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Real-Life Transformer Robot On Sale In Japan

Modellismo writes "Last May a Japanese hobbyist revealed a DIY, real-life Transformer Robot Car that received lots of feedback. Now Kenji Ishida is back with a new version that will be officially presented next weekend at the Maker Faire Tokyo 2012. This new 1/12 scale autobot is made using a custom 3D printer (build by Kenji himself), and finally Transformers fans around the world will be able to buy it. The official price has not been disclosed. For now the production is limited to 10 pieces. It's possible to choose the color of the robot that comes built and programmed, complete with a wireless controller in a numbered case."

5 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. The Japanese and robots by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I once asked a Japanese friend "What's with the obsession with robots?" He said it actually went back hundreds of years to the national art form of Karakuri ningy. So I guess it's not such a recent thing, after all.

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    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    1. Re:The Japanese and robots by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, it's not like the West didn't have its own fair share of humanoid automata, fictional or not... The Mechanical Turk (a fake, but a nice one), the contraptions of Jaquet-Droz...I'd even throw the Golem of Prague into the mix, although that's more like "magitech". :-)

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      Ezekiel 23:20
  2. Ha! Cue a lawsuit... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...Hasbro will not be pleased.

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    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Ha! Cue a lawsuit... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Funny

      Maybe it transforms into a lawyer?

      I'm pretty sure that this is supposed to be an Autobot, not a Decepticon.

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      Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Obligatory /. question... by Razgorov+Prikazka · · Score: 4, Funny

    1 - Does it run linux?
    2 - is the HW RPi based?
    3 - Crowdfunded?
    4 - Frikkin lasers?
    5 - Does this guy accept bit coins?

    If the answers to those questions are yes, yes, yes, yes and yes than I want a whole beowulfcluster of them! :-)

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    rm -rf --no-preserve-root / ...and let /dev/null sort them out...