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| Tex Critters pizza jamboree restoration; Restoration of the amazing AVG Tex critters | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 31 2016, 04:44 AM (1,254 Views) | |
| masterpj | Dec 31 2016, 04:44 AM Post #1 |
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Hello Everyone, I wanted to make this topic earlier this year but wanted to compile a proper story before I posted. I decided to just do it now before the year ends as a special way to end the year for all.. I will adress any questions coming in to this thread.. please read through this though as it may answer some questions! I got my hands on 2/3rds of the Tex critters pizza Jamboree band sometime ago (Foxy Roxy sadly has gone missing). They were gifted to me by the owner of AVG animatronics. Showtapes were never found nor was the control computer although AVG will look every now and then when their time permits as history needs to be preserved and enjoyed and not lost. The control computer loss isn't a problem and will likely adress the question ("will you run it?" at the bottom of this post) These animatronics were on the loft of AVG for a long time, nobody was allowed on their loft for insurance reasons as when someone hurts themselves there.... their insurance won't like it. Sadly they were not in a good shape, They have been in an oil leak of another animatronic or something else from above spilled onto the tex critters. (Tex critters do not use hydraulics.. they only use pneumatics). Anyway so I had my friend in LA pick them up at future weapons for save keeping to prevent further degrading of the animatronics (as they were stored safe and sound in a laser show studio). ![]() Tex critter and country Cal after having been brought down from the AVG loft. As you can see the proportional air valves and servo cards and head and eyes and most of tex his cosmetics are missing. Country cal was missing all this valves and his fur and clothes. The animatronics really stunk and when touching them your hands would quickly turn black ![]() I was allowed to store them here in trade for some of my laser content and them being a friend they did just that. They were in good keeping as this place also housed the equipment that made the microsoft windows 10 background and did last years youtube music awards. I was also lucky to be traveling for work in america and they actually got me over to LA to meet and also to see tex and evaluate him. ![]() http://thisislaser.tumblr.com/post/151327756581/in-la-now-now-in-hotel-tomorrow-gonna-be-big Anyway.. now came the difficult part: Getting it from LA all the way to my country in The Netherlands. I saved up for quite sometime by doing shows in dubai and india and just a lot of traveling and being away from home to make the money I needed to get them back. After saving up I set it in motion. Tex was loaded on a plane and shipped directly to my country... an expensive process.. an about 5000 euro process. Tex arrived without any damage, country cal is waiting in LA till it's his turn to tackle him. ![]() Tex was heavy and I had to ask the fire departement a favour to help bring tex into my shed for work on him: ![]() ![]() So what was next? Well cleaning first! Tex stinked and still has a lot of cleaning and rust removal to go before I would tackle him mechanically. I didn't want to gunk up any valves or joints. I started by gathering a lot of zip lock bags which would hold notes with position of screws when they were removed. Went to tackle one of his arms first (most of his outer shell parts were mostly black or brown and non transparent. ![]() The yellowing that's present is a result of the unmatted (fragile) epoxy getting exposure of UV light... this process is unreversible. after that decided to tackle his metal base and his valves (including opening them cleaning them and making sure they can move freely: ![]() Wires were being cut and stripped and soldered.. Top section which housed valves was removed of nastyness that was mold and other things like huge isles of dried up oil. Rusty screws and joints were being oiled and sanded with a special rust removal and polisher until they were shiny. Missing feedback is (still) being gradually replaced for the proportional control: ![]() part of the position feedback is explained here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BObq7SFA60d/?taken-by=masterpj555 I designed new proportional flow valves as the original ones were manufactured by an aircraft company which has gone broke and they retailed in the 1980's for $1000 each. These will be installed soon. I have controlling software of my own and also controllers of my own to tackle all the control that tex needs. Which brings me back to the control: Yes tex will be used collaboration with pre-programmed laser shows and Cavity sam and me have been in touch. She will help me get the dimensions of tex eyes so I can get them re-made and helps me with Tex head.. While I am helping her with a new control system as she was very eager to get her tex to move. I'm a laser show designer and laser technician as a profession so this is nothing really... just a long project haha. Which brings me back to the first movement of tex during a valve leak test (with positioning off): https://www.instagram.com/p/BOhGhSdglXg/?taken-by=masterpj555 I might have forgotten things when quickly compiling this post before New years. Which brings me to: Happy new year to everyone on Retro Pizza forums! I cannot edit the post anymore but so far working and tested is: Upper neck, foot tap. It takes great effort to get out the tubings as with time it tends to try and fuse with the quick disconnects.. even when removed these quick disconnects are VERY strong and require a great amount of force to remove them (they don't leak either). it involves getting in there with calipers or getting a part out and cleaning it and leaning in to the quick disconnect with my body weight and twisting and pulling when it depresses... it's quite a more difficult process then normally. You cannot replace the connectors as they are build into each cylinder. Questions are welcome regarding control system and proportional valves! Upgrades like a stereo camera for tex is also in the works for Tex vision *realtime oculus rift vision with head tracking*. The pinout and layout of control stays loyal to what Andrea will have so cross compatibility is there. Although it could be with time my tex gets more movements as self build electric linear servo actuators are added. Edited by masterpj, Dec 31 2016, 07:03 AM.
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| masterpj | Jan 3 2017, 06:46 AM Post #2 |
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So the mystery why my tex was in a bad shape is the following: " Hi Pieter Thanks for these photos- your enthusiasm for the project is great! I went back through my photos and found a couple that I took at AVG back in 2006. I was working on a project for Tokyo Disneyland that AVG was helping with, and a few of the old Tex Critter figures were stored out back exposed to the elements. I'm pretty sure that your Tex figure is in the photo- that would explain all the deterioration you have encountered." So likely they have been on the parking lot exposed to the elements for 10 years!! The rest of the tex critters were either dismantled or sold. |
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| shammah121 | Jan 3 2017, 02:01 PM Post #3 |
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Wow! Poor guys! I didn't know AVG worked with Disney. |
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| masterpj | Jan 3 2017, 05:07 PM Post #4 |
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On several jobs! A lot of the people who worked at AVG were either graduates from cal arts or eventually started working at Disney or worked at Disney before working at AVG. (the painter of tex was a female grad at cal arts). I have gotten in touch with the sculpter of tex and we keep in close touch and he is actively working on getting lots of old pictures including work in progress pictures and concept over of the tex critters. Tex Critter his character design was done by Rolly Crump: Wiki of Rolly Crump And his sculpter is the current creative director at walt disney imagineering. The owner of AVG was head of robotics at walt disney imagineering for 9 years. You can follow more progress which I think is more organised then my private and public social media here: https://texcritterrestoration.tumblr.com// I haven't posted the older things I've done (I've done a lot already in short time) but hand rotation, arm bend, guitar hand move, foot tap and upper neck all work now. More coming but need to order more imperial diameter tubing which takes a while including sometimes sourcing imperial thread screws here.. it all takes time to obtain that here in The Netherlands. A lot of things had been and some things have been rusted shut.. it takes a lot of work let me tell you... Some tubings are brittle and cannot be pulled out and have to be removed carefully with a scalpel and a lot of precision work to not damage the quick disconnect's that cannot be replaced.. to make matters worse on some of them the plastic tended to want to fuse with the quick disconnect. However I found good ways to tackle it but it requires me to remove each cylinder to do it properly as a lot of force needs to be put in that I cannot put on parts when they are connected to other mechanical parts. Showtapes of Tex has also been found but has to be send over to me still. ![]() Both arms work again. Ran out of air tubing for now. Will figure out a solvent that will make the shells tranparent again on a spare shell piece of cal that wont be used anyway. Then trying to see if retrobright treatment will improve it too. Jaw removed to fix that valve now. Edited by masterpj, Jan 4 2017, 11:00 AM.
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| Patrick Boots CEC | Jan 4 2017, 06:02 PM Post #5 |
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And, if you didn't know, Tex Critter is based off the famous actor and singer Tex Ritter..or his name at least. :-P |
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| shammah121 | Jan 4 2017, 07:09 PM Post #6 |
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Kinda reminds me of Helen Henny and Helen Reddy
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| masterpj | Jan 5 2017, 04:50 AM Post #7 |
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That's very cool! Didn't know Pictures of tex and roxy and country cal! https://www.facebook.com/ArtofLarryNikolai/posts/1168480396533803 http://imgur.com/a/p4DNW Edited by masterpj, Jan 5 2017, 05:09 AM.
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| Megan | Jan 5 2017, 08:08 AM Post #8 |
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Chuck E. Sneeze
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Wow-e! It's nice to see people restoring these bots. Do you have any plans on maybe using them for profit later on? Like opening an FEC or traveling show? |
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| PaulKTF | Jan 5 2017, 11:05 AM Post #9 |
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And Tex was the father of John Ritter (of Three's Company fame).
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| masterpj | Jan 5 2017, 04:57 PM Post #10 |
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It would need to be with permission of AVG.. they own the characters.. it would not be right to do it without permission. That being said yes I am intending to actually use them. I work in the entertainment industry myself as a lasershow designer and technician and I want to combine the 2. That does not mean outfitting tex with lasers.. but using him alongside lasershows ! ![]() Hi everyone an update: The one and only Rolly Crump will soon chime in on this Edited by masterpj, Jan 5 2017, 09:06 PM.
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| masterpj | Jan 9 2017, 09:15 AM Post #11 |
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update: Rolly crump did respond but he had no material left.. He was very happy to hear they were still out there but that's all he could do. I managed to original vice president of Castle Entertainment and he was gonna look *said so 2 days go*. We will have to see what surfaces now. |
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| masterpj | Jul 18 2017, 02:45 PM Post #12 |
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im currently looking at flying to AVG and meeting the creator and larry nikolai around either september or late september. I've been busy with a tour (still) thats ending after the stop in russia the 30th of this month. August is set aside for a lot more restoration. Tex is now completely clean on the inside too and the velcro is now on all his body parts where the fur is normally stuck to. As we speak I am sculpting new hands *as the rubber had dried out and broken bits of the hand with time). The new hands while as close of a copy to it's original will have actuated fingers which are a changed design from animatronic hands made by Brian Roe who worked on animatronics for the hulk movies. CavitySam has provided pictures of a spare animatronic eye of tex critter with measurement and the eyes are now being re-created professionall by tech-optics who are known for making animatronic eyeballs and eyeballs for realistic props and figures for movies. I've also asked cavitysam to remove her tex head and mold it with materials she is comfortable with and bought her the materials to do so. Which she will be able to do when time permits. (Please do not ask for a resale of a shell or a mold). Clean tex:
Edited by masterpj, Jul 18 2017, 02:48 PM.
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