Chinese Man Builds Transformer That Actually Transforms, Sort of

A man from Jinan, China’s Shandong Province, has spent six months building a Transformer-like robot that morphs into a functional car, at the push of a button. If you’re expecting a real-life Bumblebee, you’re going to be disappointed…

But finally, right!?! A real transformer and it’s not some guy in a suit either. Frankly, I was getting a bit tired of seeing people build all these awesome looking Transformer replicas that didn’t do anything but look pretty, and I was really hoping someone would one day take it to the next level. Enter unknown Chinese Transformers fan with a passion for DIY stuff. According to RocketNews24, the man has wanted to build his very own Transformer ever since watching the first film in Michael Mann’s trilogy, four years ago. He didn’t have any kind of mechanical or electronics knowledge but that didn’t stop him from finally accomplishing his dream. It took the Jinan-native six months and 70,000 yuan (US$11,000) to finally complete his life-size Transformer, but just look at it…

Yeah, it’s really not the kind of bad-ass Autobot you were expecting, is it? But, considering it was built by some random guy who worked alone, in his off hours, it’s really not that bad. Not mention he had to learn everything from the mechanical stuff to electrical wiring and sculpting. The robot stands 4.8m (15’8”) tall and is 2m (6’6”) wide. It has this weird LED display on its chest with some Chinese symbols I can’t decipher, doors that double as arms and a really surprised face like it can’t believe all these people are actually comparing him with the likes of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. In the defense of this ambitious Chinese inventor, the bot can apparently walk and when in auto mode it can actually be driven at a top speed of 15km per hour.

It might not be the most impressive Transformer ever made, but the guy who made it says he will continue to make improvements to it, and hopes to one day open a Transformers theme park. Now that’s an awesome idea! Oh wait, we already have one of those… But hey, there’s enough room in China for another one. He says the reason he is promoting his unique creation is to convince other enthusiasts to join him in fulfilling his dream. He should really get in contact with this guy.