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Inspired by Hollywood hit "Transformers : Age of Extinction", Chinese villagers make their own robots
IN XIAOYE VILLAGE, a small town in east China’s Shandong province, Wang Shizun stands on a ladder to put the finishing touches to a sculpture. It’s one of his team’s latest creations.
But this isn’t a classical figure study or even a piece of abstract art – it’s a three-meter tall futuristic robot inspired by “Transformers”.
Wang guides a paint sprayer around the robot’s chest, adding bursts of colour to the metal form. It’s the last stage in a process that begins with a careful plotting of the robot’s features.
“Once we have the structure, all the parts are welded and assembled by piece according to the blueprint. Later, we will clean up the sculptures so that they are ready for painting. The paint colours are selected and mixed by ourselves and are rust-proof,” he says.
Movies like the “Transformers” series have been huge hits in China. The latest film “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, opened in China to a record box-office weekend haul of more than 600 million yuan (Bt3.1 billion).
As a result, the workers’ robot sculptures are in hot demand across China with a 16-metre tall creation standing outside the Dreamport Mall in suburban Beijing.
People stop to stare and take photos of the huge figure. Children and teenagers pose in front of it for photos that they will post for their friends to see on social-media websites.
Yin Xuecheng is one of those stopping to check out the enormous robot.
“I’ve never seen models like these before. I’ve seen a few smaller sculptures but I’ve never seen something as tall as these. I like them very much,” he grins.
The biggest robots can cost as much as 100,000 yuan and take a month or more to make, but the team has no shortage of clients. They’ve already sold more than 100 of the sculptures.
Most buyers are commercial firms or property developers. They like to put the robots in public areas or new developments, like the mall in Beijing. It’s a way to attract interest and attention.
The Xiaoye group of robots is ready to go to a buyer in Shanghai. It’s a 15-hour drive from the village. Once they arrive, they will join the team’s collection of the robots that have found new homes all across China.
