This new, easy animation project is done with a plywood turntable driven by a 5 rpm motor. Simple yet effective animation! This figure started out life as a K-Line milkman, but after a little surgery and a restyled cap, he now tirelessly mows his lawn. The mower is homemade with shirt buttons for wheels. The landscaping details finish the scene. Now I think our mowing friend could use a glass of lemonade!
The project at a glance.
The lawn mower is a simple project from just a few scraps of sheet styrene, a paper clip, and 4 buttons. The figure's arms were repositioned.
Here are the major 3 items. The tooth pick in the center of the plywood disk acts as a wedge against the flatted area of the motor's shaft; the excess tooth pick is later cut off.
The 120 volt AC motor is mounted with thin styrene shims under the motor's tabs to gain a fraction of an inch in the disk's height. Use care with the 120 volt current in your layout and be sure the motor doesn't get warm enough to become a fire hazard.
The cut out in the layout can be quite rough since it is eventually covered with the thin sheet of styrene painted green.
The disk is in position and ready for the cover piece of sheet styrene.
The cover piece is now in place and ready to be glued. Minor shimming may be necessary for the sheet to barely rest on the disk. The outer edges of the sheet will be blended into the surface with drywall compound, and a new grass green paint job will bring it all together.
