My Silly Project: The Paxtonmobile

[StephenHenry]

Most important question of this whole project: will the sensors be augmented with aluminum can airfoils?

 

[Paxtonmobile]

Most important question of this whole project: will the sensors be augmented with aluminum can airfoils?

Sure will!

 

[Adam Lucio]

Thats pretty cool. Certainly more unique than a tornado tank. Awesome that you are doing this with your father. The time you two will spend together is worth it alone. Happy hunting!

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

Hopefully I will get a shot like this with your truck. This picture happened completely by accident.

And yes I call this picture "Bob's Road".


Link to bigger version of the photo on Facebook.

 

[Paxtonmobile]

You took that photo, sweet! I've seen it numerous times, always wanted to replicate it when my project's done.

In about three weeks the welding on the frame will begin. I just gotta figure out how to heave the barrel back into the truck, it's about 90 pounds but awkward to shove around.

 

[Rodney Nonamaker]

Haha that's awesome. Good luck on the project

 

[Paxtonmobile]

Would anyone know where to possibly find the siren they used for Dorothy, or something similiar? I get swamped with sirens when I check online, would anyone know what kind it is? Here's a sample of it, from the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFFE7WbgSew

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I actually just spent some time looking for you and no luck, but I did come up with a solution. Rip part of that audio track and then just extend it to make it a few minutes long of that sound. You can always repeat the track. Just need an outdoor speaker that you can put in Dorothy and you are good to go. Probably easier than finding a siren to match that sound.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I bet that sound was just a sound effect added in during editing so you may never find it out there anyways.

 

[Paxtonmobile]

That's true, I'll have to find a segment from the movie with hopefully just the siren going and do that if I find no leads.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

There are programs that can download YouTube videos. I think you can just split off the audio file by using a video editor and saving as an audio file. Then just open it in the program Audacity. Clip, copy and paste, and you are done. I have done something like that before to get audio from a video.

 

[Paxtonmobile]

I have the movie on my computer, I'll have to see if I can isolate the siren itself.

Someone got me on a lead of 90's-era cop sirens, and a couple have come pretty close. Now to find one that's close enough, barring that, looping-mp3-from-movie time!

 

[Paxtonmobile]

Cool news, my truck will be used by the Alamo Drafthouse here in KC as promotional material for their "Twister Experience." Pretty excited about that as well.

Welding on the frame starts Tuesday, I have the red spinning lights on order, I have the Dorothy and college seal symbols isolated and ready to be made into weatherproof stickers, all that remains is figuring out the text dimensions and all the various gizmos that will go onto Dorothy.

For the anemometers, I'm thinking about using these: http://www.davisnet.com/productpics/big/06410.jpg that's literally the only one I can find that's close to the one used in the movie. I'll figure something else out to mock up the UV detectors.

Moving along slowly!

 

[Ty Traphagen]

Dude, this is a freaking awesome project! Where did you get the sensor Christmas ornament? Or, did you make it yourself? Just curious, as I'd love to have one!

 

[Paxtonmobile]

I bought 2 sensor replicas from The Twister Movie Museum, down in Wakita, OK. They do also double as christmas ornaments, so I was pretty happy with that.

And thanks! Unfortunately my dad's health is declining so my family, girlfriend, and especially me are happy I have this project to keep me occupied.

Aiming for a finish date of April 15th, as I'm going to Iowa to do some photoshoots/maybe refilming the Hailstone Hill sequence.