Sandpaper 220 grit - 2000 grit
Blue Dykem
Center Punch
Hammer
Calipers
Drill Press
Drill Bits ranging from 1/8 inch to 3/8 inch
Blue Tape
Exacto Knife
Super Glue
Acetone
Paper Towels
Step 1:
I decided that TARS should be about 4 inches tall, it seemed to look the most proportional considering that I was using 1/2-inch square tube to make the pieces. I used my portable bandsaw table to cut the pieces. You could use a hacksaw and a clamp or bench vice but it will just take longer.
Step 2:
All the cut pieces were not the exact same length so I used my 1x30 belt sander to sand them to the correct length. First, I found the shortest of the pieces and then sanded the rest to match that one. I would just sand a little at a time until I got to the right length. 215
This also cleaned up all the cut edges.
Step 3:
Next, I took the pieces over to my 4x36 inch belt sander and sanded all the sides smooth to 120 grit. This step could be done my hand sanding as well.
Step 4:
I needed to drill holes for the bearings so I used some layout fluid and marked the centers of all the pieces. I used a center punch and hammer to mark the drilling point on each piece.
Step 5:
The final hole has to be 3/8 inch in diameter in order to fit the bearings. My drill press could probably drill a 3/8 hole through the steel but I decided to start by first drilling a 1/8' hole and then stepping up the drill sizes, drilling slightly larger holes until I got to the 3/8 inch drill bit. I figured this would give me a more accurate and cleaner hole.
Remember that the two outer pieces of TARS only get one hole in one wall and the two center pieces get drilled all the way through from one side to the other.
Step 6:
The square tubes have a slight lip (its a weld seam I believe) on the inside that will interfere with the next operation of the build so these have to be filed down. You don't have to file down the entire length of the seam, just a few millimeters will be enough. You can use a file or if you have a Dremel that will work too.
Step 7:
With the inside seam filed down you can now insert your 3/8 inch steel bar in to tube. I slid it in as far as it would go, in my case about 1/2 inch. I used a fine tip Sharpie to mark the square bar.
Step 8:
I took the square bar over to my portable bandsaw table and cut off the small piece. After it cooled, I checked the fit inside the square tube. It sat just proud of being flush which was perfect because I could use my hammer to hammer it in to place getting a nice and secure friction fit.
Step 9:
Next, I took the capped off square tube and sand it flush, this helped clean up the cut marks from the bandsaw. I repeated this process 7 more times for the remaining pieces. 599