Creating Tom Servo’s distinctive head might seem intricate, but with the right approach, you’ll find it’s quite manageable. The body barrel is even simpler, mainly involving the strategic placement of the engine block. Let’s dive into crafting your own Tom Servo head, perfect for any Mystery Science Theater 3000 enthusiast.
First, detach the black plastic base from your gumball machine if you haven’t already. A flat-head screwdriver makes this task easy. Next, take your snack dispenser globe and carefully cut off its base using a hacksaw or coping saw. Once detached, set the globe aside in a secure location to prevent accidental falls from your workspace.
The upper lip of Servo can sometimes be firmly attached. Mine was quite stuck, which I later realized was due to a hidden lip within the globe’s cut edge, designed to hold it in place. If you encounter this, try to partially remove the lip. If it resists (as mine did), use a coping saw to make cautious slits in the globe remnants. This should provide enough give to extract the upper lip. Once the upper lip is out, remove the lower lip as well.
With the lower lip removed, you’ll need to eliminate the hoop used for dispensing gumballs. Cut it flush with the mouth’s exposed section, ensuring only the hoop is removed, while retaining the small protruding “doohickeys.” These are crucial for securing the lip back into the mouth later. Remember to remove the spring beforehand and keep it safe to avoid ending up with a stretched, unusable spring. Gather your spare cap, regular cap, gumball machine base, barrel, engine block, and both upper and lower lips, and apply a silver primer to them.
(If you’re using a “Barrel of Monkeys” barrel, like I did, it will likely have labels. Peel them off as best as you can before priming. The center label should come off easily without residue, but the top one might be more stubborn. For any remaining sticker residue, rubbing alcohol should do the trick.)
Once the primer is fully dry, it’s time for the iconic red coat. Take your Testor’s Ruby Red Metal Flake 1629 paint. Acknowledge the cost for such a small can, then apply a light coat to all the primed parts. Important! Set aside the lower lip; it’s already painted and doesn’t need more red. Give the upper and lower lips another silver coat for durability, then set the lower lip aside again. Mask off the area of the upper lip/beak that should remain silver and paint the rest red, along with the other red components. I also gave the Lazy Susan Bearing a single coat of the ruby metal flake to help it blend, though this is optional.
For all parts requiring red, apply about three coats of the Ruby Red Metal Flake. Some builders might use fewer, others more. Be mindful that each additional coat deepens the red, potentially leading to a maroon shade if you overdo it. Aim for that perfect ruby red for your Tom Servo.
After three coats, flip all the red pieces and paint their undersides, except for the gumball machine itself. The gumball machine is now finished. While the red parts are drying, let’s focus on the internal mechanisms of Servo’s head. Drill a small hole near the rear of the gumball machine’s roof for a screw eye. Test the fit of the eye and, if satisfactory, use hot glue to secure it in place from the top outside of the gumball machine. This area will be covered later, so aesthetics aren’t crucial here.
Next, drill another small hole in the back of the lower lip. Position the lower lip and thread a long, strong piece of string through the lip, securing it with a few knots. Then, thread the string through the screw eye. Pull the string several times, perhaps even jokingly saying, “That’s great, now you’ve got my jaw!” This simulates Servo’s mouth movement. Remove the lower jaw for now, and we’ll move on to the PVC component.
But first, a quick detail for the engine block: Once the engine block is dry from the red paint, mask off everything except the exhaust stacks and their immediate surroundings. Don’t forget to mask the thin red sliver between the stacks. Spray the stacks silver. Two good coats should suffice. While these dry, we can work on the PVC T-connector.
This PVC “T” connector is a somewhat peculiar but essential part of Tom Servo’s construction. It needs to fit snugly inside Servo’s head and be level with the base, enabling connection to his body rod. You will likely need to make multiple cuts to the PVC pipe until it resembles the desired shape and fits completely inside Servo’s head. Don’t worry about breaking the PVC during cutting; it’s quite durable.
Reinstall the lower jaw into Servo’s head and thread the string through the screw eye and then through the cut opening and threaded hole of the PVC T-connector. Test the jaw string by pulling it a few times to ensure smooth movement. If it rubs or catches, remove the T-connector and sand, cut, or file it until the string moves freely.
If the string rubs against the T-connector, it will eventually fray and break. As a preventative measure, you might consider using multiple strings, as I eventually did in my Tom Servo build. This distributes tension and ensures that if one string breaks, the jaw mechanism will continue to function.
Learning from experience (Murphy’s Law definitely applies to robot building!), I had to perform a field repair on Servo at Gateway Con 2000 because I initially used only a single string. To finalize the head assembly, position the PVC T-connector as level as possible inside Servo’s head. This ensures the head rotates smoothly when attached to Servo’s body. Secure it firmly with hot glue, applying glue generously around the edges, but avoiding any moving parts.
