Exams over, report handed in. Freedom! goobster The museum I mentioned last week has a DIY mini Strandbeest kit, the end result is in the top left. It's a bit shorter than a foot I think? No idea if you can buy this over there but if anyone wants me to get this for them, it's €35 + approx. €25 shipping. :)
There is a group that attends MidBurn every year that is trying to build a functioning, large Strandbeest but have been failing for the past two years. The things simply don't move. They still bring it alone to the playa. I wonder when this thing will magically start moving!
When they encounter hurricane-force winds. A Strandbeest is basically a Rube Goldberg tumbleweed. Conservation of energy means the less efficient your motive mechanism, the more oomph it takes to push the thing. If you ever watch any footage of Theo Jannsen he's pretty much always in a hair-tousling environment.