2013-11-27

MOC: Harkel-Walker

A strange shape moves over the treetops... a long pair of thin legs clank as it walks... The Harkel-Walker, or in other words the Egg-shaped Steam-powered Moustache Walker has arrived! Piloted and built by engineer Jonathan Achemus, this handlebared machine brings hope and justice all around the world.

It might be hard to believe, but I was actually going to build a steampunk Vic Viper for Novvember (Rest in peace, nnenn, we miss you and your MOCs), but it turned into a moustache walker. Well, it is Movember too, so this still counts as theme month MOC... And if this raises awareness of manly diseases, the better.

I wanted to have a strong difference between the egg-shaped and simplistic cockpit and the mechanical and thin legs. The another main point (which was there even when I was building the Viper) was to use the big bubble canopy. I have always wanted to use that piece (but to be honest, it has been available less than 2 years and I have had it for a year, but I kinda saw it coming...) but didn't have a chance before (of course I had, no one prevented me from using it, but it never worked when I tried).

The legs use the studs-to-TECHNIC-holes joints. It is a very handy technique in thin limbs etc. as both "boat studs" and turntable tops look good when used that way and there are four connection points, not to mention the sturdiness of the connection.  The front supports of the legs are supposed to be solid and the back supports with black pieces are pistons. The upper pistons actually work and the walker can easily bend on the upper joint: see here and here. The feet are bit of a combination of the styles, and I quite like their fin-like shape. The new-ish brackets made their magic.

The top part has this round shape to fit with the bubble windscreen. It uses SNOTted 1x3 curved slopes which I managed to buy from an unofficial PaB in Prague. Inside the cockpit there is a few handy accessories, a bottle for refreshment, optic tools for navigating and a sack full of other goods. Under the cockpit there is some machinery and the exhaust pipe which was the last piece I added.

And yes, the moustache. It is important.

-Pate-keetongu



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