Robot Mini Wars Part 10 (of 10) The Making Of the Series

This final video shows you how we made the arena and robots in just one week. The arena we made in a day, and it cost £15 in materials. Made of wood, with a cardboard box pit. Tape was used to make the side walls. We show you here how we make the live action 'explosion' effect for the pit too using flour! The arena we may in one day.

The robots were made from paper, strengthened with cardboard in places (such as the wedge fronts). Then Blu-Tacked on to micro radio control cars. Blu-Tack is a sticky plastacine-like substance used for sticking things. They run for 3-5 minutes. They weigh about 25 grams only. No active weapons, just pushers and wedges.

Computer programs used were Adobe Premiere for editing and putting it all together, Adobe Photoshop for making up the robots and arena markings, EJay software to make the copyright free music, and Particle Illusion to make the computer generated (CG) effects such as smoke, sparks and flames that are here and there but mostly it is as the fight happened.

There are one or two cuts points. This was for when the pit opened, as we wanted a shot of it opening for each fight. Also if any action was missed such as Chaos 2 pushing Lightning, then we would film it again, so that what actually happened is the story we show.

The end of this video shows some outtakes (mainly Jon), so you can see we had fun making this.

To see what the real heavyweight 100Kg Lightning did on Robot Wars and live events go to www.calvertfilm.fsnet.co.uk plus there should be some clips on YouTube. Team members were Laurie Calvert, Richard DeSmedt and Albert Schuller with Phil Denyer making the early Lightning.

To download paper robots go to this link (whilst it is there):

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/calvertfilm/paperrobots.htm

or photograph the toys yourself and print out the photos and glue them together using paper glue. Or make your own designs.

We may make more series, perhaps something different next time.

Have fun.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Calvertfilm
• Laurie
• Calvert
• Robot
• Mini
• Wars
• Making
• of
• how
• we
• made
• it
• arena
• paper
• robots

[17redsocks]

Can you make some more of videos of the mini robot wars my son thinks there cool

[Calvertfilm]

@17redsocks If we get time :-) Thanks. 

[17redsocks]

How do you make the shapes of the robot and where do you get the motors from?

[Calvertfilm]

@17redsocks We make the robot shapes ourselves out of paper. For power these paper robots are then stuck onto small radio control cars. 

[tomatomovies]

these have been very enjoyable to watch. it is a creative and a brilliant idea. i am tempted to try it myself

[Calvertfilm]

@tomatomovies Please do, and let us know if you do so we can watch yours in return.

[tomatomovies]

really quite awesome

[iMacG4Guy]

@Calvertfilm Cheers!

[Calvertfilm]

@iMacG4Guy Thank you. We have no current plans but my son made a few on his channel - check out 147JaC.

[iMacG4Guy]

@Calvertfilm Are you making any more? These are brilliant!