The Jolly Bobby
By Johnny Burley
I thought readers might be interested in a 'project' I've just finished. Now I'm a
pensioner, I have the time to do these things (although the wife would say there are
more important jobs to do around the house) . Anyway, some weeks back I purchased an
'Electric Automaton Policeman' on Ebay, from a female dealer in Chester. He stands
36" high on a base (containing the electrics), and when plugged in, he moves his head
from side to side and waves his truncheon. I don ' t know his age or history, but just
thought he would be a good buy.
I made his cabinet by utilising an old 1940s wardrobe, which was ideal. I fixed a
light inside and painted a background scene, with a little artwork on the cabinet front.
Now finished , the whole thing is quite large, as you can imagine, but I'm quite chuffed
with the results . It's just a pity there is no coin mech. on it, but I've put a dummy coin
slot on the front. The four grandkids are fascinated by it!
Editor's Comment
Thanks for telling us about your project Johnny, I must say, it looks really great. It was
a good idea using a wardrobe for the case - what did the missus say when she found all
her clothes bundled up in black bin sacks? As you say, it's a pity it's not coin-operated,
but I'm sure thi s could be done quite easily with an electronic timer.
Anyway, I guess there must be many others out there who have undertaken similar
projects in the past, or even built machines from scratch. Maybe a relatively simple
drop-case wall machine, or perhaps something larger and more complex. I'm sure we
would all be interested to hear about your home made machines, so if you've built
anything in the past, please get in touch so that I can feature it in the magazine.
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