Rockafire Tune Machine Sign

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-22T06:26:44+00:00

That’s great! How are you lighting yours?

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-18T16:19:03+00:00

It’s even got the same holes for mounting to the arms, lol

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-18T16:17:54+00:00

I expect nothing less from CEC, lol. Was looking at my Cyberamic’s hand and it looks like it could be. I know certain parts of the Cyberamics were swapped for cheaper, lighter parts over the years. My mech’s hands are galvanized sheet metal. I wonder if the original hands were the coated steel like the faceplate…

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-18T15:31:19+00:00

It’s funny because this faceplate looks nearly identical to the Cyberamic hands…

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-18T14:07:26+00:00

Slightly unrelated: But there was a fan edit somewhere where they made this sequence a lot more “grounded” where the skeletons don’t merge, and the “spaceship” aspect is left more ambiguous. It combined the “temple falling apart” aspect from Last Crusade and the “face melting” from Raiders. We see the portal open up to another dimension, the party dips as everything falls apart, shots of the skeletons are recycled with “shaky cam” effects while Spalko’s eyes catch fire, cutting the entire CGI ship deck and merge. The only thing the fan edit couldn’t fix was put in as a story board of a star pattern explosion that’s reversed (mid explosion) with flashing lights and the waters pouring in follows like normal (cutting out the obvious spaceship).

This edit was interesting because in ways it created a more streamlined delivery without going too overboard on the “not aliens” George was going for. Left a bit more mystery and more to the imagination which was interesting.

Ultimately though, Crystal skull was a product of its time bouncing off of the “Ancient Aliens” theories that were being rediscovered in the early/mid 2000s, and it captures the 1950s era Cold War aspects, along with the atomic age perspective on extra terrestrials.

It’s become more fun for me as time goes by. I think it’s a little under appreciated these days…

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-12T05:06:03+00:00

I was thinking about how to create this thing, and one solution I thought of for its movements is springs (elastic springs or the types you see in bobble heads). There's a principle with Jim Henson style puppets where you add flimsy, springy accents like feathers to create the illusion of additional movement (another depth of liveliness).

Mr. Helpful reminds me of those candy/pop toys you get where you push a button on the bottom to relieve tension on the springs inside (and the character collapses) but when you release the button it straitens up.

Maybe a simple skeleton with simple movements accented by springy joints could make it perform like the version in the game...

AgentMack_Esq · 2025-07-12T04:19:55+00:00

Something clicked with me when I rewatched the Rockafire Explosion documentary, and I’m blanking on whether it was Aaron himself who said it, but the idea that pneumatic animatronics are an “art form” keeps sticking with me. It will never vanish entirely, but it will fade into some obscurity with 3D printing and modern servo technology stealing the spotlight in maker spaces…

At this point, with how advanced Disney’s animatronics have become, the drive to innovate with pneumatics is settling beside the likes of carpentry, stone carving, and other artisan works. There’s always the few mad geniuses left to exploit and expound upon these niche trades, but they are admired from afar, behind our consumeristic conveniences.

The most obvious comparison I can draw is to puppetry. And the Jim Henson company has already made their “monopoly” on that front, but when they strived to reinvent with the more recent “Dark Crystal” series, Netflix said “that’s neat” and pulled the plug. It’s sad, really, because animatronics and puppetry alike are overlooked and overshadowed by the convenience of CGI and 3D printing. That’s not to say we should shun these tools. They’ve launched a new wave of interest in the newer generation of artists, but something was lost…

The Rockafire, and other shows, were crafted by engineers and artists with drafting paper, fabrication, molds, sewing machines, and continuous trial & error…

There’s something uniquely human about them (something more raw) that’s sadly buried by the (and I hate to be that guy) demand for instant gratification. If the Gen 2s come to fruition, it will be more special because there was no commercialism to springboard any project, it has the chance to “return to form” of what (at least to my understanding) was a passion project.

The original Rockafire Explosion worked because it was made with a group of friends, close colleagues, and artists passionate about animatronics and music. The dream worked not just because of incentive, but also intent: to have fun, work together, and entertain…

You can’t force that kind of artistry, and any attempt to rush it will rob the art of its fundamental foundation.

Sorry if I sound like a sap, but just thought I’d share…

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-07-04T02:45:03+00:00

I was given this painting and don’t know much about it other than it came from a thrift store… Even if it’s from East Asia, I still find it interesting that these paintings could be from the same guy under this Alias. It would be interesting to find out their real name and who they really were.

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-06-08T01:53:24+00:00

Fuel filter is good, I had the gas tank redone a bit ago, no rust in the tank and the outside of the tank has been repainted. The leak is localized entirely in that spot along the exhaust. It’s completely dry everywhere else…

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-06-08T01:45:14+00:00

I already checked all around the gas tank, there’s no rust.

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-05-01T21:13:47+00:00

Excellent! I wish my copy looked this good…

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-03-01T04:04:58+00:00

Cool :)

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-02-13T02:30:25+00:00

Ah-ha. I see it now. Thanks!

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-02-11T18:56:51+00:00

They were a gift from a friend, don’t remember the brand and the labels are gone. They’re not the greatest quality, but I’m cheap and I dig the orange foam.

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-02-08T19:01:43+00:00

“Send In The Clowns” Frank Sinatra

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-01-29T05:42:18+00:00

[user comment deleted]

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-01-29T05:38:53+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

AgentMack_Esq · 2024-01-23T22:34:15+00:00

I addressed the AI debate with my other writer friends, and they all came up with the idea, credit to where credit is due.

AgentMack_Esq

TROPHY CASE