Prometheus Rising Studios   Ben Mininberg's models, toy customs, and design work.

Interstellar was one of the tent-pole sci-fi movie releases of 2014.  The actual movie seemed to get mixed reviews (I dug it), but there was one thing everyone could agree on: the companion robot design was incredible!  The robots just about stole the movie, delivering the humor of R2-D2 and C-3PO with the intonation of HAL 9000. To boot, they featured a phenomenal mechanical design, able to solve a variety of problems in straightforward, real-world ways.  I went home after the movie convinced that I could make a working toy of the design and got to work.  The alluring thing about the robots TARS and CASE (and KIPP!) is the way their blocky bodies can reconfigure along a couple of axes.  For a big, DX style toy of the bots, I knew I wanted to be able to move parts along two axes seamlessly, which meant using magnets.  The end result is a little complicated and awkward, like the real thing, but it does work!  I made this first version in 1/12 scale to go alongside my 6″ figure collection.

I’ll be offering a smaller, 3 3/4″ scale version for sale in the near future, so check back here or follow me on Twitter and Instagram for news!

Here’s a shot of TARS alongside Star Wars Black 6″ Han Solo for scale.  TARS is painted with Vallejo alcohol-based metallics for a smooth finish, and detailed with Monster Kolor and acrylics.  I did the ‘face’ screen displays with waterslide decals, tinted with clear green paint.  The name and logo were painted on using a 3D printed spray mask.

TARS in motion!  Check after the jump for lots more photos.

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