My Homemade Pirates of the Caribbean Animatronic

I built this animatronic over one summer after visiting the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Walt Disney World and envisioning one of the scenes inside the attraction coming to life. I decided to build my own animatronic "Helmsman". (Check out more details here at my website: jasonecollins.wixsite.com/jas...)
This Helmsman is powered using 6 total servos. The 3 axis skull uses 3 HS-485 servos for the regular head movements and a mini HS-225 BB for the jaw movement. The other two skulls use HS- 425 servos for their jaw movements. The servos are arranged onto a piece of fiber glass which is fitted and screwed into the skull model. The mounting plate fits onto a central axis with a universal joint while the servos use linkages to attach to a bearing around the central axis.
The servos are all being controlled by the SSC-32U servo controller board. This board is being powered with a 6V 3A power supply. The controller board has been disguised inside the treasure chest for the heart of Davy Jones behind the skeleton on the floorboards of the pallet.
The coding has all been done with the use of Visual Show Automation software by Brookshire Software.
The ship wheel is being powered by an animatronic Christmas reindeer motor mounted on the steering column. The static and moving lever arms that link the motor to the wheel were created with wood, bolts, and bent lengths of metal.
The skeleton was ordered online and modified with a homemade PVC stand running through the spinal column to hold the body frame upright. The 3-axis skull was ordered from MonsterGuts and was retrofitted in the neck of the skeleton with a wooden dowel rod. All staining was done with MinWax Gel stain Aged Oak.
The treasure chest prop was built from scratch and stained with MinWax Weathered Gray Wood Stain. There are 2000 plastic gold coins glued on top of a faux treasure pile along with other props like a golden chalice and a skeleton arm.
The Pirates of the Caribbean flag was made by using Silhouette design to print each letter on heat transfer vinyl. The letters were then ironed onto a cut and rigged piece of cotton fabric. The mast and the booms were rigged together with large fence posts held up by a Christmas tree stand.

[@Rmayer121]

Awesome job! I’d love to see more details of your linkage since it has a ton of movement!

[@jasoncollins5478]

Thank you so much! Absolutely! Feel free to check out the project here on my website. You can see a lot more details about the linkages: jasonecollins.wixsite.com/jason/the-helmsman

[@VictorIsmification]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@johnalvestad791]

Hi Jason can you contact me? How can I contact you for a commission to make the full size skeleton with the 3-axis skull, Thanks if your able to or would consider selling the one already made?, Thanks John