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Klaatu Varata Studios Produces Steampunk Creations With Back Stories
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 10:15 AM on August 3, 2008
For those of you who enjoy steampunk, story telling and handmade creations, I present to you Klaatu Varata Studios, the workshop of Arkansas artist Dillon Chandler. Check out his Solarian Ray Gun or the Geldar Light Infantry Robot, both of which come with the back story of the Kelevion Universe and the civil war which has torn it apart. If sci-fi musings aren't your style, take a look at his Steampunk Scorpion, made from motorcycle engine parts. Several of Chandler's works are available for sale on his Etsy page, and range from US$10 for two toy-sized bombs to US$2,200 for a nine-foot-tall metal bear. Some of my favourites are below: [Klaatu Varata via Tomopop]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
3qM
Posted 10:34 AM 3/8/08
My only jip would be that lazer guns and simple looking robots would not really fall under steam punk in my books. Then again we all have our own ideas yadayada...
Still, I love steampunk and I love statues/models. Fantastic find.
3qM
devianaut
Posted 10:32 AM 3/8/08
want the robot!
devianaut
Jrsy
Posted 11:02 AM 3/8/08
D'oh!
I meant Klaatu Barada.
Jrsy
Jrsy
Posted 11:02 AM 3/8/08
Wasn't it Klaatu B>/b>arada...?
Jrsy
SinAmos
Posted 11:39 AM 3/8/08
This is not steampunk. Arggggggggggggggg!
SinAmos
gschoppe
Posted 12:22 PM 3/8/08
definitely Varada...
also, if you want an interesting trivia tidbit, look up the history of the word "Klaatu"...
hint: it should be spelled "klat-uoy"
gschoppe
devianaut
Posted 12:10 PM 3/8/08
@SinAmos: i do agree with you; this really isn't steampunk at all! more like sculpture work which is awesome - but steampunk is more... nostalgic? and kind of victorian...
devianaut
FredicvsMaximvs
Posted 12:45 PM 3/8/08
@gschoppe: No, Jrsy has it right. Klaatu barada nikto. That's what was in the movie, anyways. Searches on Wikipedia and Google tend to bear this out.
Care to share your source(s)?
FredicvsMaximvs
james-42
Posted 12:26 PM 3/8/08
@SinAmos: Lighten up.
This stuff is beautiful.
james-42
cbandes
Posted 12:55 PM 3/8/08
Klaatu Barada Nikto
Absolutely.
Apparently "varata" was in some other movie, maybe one of the evil dead or something like that?
cbandes
mrrobotanger
Posted 12:51 PM 3/8/08
Hey giz, nice new photo galleries.
mrrobotanger
jrghoull
Posted 1:43 PM 3/8/08
army of darkness is on on demand right now
there is no better summer movie than army of darkness...none.
jrghoull
The Monarch
Posted 3:08 PM 3/8/08
Thanks for using the new gallery again!
The Monarch
Sticky230
Posted 3:07 PM 3/8/08
ohh yeah. its originated in a classic sci-fi flick. The Day The Earth Stood Still
Sticky230
Sticky230
Posted 3:05 PM 3/8/08
the movie line is from "toys" with robin williams. it is said by the dumbledore replacemtent michael gambon. it was the code to turn off the robots. steampunk sucks. i hate looking at these boring gadgets here. i pity the fool...
Sticky230
doobiebros2two
Posted 5:55 PM 3/8/08
Okay so today seems like its been really slow...maybe its just me...how about when you paid, professional writers have nothing to write about, select some random readers to write whatever for free...
Oh...
Nice statues by the way.
doobiebros2two
Brau
Posted 6:48 PM 3/8/08
Klaatu Barata Nicto was from the movie "THe Day The Earth Stood Still". "Klaatu Varata Nictu" was from the movie "Army Of Darkness" (a cult classic), the third movie in the Evil Dead trilogy starring Bruce Campbell and produced by Sam Raimi; a must see!
Brau
Obee Juan
Posted 10:59 PM 3/8/08
It's "Klaatu Barata Nic(cough cough hack)"
Obee Juan
Elaine Chow
Posted 11:41 PM 3/8/08
oh come on, guys! the SHIP is kind of steampunkish, wouldn't you say? Also there's a pretty neat Tesla coil card holder he has on his etsy site - and if Tesla's not the main man of steampunk, I don't know what is!
The rest of it - yes, more just futuristic sci-fi than anything else, I admit. Still fun to look at.
Elaine Chow
BiZarRroBALlmeR
Posted 11:29 PM 3/8/08
@Obee Juan: very nice, points for accuracy
BiZarRroBALlmeR
BiZarRroBALlmeR
Posted 1:42 AM 4/8/08
First the writers should find out what the meaning of steampunk is, and sir this is not steampunk but merely sculptures made of gears while steampunk is a Victorian application to modern gadgets. An alligator is no gadget. So any sculpture made from gears is steampunk?
BiZarRroBALlmeR
SinAmos
Posted 3:48 PM 4/8/08
@BiZarRroBALlmeR: As I so simply stated previously. I think BUZZ WORDS are a deceptive practice to get readership. Argggggggggggggggg!
SinAmos
Brau
Posted 5:59 PM 4/8/08
@ Obee Juan: Wrong. It's delivered as a deliberately erroneous comic send up in Army of Darkness. The script can be found at: [www.imsdb.com]
396 ASH 396
bristles in fear.
ASH
Okay. The words. Say the words.
KLATOO!... VERATA... uh... Uh...
Necta... uh... Nectar...
Necktie... uh...
He hesitates, then calls out boldly.
ASH
KLATOO... VERATA...
NECTtphhhhhhhhhh...
He deliberately muffles the last word that he can't remember.
The wind stops. It seems to have worked. He looks about with
growing confidence.
Brau
katzupdok
Posted 4:03 AM 4/8/08
# 5 scuplture qualifies as "Steampunk", most of the rest fall much closer to "backyard hobbyist with metal mosaic parts", (and new welder)....... With objects soon to be seen in trendy resort shops.
Stick with your previsously posted "old ray gun" for a better example.
katzupdok
Cougenstein
Posted 3:26 PM 3/8/08
There is a company called scorpion that make gear for motorcycles they have a scorpion made out of motorcycle parts as well it actually looked way better than his I have a picture somewhere.
Cougenstein
Margatron
Posted 5:52 AM 6/8/08
I agree, this isn't really steampunk as it isn't that victorian-ish. More like, terminator meets scorpion. All it needs are red eyes.
Margatron
liroku
Posted 1:07 PM 7/8/08
@katzupdok: You've nailed it. Scorpion statue is the only one that comes close to "steampunk," and it doesn't really qualify. Don't get me wrong, the art is neat, but... meh. Anyone with access to a scrapyard and a welder could do this sort of thing. I like the ship, but it's not steampunk. Yeah, I'm with SinAmos and the others... the way the term "steampunk" has been stolen and applied to sh*tty artwork and anything with a couple of gears on it is really disheartening. Seriously, there's gotta be a thousand hillbillies sitting in a crappy junkyards right now spot-welding crap together and sticking a "steampunk" label on it, hoping to sell it to some moron on eBay. (*note: just noticed that this guy's based in Arkansas. Sorry about the hillbilly reference. Not EVERY person in Arkansas is a hillbilly...) Check out that "Solarian Ray Gun" link. "It is constructed of solid wood" WTF? Great gun model... umm, how is it fired again? I don't see a trigger... Oh, but wow, what a great story you've written to go with it. Did any of you at Giz actually READ that crap story? I've written better BS for school assignments... when I was also drunk... and stoned. It's TERRIBLE. On the other hand, it probably took longer to write the story than to make that pathetic wooden gun... Note that most of the components are the sort of pre-lathed pieces that you buy in a bag for $10 at your local craft store.
Damn, I sound obnoxious there... Sorry, I really don't mean to demean anyone's artwork. I mean, hey, who am I to criticize? I'm not gonna buy any of this, but if somebody else wants to... Well, maybe I should get into the art business. I dunno, I guess, in the end, this article just makes me have the same reaction as SinAmos... AAaaggghhh.....
liroku