For as long as I can remember I've always been fascinated with cartoon robots from the eighties. Among my favorites are Astroboy, Optimus Prime, and Voltron. Both Astroboy and Optimus prime have both been made into live robots but there hasn't been much love for Voltron. A few years ago I discovered that a talented 3D designer, @3Dworkbench (Juri Pranjic), had recreated a 3D printable version of Voltron. I was instantly inspired to create the live robot version of Voltron. Creating robot versions of the Lions that could all combine into one robot was a bit outlandish for today's technology but I settled for creating a combined form of Voltron.
I started the project in 2017, it took me over 100 hours to print all the Voltron parts, and eventually stalled out on it for a year or so before being inspired to work on it again. It was the Synthiam live hack series, that myself and DJ Sures started, that triggered my renewed passion in the project. Over the course of 3 Live hack sessions I was able to finish Voltron and get it to walk and talk. Using EZ-builder it made it very manageable to create a walking gait as well as adding actions and sounds.
Here's the end result:
Here are the live hacks (be forewarned they are long and unedited):
In the past the 3D STL files were available for free but in order to get access to the files Juri now requires you to join his Patreon page. Truth be told, it's well worth it. Juri comes out with some amazing 3D designs on a regular basis. He shares new designs that are inspired by video games and other geek culture characters. You could also download the Voltron STL files from Cults3D.
Check out part of my build process on my Flickr page. Sorry, there's not much for descriptions there. Essentially, I just hacked apart the 3D printed plastics with a Rotary Tool until the servos fit properly. I also hollowed out the eyes in Voltron's mask to insert some RGB LED eyes. In true Synthiam fashion, I used a lot of hot glue to hold it all together!
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