About this project
OK Transformer fans,You voted for him, now it's time that the O.G. BumbleBee got his time in the spotlight!
Our plan is to create a life-sized sculpture of our pal in robot mode. I caught wind of a new take on the old design and believe it needs to exist in the real world for all of us geeks to gather around and celebrate, take pics, and exchange our Transformer stories by his side.
I took our idea on the road and went to Pasadena, California and talked directly with main members of Hasbro at Botcon 2011! Our project was very well received across the entire convention and received the blessings of everyone I was able to engage. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony by the great guys and gals at www.jagex.com in VIP fashion with Michael Bay, Tyrese Gibson, Peter Cullen, and key members of Hasbro, Jagex, and many more directly tied to the franchise. There are already talks of more Transformers coming soon, but this one is for the FANS!!!
Here's an article from www.technabob.com about our project http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/19/full-scale-bumblebee-transformer-sculpture/
My experience and plan in short: I have created large sized sculptures and animatronic characters for theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, and to private collectors for more than ten years and feel 100% confident in this project.
The plan is to debut BumbleBee live to the world at GMX http://www.geekmediaexpo.com/ here in Nashville Tennesse in October the 21st thru 23rd! After that he will travel...maybe to your city!
He will be fabricated using a real Volkswagen Beetle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle that will be cut into specific sections and reassembled to form BumbleBee in robot mode. Other materials such as: aluminum, steel, carbon-fiber, HOK (House of Kolor) SG102 Chrome Yellow will be used to make him awesome! He will have power to the head/tail lights,etc.., as well as having a killer sound system. He is designed to be transportable in sections that will safely be assembled in place on top of a large Autobot logo.
The funding for this project will go directly toward the purchase the VW parts car (or individual body panels) and materials needed to make our twenty-foot tall protector. If we exceed our base financial goal, I would like to add some movement to articulate him.
Our team is YOU. Needed to spread the word across our city here in Nashville and to reach out to the world across the web.
Will you help us create him?
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
9
Backers
$368
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on September 1.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
8x10 photo of BumbleBee in all of his glory and your name added to the Banner that will be displayed at the debut!
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
1) 8x10 photo of BumbleBee in all of his glory and your name added to the Banner that will be displayed at the debut! 2) a DVD copy of the time-lapse making of BumbleBee signed by the artist
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
1) 8x10 photo of BumbleBee in all of his glory and your name added to the Banner that will be displayed at the debut! 2) a DVD copy of the time-lapse making of BumbleBee signed by the artist 3) a 24x36 poster of BumbleBee with the full backer list showing your participation.
Pledge $1,500 or more Pledge $1,500 or more
This level reward will bring BumbleBee to YOU!!! Backers of this level will coordinate a time and venue to have BumbleBee appear for two days within a 50 mile radius of Nashville, Tennessee to promote your cause or raise awareness for your charity. *Distances beyond that are welcome, but will require additional logistical expense.
Project By
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Born in North Carolina, Special Effects Artist, Rick Prince has called
Nashville both home and base of operations for more than 20 years. His
professional career began with sculpting and fabricating animatronic
characters for clients such as Disney, Busch Gardens, and Universal
Studios. Continuing for more than ten years cross-training in every
department of character creation and utilizing materials such as
carbon-fiber, silicone, and many more he refined his skill and eye for
detail.
In 2002 Rick went Independent and has not looked back. Moving on to
work as a Special Make-up Effects Artist on films including: Super-Zeroes,
Blood Rogues, Puppet, and The Keeper. In 2006 he partnered with Harpeth
Productions to create the music video "Gone" for the band Helmet which
debuted on MTV's HeadBanger's Ball.
The 2011 Middle Tennessee Anime Convention marked Rick's debut in the
Cosplay arena with his "Big Daddy" from Bioshock II created at his
daughter Téa's request to accompany her costume for Halloween. Winning
"Best Master Class" and the "Judge's Favorite" award by unanimous
decision, Rick gave the prize and credit to her. She can often be seen
working right by his side, developing skills for the next generation.
Future Cosplay character plans include a fully outfitted "Master Chief" by request from many HALO fans.
Rick has balanced his F/X career working as a both a Firefighter and an Organ Donor Processor, opportunities that have given him direct insight into and experience with the complexity and fragility of the human body. He continues to volunteer with such charities as: Hands on Nashville, The W.O. Smith School, and Nashville Cares.
You may go to www.kickstarter.com and search "BumbleBee" to contribute to this fan based project where Rick will be creating a full-sized Transformer named "BumbleBee" in robot mode (using a
REAL 1969 Volkswagen Beetle) that will be approximately twenty-feet tall
and is scheduled to debut at GMX in October!
