Grave Grabber Mk. II

[kevin242]

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/gg.jpg
Hey you haunters,
I've just finished putting the final (almost) touches to my new and bigger grave grabber motorized prop. The new instructions call for a rotisserie motor, which is much slower than my old paint mixer motor but still gets the job done in a very creepy manner. A few people have e-mailed me with questions they've had, and I've hoped to address them in this new tutorial, enjoy!: http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/html/mkii.html

[Zombie-F]

Looks pretty evil. Great job!

I may want to make one of these someday. Looks like another brain for me to pick at. :devil:

[DeathTouch]

Oh, I love the first one and now I love the 2nd one. Awesome. I just love it. Now where is your tombstone? LOL.

[krough]

Awesome stuff Kevin242. I recently made one following the instructions on your sire for version 1. Thanks for the how to

[Frighteners Entertainment]

That looks pretty cool, nice job!

[HalloweenRick]

Great job!

[slightlymad]

this willbe definitly be next months project

[lewlew]

Looks just as good as the first one Kevin242. I built your first design last year and it got rave reviews. My mother-in-law saw it and wanted to know who that was that had to swing their arms all night and how did I get them half buried in the ground?
One question though. Is the bracing on your 4-bar mechanism designed to prevent sag? Would steel bar or square tubing work better than aluminum bar?
Great prop! Thanks for the great how-to!

[kevin242]

Hey Lew,
Yes the aluminum will sag depending on the weight of the hands, the length of the arms etc... The original was much smaller and lighter so I didn't have the same problems as with the larger model. In an effort to keep the motor from burning out, I suggest using the lightest materials possible... Hope this helps! Post some photos of your prop please! :D

[Torgen]

You know, I was thinking that you could take the MkI and dress it up like the "Ring" girl, and have it come out of a fake TV cabinet that had a TV playing static (or a clip from the movie!)

[grim reaper]

nice job i like it

[lewlew]

Kevin 242,
Here's the pics of the mrkI. I built it in about 3 hours. I've already started work on the mrkII. Thanks!
http://halloweengallery.com/albums/userpics/10185/PA310053.JPG

http://halloweengallery.com/albums/userpics/10185/normal_PA310052.JPG

[Torgen]

Kevin, Could I use a junkyard wiper motor for the MkI? I need the faster action of the MkI for a scare I have in mind. (This is my first year for animatronics, so learning everything.)

[kevin242]

Hey Torg,
Feel free to use any low-speed/high-torque motor available. Try to keep the prop as level as possible to reduce the load on the motor (there's nothing worse than burning out a motor 3 days before H-day). Like I said in my Mk. I tutorial, we have ours set up on a motion sensor to keep him from running continuously... keep all of your connections well oiled also.
Nice job, Lew! What did you use for hands? Is that wire and masking tape? I love it...

[lewlew]

Thanks kevin. Simple is best.. Just coat hangers and masking tape. On a couple of occasions he would get his hands caught in the grass. the wire made it very easy to straighten back out. I wish I could get better night pictures, though.
In answer to Torgen's question, I did use a wiper motor for this and it ran continually for four nights for six hours at a stretch. I ran the motor off a lawn mower battery and had no trouble with it throughout. I only recharged the battery once during that span. Running it off battery makes it very portable and it can be hidden very easily. Just a thought.

[SpectreTTM]

Hey Lew,
Yes the aluminum will sag depending on the weight of the hands, the length of the arms etc... The original was much smaller and lighter so I didn't have the same problems as with the larger model. In an effort to keep the motor from burning out, I suggest using the lightest materials possible... Hope this helps! Post some photos of your prop please! :D


Hi Kevin,

Absolutely a fantastic prop. I think I'll try to make one for this yr. :D

What about aluminum angle. That would give you more strength and still less weight than Iron.

Any suggestions/techniques on making the hands?

[mrklaw]

great job, looks scary

[kevin242]

Hey Spectre,
I'm sure aluminum angle would be fine. If you can get it inexpensively, it might be a good idea to build the entire frame with it. You won't really know how much support you'll need until you get the arms/hands on though.
I use wire coat hangers and masking tape for hands, then I use Great Stuff spray foam in a can sparingly to make the knuckles, tendons, warts etc. I like to use the small cans and build up 2 or 3 layers before spray painting and sponge painting them to match the head. They are cheap, lightweight and poseable. My new prop has oversized hands and long fingernails that I made from plastic plant pots by cutting triangles, shaping and painting. I used crazy glue to attach them to the fingertips. The effect is worth the extra effort.
Hope this helps, keep posting your photos!

[roadkill]

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/gg.jpg
Hey you haunters,
I've just finished putting the final (almost) touches to my new and bigger grave grabber motorized prop. The new instructions call for a rotisserie motor, which is much slower than my old paint mixer motor but still gets the job done in a very creepy manner. A few people have e-mailed me with questions they've had, and I've hoped to address them in this new tutorial, enjoy!: http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/html/mkii.html

Fantastic work! Thanks for sharing the pic and the info - now I have another project I need to tackle...

[SpectreTTM]

Hey Spectre,
I'm sure aluminum angle would be fine. If you can get it inexpensively...

Hi Kevin
Funny You should mention this. I found a local place that sell Aluminum
stock by the lb rather than the piece. I have found their prices to be 1/3 - 1/2
that of what Home depot/ Lowes charges.

You might want to try and find a place in your area as well.

Any chance of seeing a close up pict of your hands?

Thanks for the tips.

[kevin242]

Hey Spectre,
Here are a couple of photos as requested:
http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/handdetail1.jpg

http://www.fulcrumsites.com/haunt/assets/images/handdetail2.jpg

These particular hands are actually made with electrical tape, lots and lots of it!

[roadkill]

But what is the frame for the hands? Wire? What did you use for the long nails?

[Blackwidow]

Nice work kevin242, that thing is creepy!

[SpectreTTM]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the great pictures.

When you say electrical tape, you mean the non shinny stuff right?

[DeathTouch]

I bet the chicks love him. You know what they say about men with big hands. Big hands, big feet...

[Bone Dancer]

Thanks alot, now I have one more thing to make on my list of stuff to do. lol
That thing really looks scary, great job.

[kevin242]

I bet the chicks love him. You know what they say about men with big hands. Big hands, big feet...
Ummm... big gloves? Big socks? :D
Hey Spectre,
Yeah, the electrical tape is the shiney kind, I got it at Home Depot a few years ago for like a buck a roll (Chinese electrical tape, I wouldn't use it on my house but it's great for props). Once the paint/foam go on, you can't really even tell that it's tape so feel free to use whatever you have available. This is one prop you can't really go wrong with...

[PrettyGhoul]

kevin242, I love your Grave Grabber (I watched your video a couple of times, very scary).:eek: Someday I hope to build this, it's at the top of my "covet list".


lewlew...nice Mk.I. I cannot believe you built that in just 3 hours. When you finish the Mk.II will you post pictures please? I'd love to see it.

[Devils Chariot]

This guy has awesome hands! Like a giant spider crab!