Sandstorm: custom-Ringo by Cris Rose
Cris Rose's custom Ringo for Iksentrik's custom toy show - held as part of Frome Festival (July 3-12). This is Cris' third Ringo-custom and has already been spoken for. CLICK THRU to peep still images of "Sandstorm" (as seen in slideshow-video posted above) - as well as the backstory of "Sandstorm" written by Cris.
BACK-STORY: "By late 2159 it was becoming clear to many that there was something going on. In the past 2 years alone, mysterious forces had swept whole areas of the globe, wiping out loggers in the Rainforest, whalers off Japan and sealclubbers in the Arctic. Tho numerous attempts had been made by journalists, intelligence agencies and the public to document the occurrences, every time brief glimpses of vast machines were made, all cameras appeared wiped, computers corrupted and satellite images scrambled. With nothing more than word of mouth accounts to hand, an urban legend of rogue robots filled with righteous indignation against the worst of mankind, spread fast. Popular opinion was one of outright support, but no group could back up their claims of responsibility...
Project R was another experimental technology prototype, one the engineers nicknamed "Sandstorm". Robots had never faired well in the extremes of the desert, regularly suffering intakes and joints clogged with sand, their weight causing them to sink and become trapped in the Dunes. It was a serious problem. Global food shortages had forced mankind to reclaim these desert areas for food and energy production, but without robotic help it was nearly impossible!
With a huge filtrations system, Sandstorm was meant to operate indefinitely in the sand, while his huge, flexible legs and wide feet let him bound over Dunes at up to 150mph without a single joint to get clogged. His long arms gave him the reach and strength to carry huge loads, operate a variety of equipment and erect large structures. His party trick was to smash his fists into the ground and dig so deep that he'd reach the water table and create instant Oasis. Not only could he help claim the Desert back, but he could be sent out to track down those lost or trapped in sandstorms, cutting through the clouds with his combination of millimeter radar and ultrasonic rangefinding.
Field tests were going well, until one day he never returned. With no other robots capable of going out to find him, the air search was called off and questions were asked as to why his return commands had failed and why on earth the team has decided to paint him the same damn colour as the dunes!!
Several weeks later a research team spotted plumes of smoke while out surveying the water table. Fearing a downed Hypercopter from the nearby Hoverport, they sent out a distress message and made their way to the scene. What they didn't expect was to find an illegal oil-drilling operation literally torn to pieces, whole areas of it flooded under quickly evaporating water and very little sign of life. Trucks had their illegal combustion engines crushed, one was even pile-driven into the oil well, steam pouring from it as the water bubbled up and put out the fires.
The morning paper's reported a lone survivor's account, a man who turned out to be the leader of one of the largest cartels dealing in fossil fuels, substances banned 100 years previous but still responsible for 80% of the planet's atmospheric pollution.
"The sand erupted below us as without warning. One by one men were pulled beneath the dunes. Something huge was throwing our own vehicles at those of us who remained, but the sun was too bright, the sandstorm too dense to tell what it was. Then there was water everywhere and those who weren't crushed, were drowned... the shadow stopped, looked at me and left. I don't know why. It was all over in a minute."
[Story by Cris Rose]
