Best/Worst Animatronic

[shawnc]

This forum is a great idea, and I think it will get bigger and better as more people find out about it. This is just what the industry needs.

My question, which I haven't seen addressed on here yet, is what have been the best and worst animatronics you have ever purchased? Keep in mind cost and expectations. You don't really expect a whole lot out of something for $50, but then you do expect more than a couple of weeks use out of something costing almost $10,000. A lot of this might have to do with the company making it, although I hope this thread doesn't turn into a bashing opportunity against some of the questionable manufacturers out there.

[Jim Warfield]

You can always tell when an animatronic is going to be a bad one because they tell you their name is something like "John Smithee" and they won't look you squarely in the eye.
Lazy, good-for-nuthin......

[campdoc]

I'll disagree with you! on expectations'
Voted #1 at our Haunt....
was a 30.00 Snake ,with a small airline hose attached"
Vs our $$ expensive Skelerector " came in last..
"next year, more snakes"

[bodybagging]

I think the best Animatronic is................. Drumroll please.........................



The one that works everytime you activate it!

[Brandon_K]

LOL.. Bodybaggin nailed it.

IMO our best is Distortions Shake N Bake. The movements are very realistic and it really freaks some people out.

In terms of not-scary but working, we have a Unit 70 animated Crawler that is just "blah". It's not the props fault, we just don't have it in a good scene, never had a chance to get sound hooked up to it, lighting is just "ok", etc etc.

And as far as broken props that suck, the honors go to ScareFactory's strolling baby carriage. It worked all of one week during the first season that we had it. We had it fixed (by ScareFactory) the next season then it proceeded to break again, in the first few nights of the next season. I would be glad to accept blame that we are doing something wrong, but it's a spring activated prop. There is only one way to set it and release it.. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it.

Long story short, it's not necessarily the prop by itself, a lot of it is where it's placed, how it's triggered and timed, adding additional lighting and sound, etc. We have a Distortions Intruder that you walk past in a room. We also have a SF Dining Table skelerector in the same room. By themselves they're not bad, but put them together and it will really get you. We have the intruder go off on the group's right, just about when the middle of the group gets to it. Their attention is instantly diverted to their right. They keep walking another few feet and then the skelerector table gets them from their immediate left. I think I see more people jump in that room than any other.