The fierce AT-AT walker from "Star Wars" gets a kid-friendly makeover as the world's geekiest rocking horse. March 4, 2014 12:44 PM PST This looks friendlier than the ones from the movies. (Credit: Epbot) AT-AT walkers generally don't make good house guests. They're large, messy, and prone to shooting at things with their laser canons. Jen Yates, known for geeky blogs Epbot and Cake Wrecks, figured out how to tame an AT-AT by building a rocking version of the robotic creature. The AT-AT started with a template, which was used to guide the cutting out of more than 40 pieces of medium-density fiberboard. The pieces were assembled onto a set of rockers and painted to approximate the markings of a walker. A red holographic strip makes the "eye" glint in the light. The resulting toy manages to suck all the terror out of the machine and make it look downright adorable, like a lost puppy of destruction. The AT-AT shape doesn't naturally lend itself to a rocking-horse format, so the builders had to add several safety features to make it secure for a 4-year-old test subject to ride. That includes foot pedals, a front handle, and a seat back. Bumpers built onto the bottom of the rails keep it from rocking too far forward or back. Yates hasn't yet decided what to do with the rocker. It's plenty heavy, so she's considering giving it to the local chapter of the 501st to auction off for charity. It's going to make some little Sith lord very happy. Darth Vader would have loved this as a kid. (Credit: Epbot)
The fierce AT-AT walker from "Star Wars" gets a kid-friendly makeover as the world's geekiest rocking horse.
This looks friendlier than the ones from the movies.
(Credit: Epbot)
AT-AT walkers generally don't make good house guests. They're large, messy, and prone to shooting at things with their laser canons. Jen Yates, known for geeky blogs Epbot and Cake Wrecks, figured out how to tame an AT-AT by building a rocking version of the robotic creature.
The AT-AT started with a template, which was used to guide the cutting out of more than 40 pieces of medium-density fiberboard. The pieces were assembled onto a set of rockers and painted to approximate the markings of a walker. A red holographic strip makes the "eye" glint in the light.
The resulting toy manages to suck all the terror out of the machine and make it look downright adorable, like a lost puppy of destruction.
The AT-AT shape doesn't naturally lend itself to a rocking-horse format, so the builders had to add several safety features to make it secure for a 4-year-old test subject to ride. That includes foot pedals, a front handle, and a seat back. Bumpers built onto the bottom of the rails keep it from rocking too far forward or back.
Yates hasn't yet decided what to do with the rocker. It's plenty heavy, so she's considering giving it to the local chapter of the 501st to auction off for charity. It's going to make some little Sith lord very happy.
Darth Vader would have loved this as a kid.
(Credit: Epbot)
