[Michael Sng], founder of [Machination Studio], wanted to create a toy line unlike anything the world has seen. He has recently completed the first production prototype in the Codename Colossus toy line: the HMC Boudicca. The egg-shaped HMC Boudicca is tank-like with a definite Metal Slug vibe, but it’s almost a disservice calling it a toy.
The HMC Boudicca is over 20″ tall. It is composed of over 400 parts, a majority of which are 3D-printed or laser-cut. Internal parts are FDM while the external pieces are SLS printed. It is a kinetic piece that walks in a hexapodal fashion, so there are lots of servos, motors, sensors, and LEDs, that are controlled by an Arduino. A lot of work and attention to detail was put into this prototype. The HMC Boudicca was designed to be easily disassembled with a Phillips screwdriver. The electronic components are all plug-in devices, so no soldering is required when it comes time to replace a sensor or servo.
Codename Colossus is a toy line that is made to order and intended to be artisanal in nature. Each piece will be individually hand-painted and assembled like the HMC Boudicca. While no official prices are posted yet on the site, we assume these are not going to be cheap. In fact, the site states that each piece will have a 2% markup from the previously sold price to help maintain the value of the pieces and control cost inflation. This could be a source of contention for potential buyers. It underscores [Michael’s] philosophy that Codename Colossus is meant to be a collectible work of art, an antithesis to mass production.
Regardless of the business strategy, we are interested in seeing any additional designs for this series. It would be fun to see a whole bunch of these marching as one robot army!
Here are some additional videos showing the HMC Boudicca in motion.
[via Reddit]
That’s pretty cool- kind of reminds me of maschinen krieger. I bet it’s mega expensive.
I emailed him asking if he would consider making a unpainted kits of parts available. I prefer to build it myself and save a significant amount of time on his end as well.
nice plug guys! *explicit sarcasm*
Using that as a buttplug would likely be extremely unpleasant.
Boudica the warrior queen!
in soviet Russia the Easter eggs hunt you.
NICE!
That is some immense amount of work. Nicely done.
Oh my god that’s cool. The paint job is slick, too. It’s like a mashup of Metal Slug and Maschinen Krieger traveled back in time to 1914.
That is terrific work. It reminds me of the style of some of the Games Workshop tanks and siege engines I wanted but could never affort. Great attention to detail, such as the articulated claws on the “feet”.
Beautiful. I like the cross section of painted miniatures and robotics, it’s a space I don’t believe has been adequately explored. My only feedback besides praise would be to paint the exposed cables. The red really sticks out against that color palette.
Am I the only one that it kinda looks like a Dalek?
wasted time
Well… You didn’t *have* to waste your time to tell us that you were wasting your time. That *IS* pretty meta, though. Bravo.
no. The build is wasted time. Don’t get me wrong, the guy has impressive building skills (certainly better than mine) and I understand they are his skills to use wherever he pleases .. but seriously? In a fuc**ing toy??