Creature Tuesday: La Chupacabra

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Stalwart Abolisher Jasper Dunlap has had more than his fair share of encounters with this loathsome creature. The chupacabra is well-known among the pioneers of the West as a capricious, tenacious predator of livestock, particularly when it comes to goats. Packs of these murderous beasts can eliminate an entire herd within minutes, leaving only a few thoroughly gnawed bones in their wake. In times of want, the chupacabra has been known to actually stalk any vaquero unlucky enough to be traveling alone amidst the wastelands of the American desert. Fortunately, one can be alerted to the presence of chupacabras by their ferociously powerful scent, which is reminiscent of curdled milk and manure.

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!

10 Days To Go

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Our sincere thanks to all of you for backing us on this project. We truly appreciate your support. Please do us one more favor and spread the word about our project to your friends and associates. Use your social network contacts, strike up a conversation, or just email and call your acquaintances who might be interested in becoming backers. Every little bit helps. We only have 10 more days to reach our $5000 goal.

Please spread links to our Kickstarter project page all across the web. Let’s make that goal!

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.

Creature Tuesday: Feegee Mermaid

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

This enchanting creature was collected by the team during a sojourn to the supposedly tranquil islands of the heathen South Pacific. The Feegee Mermaid is an interesting being, simultaneously beguiling and treacherous. Captured with no small amount of effort, the specimen that you see before you is of exceptional quality and size, unlike other, lesser examples peddled by duplicitous sideshow proprietors. Unfortunately, this is only one of a larger pod or school of mer‑creatures, the others lost to either the necessary violence of subjugation, a lack of nurturing seawater, and, in one instance, a thrilling but biologically troubling conjugation.

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!

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!

Clocktease Burlesque VIP Access – What Does That Entail?

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Sir Quincy Peck

Envious of this fine gentleman? You can join him in the rarefied air of the VIP section for Clocktease Burlesque.

Even a rakish cad such as this knows that life is better in the VIP section.

Generous donors to Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities will receive VIP passes to the alluring and quizzical romp of Clocktease Burlesque as part of an amazing reward package. But what does VIP access entail? What an astute question! Our respectful response is thus:

- No waiting in line for the burlesque show
- Front row premiere seating during the burlesque show
- Special VIP lanyard and pass laminate
- Refreshments
- Various other perks throughout the night

Such a bounty! This is not even including the other rewards that you can claim at this level of patronage. Please do look over our Kickstarter page for this event and choose the appropriate sponsorship for your needs.

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!

New Video: The Apparition Abolishers in “The Audition”

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Dr. Mortimer J. Torque

At last, here is the short version of our video “The Audition” that was created to run on Dragon*ConTV this year.

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.