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I decided to stop hijacking the Christmas Shopping thread and create a new thread for Pat's (Kelly's father) Secret Santa.
Status
Contraption is built and tested. I'll try to take more videos but I'm noticing that the trap bar is starting to bend; me thinks these weren't made for multiple uses. Anywho, it works great! Here's some videos showing the features and I've got some hires photos on my MobileMe page if you want to see more detail.

Trap Release
You can see how the mechanism works, and me resetting the trap. Fun.


Lighting Test


NEXT STEPS
1. Conference Call
2. Ninja Photo shoot of garage and Ugly Monkey Santa Face
3. Print our facade and wrap the building
4. Cut out Ugly Monkey Santa Face
5. Spray mount grass and driveway
6. Finishing touches on "slingshot"

Very cool! Well done!

Very cool Miles! Nice job! Exactly what I was envisioning from your description of the project. Are you going to also get a Christmas musical song similar to the sound cards you can buy that start playing when you open the card?

cl15876 wrote:Very cool Miles! Nice job! Exactly what I was envisioning from your description of the project. Are you going to also get a Christmas musical song similar to the sound cards you can buy that start playing when you open the card?

I'm actually writing a poem based on Twas the Night Before Christmas. I'll print it out on some nice Christmasy paper, roll it up and hand it to him so he can read it while I'm preparing the trap. Then when he's done I'll bring it out and he can go to town.

Here's what I've got so far:
'Twas the night before Christmas, when Pat walked out the house;
and looked 'cross the street and screamed for his spouse;
There was an ugly monkey Santa, hung without care;
What were they thinking, those Yankees how dare!

Others sipped egg nog, and got ready for bed;
While visions of mayhem, danced in Pat's head;
How could he do it, and still have some fun?
With a rock, water balloon, or his old bb gun!

Miles wrote:

cl15876 wrote:Very cool Miles! Nice job! Exactly what I was envisioning from your description of the project. Are you going to also get a Christmas musical song similar to the sound cards you can buy that start playing when you open the card?

I'm actually writing a poem based on Twas the Night Before Christmas. I'll print it out on some nice Christmasy paper, roll it up and hand it to him so he can read it while I'm preparing the trap. Then when he's done I'll bring it out and he can go to town.

Here's what I've got so far:
'Twas the night before Christmas, when Pat walked out the house;
and looked 'cross the street and screamed for his spouse;
There was an ugly monkey Santa, hung without care;
What were they thinking, those Yankees how dare!

Others sipped egg nog, and got ready for bed;
While visions of mayhem, danced in Pat's head;
How could he do it, and still have some fun?
With a rock, water balloon, or his old bb gun!

can't wait for the finish pics.

Awesome. I'd like to see a picture of the actual hideous santa face so I can get an idea of what we're really dealing with here. ;) Maybe you can take a snap shot over the holidays.

bjornolf wrote:Awesome. I'd like to see a picture of the actual hideous santa face so I can get an idea of what we're really dealing with here. ;) Maybe you can take a snap shot over the holidays.

Oh dude, don't you worry. The face I used for the model is pretty similar to the real life Santa. Unfortunately, the face doesn't look that bad during the day time; it really looks horrible when it's all lit up. I took pictures today and will actually be using the photograph for Ugly Monkey Santa Face for the real-life model. Maybe I can sneak out and snap a shot tonight but I don't wanna risk Pat seeing me... or the yankee neighbors either.

I am in awe!

Make sure you video Pat opening the gift on Christmas Day.

bjornolf wrote: I'd like to see a picture of the actual hideous santa face so I can get an idea of what we're really dealing with here.

I...I...I think I own one of these garish objects. We have enough decorations, up in the attic, to furnish the neighborhood. Not all are best described as decorative.

Here's the Ugly Monkey Santa Face, though I admit you don't get to see much of the detail that makes this hideous.

99% done! I can say that I'm pretty happy with the results. I ran into some problems with forgetting the depth of the foam core board so I ended up cutting out the back corners and inserting wood; I'll paint that white so it looks like white trim. Santa's face was also a bit too small and I ran out of ink in my printer so I decided to go with what I've got. A few glue smudges here and there, things that I'm going to obsess about but will probably (hopefully) go unnoticed this Saturday.






Kind of hard to tell, but Ugly Monkey Santa's face is lit up here.


Okay so the neighbors are from Pennsylvania. Kelly had the great idea of adding some posters to the inside of the garage.


My favorite is the Amish poster.

More to follow post-Saturday party.

Miles -

First, I liked Kelly's idea and applaud you for adding the additional detail! I love your attentiveness and attention to details.
Second, it looks frickin amazing!!!! BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO!!!!! Is the grey brick an enlarged photograph printed on paper glued to the outside or did you actually spray paint all that after making fine string lines for the various bricks?
Lastly, your soon-to-be father in-law "Pat" is going to love it!!!!! VERY IMPRESSIVE and can't wait to see the festivities unfold!!!!

P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!! Absolutely AMAZING!!!!!

OH, P.S.S. - you might want to lose the blue tape! ;)

Wow, impressive. Now you need to post the video of him "using" it. ;)

cl15876 wrote:Miles -

First, I liked Kelly's idea and applaud you for adding the additional detail! I love your attentiveness and attention to details.
Second, it looks frickin amazing!!!! BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO!!!!! Is the grey brick an enlarged photograph printed on paper glued to the outside or did you actually spray paint all that after making fine string lines for the various bricks?
Lastly, your soon-to-be father in-law "Pat" is going to love it!!!!! VERY IMPRESSIVE and can't wait to see the festivities unfold!!!!

P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!! Absolutely AMAZING!!!!!

OH, P.S.S. - you might want to lose the blue tape! ;)

LOL Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhh the blue tape. I actually have a bit of touch-up to do this evening. Will have to mix up some neutral colors and fill some scratches and other places where sticky fingers damaged the brick. The bricks were taken from a photograph of the Ugly Monkey Santa Face house. I touched up the photo, took the garage and then created a semi-seamless pattern, printed it out and spray-mounted it to the foam core. Here's a snapshot of the real house.

I think the bulb behind UMSF would like to be replaced with one from a heat lamp.
"I'm melting!"

cl15876 wrote: P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!!

Wha!?!?? I must have missed something!

If so, Congrats, Miles!!! (and someone, please put a link to the announcement post?)

DevilAlumna wrote:

cl15876 wrote: P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!!

Wha!?!?? I must have missed something!

If so, Congrats, Miles!!! (and someone, please put a link to the announcement post?)

LOL - It is my gut, just like Ozzie has no clue about his daughter... LOL, I predicted he was a grandpa, and shortly thereafter, he made the announcement.... well, my gut has been ringing about our Miles and his Kelly! I'm just saying..... ;)

cl15876 wrote:

DevilAlumna wrote:

cl15876 wrote: P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!!

Wha!?!?? I must have missed something!

If so, Congrats, Miles!!! (and someone, please put a link to the announcement post?)

LOL - It is my gut, just like Ozzie has no clue about his daughter... LOL, I predicted he was a grandpa, and shortly thereafter, he made the announcement.... well, my gut has been ringing about our Miles and his Kelly! I'm just saying..... ;)

Indeed tis just a gut feeling from old numbers there, but yeah I'm with him. ;-)
I'll be sure to let everyone know after Kelly and I elope.

cl15876 wrote:

DevilAlumna wrote:

cl15876 wrote: P.S. I know your bride to be is probably beside herself!!!!!

Wha!?!?? I must have missed something!

If so, Congrats, Miles!!! (and someone, please put a link to the announcement post?)

LOL - It is my gut, just like Ozzie has no clue about his daughter... LOL, I predicted he was a grandpa, and shortly thereafter, he made the announcement.... well, my gut has been ringing about our Miles and his Kelly! I'm just saying..... ;)

Hot daamn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go OZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ugly Monkey Santa Face was a big hit. I got some decent video of the whole exchange. Pat, Kelly's father, was more than blown away and that has already made my Christmas. Her parents are so wonderful and I am just pleased to have been able to do something special for Pat.

I'll post video soon.

Awesome. Christmas.