Comments on: Custom Robot Toys in Afghanistan

Custom Robot Toys in Afghanistan

MegoSteve — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:51:13 -0800

PFC Rupert Valero is a U.S. soldier stationed in Afghanistan who makes amazing custom toy robots out of recycled materials.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:20:02 -0800

Awesome! I like the little faces applied to otherwise drab plastic containers.

How do your friends in the service feel about your creations and your hobby in general? Have you infected anyone with the bug to collect and create? Oh yes. Toys are infectious. It has inspired lots of my fellow soldiers and leaders to make their own creations and others to buy online. I'm touched that so many that are not even in our unit, knock on my blanket door wanting to see the 'workshop.' Officers and soldiers come in and look around as if I run a museum. Eyes open wide and smiles run across faces. People are inspired, so my job is done.

Again, so awesome. But the blanket door made this seem so much more "backwater" (to pick a term Valero uses).

You've basically been stripped of most the basic customizer tools and tricks of the trade. Do you feel as though this experience has enriched your creativity? Yes it has. Back home I have power drills, proper lighting, fresh air, etc. here, its backwater and dim lighting. My trusty wife has sent me hobby resources, but I still go back to my Gerber multi-tool and a block of wood I have used ever since I got to Afghanistan. If you look close enough at some pictures, you'll see that one carved up piece of wood. Less is more, and in this sense, it has made me appricate the building process even more.

The things they carry: love letters, pictures of kids, and hobby resources.

By: dylanjames

dylanjames — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:21:47 -0800

This is wonderful! By sheer coincidence, I'm hosting a school-fundraising "make a robot out of recycled parts" party next month, and this posting has already given me tons of exciting ideas. Thanks very much for posting. People like PFC Valero brighten the world.

By: MegoSteve

MegoSteve — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:36:41 -0800

For those of you that may have missed the link at the bottom, here's his Flickr photostream.

By: blaneyphoto

blaneyphoto — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:39:35 -0800

If you like Valero's robots, chances are you'll like Lockwasher's too (maybe even more!)

By: gubo

gubo — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:03:59 -0800

So ... Rupert Valero was able to build these in a camp, with a bunch of scraps?

By: FatherDagon

FatherDagon — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:13:26 -0800

Not a bunch of scraps - it looks like he generally takes one piece of scrap, sticks a bunch of Lego Bionicle limbs onto it (those feet and arm joints are very recognizable), and then paints 'em.

By: FatherDagon

FatherDagon — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:14:44 -0800

Sorry, that came across as a bit dickish. The end result is still cool, but pieces like this are 85% lego pre-fab.

By: codswallop

codswallop — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:26:29 -0800

I'm tired of constant reminders, just like this, of how much I suck doing neat stuff.

By: MegoSteve

MegoSteve — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:18:16 -0800

FatherDagon: I disagree. While it's fair to point out that those arms and legs on the picture you cited were prefab, the way the body is cobbled together and the decoration/weathering/paint application are what give his robots soul and make them much cooler than storebought, not to mention the way he photographs them.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:29:15 -0800

FatherDagon: Sorry, that came across as a bit dickish. The end result is still cool, but pieces like this are 85% lego pre-fab. This is a Bionicle, this is not. They might have the same limbs or even the whole core, but the alterations are what make them original (and damn spiffy). Then, there are also happy scrap robots, with not a Lego bit in sight, ready to be distributed to local afghan kids. Also, I really like Toxic Skull and Stumpy, as I call these two.

By: CarlRossi

CarlRossi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:33:21 -0800

That's great. I wish he were making them at home.