I built this one for Palikkatakomo contest witha brief of Whacky Machnines. The contest was inspired by BONK museum in Uusikaupunki, Finland, which displays it own canon of imaginary machnines and products often based on technology that utilises anchovies. To keep things faithful to the source material, I took this as my starting point. I also wanted to build something motorised, as the contest was about machines. The first idea was an Anchovy Accelarator, which might appear in the original BONK lore; I envisioned a spinning vortex thing with the 1:1 anchovy, furnished with metallic silver finish, in the middle; the anchovy stayed, but the Accelerator felt a bit too obscure and, above all, difficult to built.
Instead, I chose to stick to my strong points; not human characters this time, but rather motorised walkers that I used to build as a kid. Well, I didn't make so many finished ones, but I had a rather simple one built for my first exhibition ever in 2009 (I was 14). It worked well and was a hit with the audience. This uses the same method, except for the battery box, which is included in the walker, making it more autonomous.
Of course, my 2025 version of the same idea is more refined: the walker structure is U-shaped to fit the large anchovy tub in the middle, balanced by the battery box+motor in the back (both authentic 1990s technology; the motor is directly above the box so there's no need for wires). The power is transferred mostly by axles, as they're lighter and more effective than masses of gears; however, theres both small gear-big gear combo and a wormscrew gearbox in the back to make the movement slow and strong enough for the 90s 9V to drive. This took some iteration.
The cosmetic furnishing is quite simple, as the model had to be lightweight. I think I managed well with the shapes and colours, aiming for a "serious sci-fi" aesthetics to contrast with the silly theme. Especially, as this was a fast build. I won the contest, gaining Pretty Pink Flowers Bouquet - an excellent set I already reviewed for New Elementary a year ago. And, above all, I was able to demonstrate this to a group of pre-school children while setting up a library exhibit last month. They liked it, which was hugely rewarding.
-Eero.
Ps. There's also rumour that this MOC is called Superintendent Silakk. They might as well be true.
