Contraption Thursday: Grover Marland the Second

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Making his debut at this Exposition is Brassy Galore’s faithful metal companion, Grover Marland the Second. Brassy encounters more than few spooks and spirits in her line of work, and most of them are not at all civilized. For detection of such malevolent beings, Brassy is always sure to have Grover loyally standing by her side. His special mechanical sensory devices are able to detect the faintest traces of ectoplasmic material and his flashing tail beacon provides a warning that is easily seen in dark places. He is tenacious in his defense of Brassy, lending credence to stories of his power source being derived from the soul of a particularly fierce chihuahua.

Come see Grover Marland and many, many contraptions and oddities at our Exposition, starting tomorrow. We are still trying to reach our Kickstarter goal to cover the costs of this huge endeavor, so please donate if you have not. Every dollar counts!

Excuse me, madam. Is your dog relieving its steam residue on my tree?

Expo Sneak Peek: No Ordinary Fish Tank

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Jasper Dunlap approves of the detailed construction.

The mermaid is enchanting, but no match for our lovely ladies.

Here’s couple of behind the scenes photos of the production of the Feegee Mermaid’s containment device. As you can see, it is being lovingly crafted by hand and quality inspected by some of the lovely ladies of Clocktease Burlesque. You can trust their judgement because they have the obvious good taste and style to appear in public with our Mustache-on-a-Stick, which will be available at the Exposition this weekend.

Speaking of the expo, have you donated yet? Our time to reach our goal is drawing short and we need every last little bit of help to get there. No donation is too small!

UPDATE: For those of you who find that mermaids put you in an romantic mood, here’s a nighttime shot of the base of the tank:

Expo Sneak Peek: Well, Hello There!

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Scrappy is sporting his formal monocle in this photo.

The Exposition opens its doors in just 2 days! Scrappington Hauley has prettied himself up for the occasion. Are you ready?

We still need donations to support this event. Please spread the word because if we do not meet our goal by Friday night, all donations will be returned. Our Kickstarter page is here.

Expo Sneak Peek: Instant Steampunk

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Today’s sneak peek is the always delightful Mustache-on-a-stick, modeled here by two of the lovely ladies of Clocktease Burlesque. We offer a variety of styles for the discriminating gentleman (or lady!) in three colors: black, brown and soulless ginger.

These hand crafted accoutrements are an Exposition exclusive, so make sure you come to see us next weekend at GMX. Also, we are still in need of more support at our Kickstarter page. Please spread the word if you have already donated!

Contraption Thursday: H.A.R.O.L.D.E.

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Dr. Torque prefers to labor over his fantastic inventions in seclusion in his sprawling laboratory complex. Though his isolation frees his mighty intellect from social constraints, he is but one man and is often in need of additional strength in order to assemble his larger constructs. To this end, Dr. Torque has devised the Heavy Ambulatory Rider Operated Load Dispatching Equipment, or H.A.R.O.L.D.E. as he is affectionately referred to by his Creator. This ìiron manî amplifies a normal fellowís strength fiftyfold and is easily and surely controlled by a series of pulleys and gears as well as the Torque Laboratories patented Emeraldic Energy Extrapolators™ concealed within this behemoth.

See this contraption and more at Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities at GMX October 21-23. Your donations will make it happen!

Contraption Thursday: A.T.T.

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

The miracle of near-instantaneous messaging notwithstanding, recording and decoding telegraph messages is, at least, massively time consuming and, at worst, is the type of barbaric labor that a gentleman should avoid. Dr. Torque happens to be such a gentleman and has devised an elegant solution to this conundrum. Torque Laboratories is proud to present the Automated Torque Telegrapher, or A.T.T. for brevity’s sake. This ingenious contraption converts the crude dots and dashes of a wired transmission into a finely penned manuscript fit for the civilized eye. Its operation is a closely-guarded secret, and any specious mention of “orphan’s souls” will be met with the fiercest of lawsuits.

See this contraptionand more at Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities at GMX October 21-23. Your donations will make it happen!

Contraption Progress – Praxinoscope

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Dr. Mortimer J. Torque

One of the contraptions we are building for the Exposition is this steampunk adaptation of a Praxinoscope. Ours will feature animation of another contraption, Scrappington Hauley going about his day. At the current stage, this contraption has working rotation and illumination. The animation frames, more adornments, and some safety features will be put into place before it is considered complete.

Contraption Thursday: Scrappington Hauley

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Scrappington Hauley (“Scrappy”) functions as the pack mule for the team during missions and adventures by carrying equipment and supplies. Scrappy is also often sent ahead of the team into uncertain situations for reconnaissance and remote surveillance. Guidance is achieved by using the Mallardian Steerage Apparatus™ which employs organic global positioning and a radio-telegraph wireless linkage between the operator and the infernal contraption. Primary power comes from a large Emeraldic Energy Extrapolator™ mounted on the rear of the chassis. Scrappy is able to function autonomously when navigating through Dr. Torqueís secret underground laboratory thanks to the recent facility-wide installation of multiple wireless directional devices of the doctorís own design.

See this contraption and more at Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities at GMX October 21-23. Your donations will make it happen!

Creature Tuesday: The Wendigo

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

The people of the Canadian frontier have only dared to talk in whispers of this horror-beast of the North – the Wendigo. The winter months in that land are long and dark, the sun hiding away for weeks on end. In that lingering time, people grow restless, fearful and… hungry. The Wendigo preys on the weak and susceptible to the worst temptation of the flesh. They inhabit the desiccated shells of men, walking the frozen earth in search of the meat that will sate their unholy need. This specimen was collected in the wilds near Banff Springs after a protracted contest with Sir Quincy Peck. It seems that the flesh infected by this demon is particularly susceptible to violent, fiery explosions and tempered British steel.

See this creature and more at Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities at GMX October 21-23. Your donations will make it happen!

Progress on Jasper’s Gear Upgrade

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Dr. Mortimer J. Torque

Here are some images taken during the last stages of the recent upgrade to Jasper’s gear. I moved his samurai-inspired wooden armor to the front to better balance the weight overall. The hoses and tanks have been reattached with more rigidity. Most other attachment points have been reworked for better reliability and convention-proofing. The jacob’s ladder-esque brass antennae on the back were also added in this round, along with a few other smaller details.

Apparition Abolishers

Steampunk Adventurers: Whom shall one telegraph?

Category Archives: Props