Workshop transforms old mechanical parts into prime crowd stopper

Autobots, transform and roll out!

An automotive workshop in Geraldton is paying tribute to the film series Transformers.

Mechanics at Road Runner Mechanical Services on Place Road, Webberton, are building a 3.6m tall scale model of Optimus Prime, the robotic hero of the film and cartoon series.

Workshop owners Brad and Paul Mason hit on the idea after Brad was holidaying in Vietnam and spotted scale models of a Terminator, Optimus Prime and a Predator, using springs and bearings.

“It all went a bit mad from there,” Brad said.

“As everyone knows, the town has been a bit quiet in general, so instead of having the boys twiddling their thumbs, we thought we’d have them do something more constructive.

“It’s a way of keeping us busy and hopefully bringing some exposure to the workshop and to the town.”

Since then, whenever there has been down time in the workshop, apprentices have been at work on the project, using donated or unneeded parts.

So far, they have used two Mac truck engines, the engine, gearbox, driveline and steering components from two four-cylinder cars, as well as parts from a John Deere grader and an Isuzu.

And that’s just the skeleton.

When “muscle” and armour is added, it will be sandblasted, painted and displayed outside, at the front of the workshop.

The brothers hoped the project would help their four apprentices to think outside the box — and so far it’s working.

“It’s giving them a chance to do something without fear of failure and it’s teaching them other skills, such as welding and design work,” Brad said.

“It’s created a good buzz among the apprentices.”

It also created a buzz around town when they brought it out to the front of the workshop last weekend.

“We almost had cars banging into each other, lining up to have a look, ” Brad said.

“We’ve had a lot of comments from people saying ‘how awesome’.”

The brothers hope their Transformer, which they believe is the biggest in Australia, could be a way of putting Geraldton on the tourist map.

He thinks it might even provide a bit of competition for the city’s controversial $162,000 art piece Zephyr II.

“Who knows?” Brad said, tongue-in-cheek. “It might even end up on the foreshore replacing the ‘windmill’.”