Where to Get RC LTA Ships
May 11, 2012 | 
Author Several people have asked where they can get remote control lighter than air ships for the Great Airship Race at OctopodiCon.
So, we are placing an answer here, and will also post it to the Contest Page.
Plantraco has a micro and a nano blimp that would qualify – remember, we are only regulating the maximum size, you can go as small as you want.
Think Geek has these two airflyers – a shark and a clown fish. They would need some steampunking up, but are perfectly acceptable. These 2 airflyers can also be purchased at Toys R Us.
Dragan Fly has some really nice airships.
HDRC/Megatech has light up airships.
You can also build your own RC blimp, as demonstrated in those two sites. This site gives you a good description of the parts of an RC airship.
Happy flying!
Photo Shoot in Guthrie!
Oklahoma Steampunks will gather in Guthrie this Saturday for a Steampunk Photo Shoot in the Apothecary Garden and then have tea in the Victorian Tea Room.
We will gather there at 1:00 pm, Saturday, May 12, 2012 for photography fun. We will be taking still photos as well as videos. These will be used for promotional purposes and to go into the OctopodiCon 2012 Yearbook.
Mad Engineer Contest
The rules for the Mad Engineer Contest are up!
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a Mad Engineer, with access to parts and tools to make whatever your fingers could contrive, then this is the contest for you! OHM and OctopodiCon, LLC are providing tables filled with parts and tools and you, yes YOU, get 90 minutes to make something from those parts, something steampunk, something unique, something that will fill your heart with glee.
There’s no need to send in an entry form. Since space is limited, entry will be on a first come basis and the first 25 people will be admitted to go mad with parts and tools!
Automata Contest
The rules for the Middle/Junior/Senior High School Automata Contest are up!
There are links to automata websites and a picture of a paper automata. If you are in the 6th – 12th grades, or 12 – 18 years old for homeschooled, you are eligible to participate. You may click here for the rules or go to the Contest Tab above and click on the Automata Contest in the drop down menu.
If you are a teacher and wish to bring your entire class or a select group of students out to participate, please email octopodiconchair@gmail.com for more information.
Airship Race!
The contest rules for the Airship Race is up, check under the “Contest” Tab for the regulations and specifications. There is a $10.00 entrance fee ($5.00 if you pre-enroll) to pay for materials.
The Society of American Military Engineers is providing a cash prize for the winner of the Airship Competition and Race – we will be judging aesthetics as well as bouyancy, speed, and maneuverability.
If you don’t have a remote control airship, you have plenty of time to build one and test it out between now and October.
You can register for the Airship Competition and Race online until September 30, 2012 or in person at Registration up to 1 hour before Airship Inspection Time.
You don’t have to race to enjoy the excitement of the Airhsip Racing – come cheer the Airship Racing Captains on, and root loudest for the Captain who is in your Pod! The winning airship will not only receive a cash prize, but earn 100 points for their Pod!
Spectacularium is Filled
We are both very excited and terribly sorry to announce that The Spectacularium of OctopodiCon 2012 is now filled.
We are terribly sorry because we are still receiving applications and there is no more time or space for more performers. We are taking applications for OctopodiCon 2013 if you are interested. We have a list started for 2013 and we’d be glad to place you on it, too.
And we are very excited because we have some truly awesome people performing at OctopodiCon:
First and foremost is Professor Elemental! You’ve seen his YouTube videos of such classics as “My Fighting Trousers” and “Cup of Brown Joy“, come and experience his teabag remix and joie de vivre in person at OctopodiCon!
The unstoppable filker Tom Smith, singing such classics as “Transylvania Polygnostic University Fight Song” from Girl Genius and “The Illuminati Polka”, will be singing earworm songs to and for us.
Professoress Veronique Chevalier is traveling in reverse from California to Oklahoma to show us how steampunks on the West Coast entertain.
Bland Lemon Denton, of widespread local fame, will grace the Spectacularium with their blues-y presence.
Triskelion, also of widespread local fame, will take us to a different time.
David Goad, an up and coming local performer, will entertain us with some Oklahoma style steampunk music.
Cassia, a woman of grace and beauty, will dance the seraglio dances for us on stage as well as teach and talk about them in the classrooms.
We’ll also have BobZilla, of widespread local fame, will teach us about vaudeville, women in vaudeville, and perform some classic Victorian Vaudevillian acts. She will also attempt to break the world’s record for sword swallowing – a feat she has spent much time and effort in perfecting.
The rest of the Spectacularium will be filled with Convocation and Commencement, the essential Masquerade, a Charity auction benefiting service animals, the SteamMaker’s Ball, slideshows by the famous Dr. Grymm and Ay-leen the Peacemaker.
All of these amazing people will be emceed by the dazzlingly dapper Professor Peter Pixie!
And that’s just one room at OctopodiCon 2012!
Professor Elemental Offers
This as a free download. It’s just a small sample of what he will be doing at OctopodiCon 2012.
Professor Elemental is an amazing force of entertainment, fun and funny, spritely and seriously silly, an jolly good chap who truly knows how to brighten an entire city (he’s too awesome for just one room).
And he’s coming to Oklahoma! In October 2012! To OctopodiCon!
It’s a rare chance to meet him in person, to see him perform his awesome chaphop routines, to get his autograph, and buy music directly from him that you’ve seen him perform before your very own eyes!
The chance to see him alone will be worth every penny you spend to attend OctopodiCon 2012, so hie thee over to our About Enrollment (Registration) tab and enroll today to meet one of the most iconic British Steampunk performers ever!
The MedFair Report: Water Paws
OctopodiCon, LLC sponsored a booth at the OU Medieval Fair called “Water Paws” for the purpose of providing water and treats to the pets brought out to the Fair.
We handed out 300 bookmarks, talked to 30 or so people dressed in steampunk, watered 2,000 dogs, cooled down about 500 dogs, and treated about a dozen for heat exhaustion or mild heat stroke. We also cooled down a number of adults and a few children, provided sunscreen, and handed out about 40 pounds of dog treats and a couple dozen leashes.
Even people who weren’t in steampunk clothes were interested in OctopodiCon, and so we talked to lots of people and generated some interest.
We will be repeating the booth at MedFair next year.
OctopodiCon Sponsored Events
Below is a schedule of events that are sponsored by OctopodiCon, LLC. Some of them involve making things, some have prizes, and all are fun. Attend one or attend them all! With the exception of the conventions SoonerCon, FenCon, and OctopodiCon 2012, they are all free and they are all fun!
Saturday, April 14: Air Transport Tea at OSSM (enter at NE 10th and Stiles, between Lincoln Blvd and I-235) from 2-4pm – we will discuss various steampunk methods of air transport and build mini hot air balloons to race. Come see if your balloon will win!
Saturday May 5: Get Your Derby On at Remington Park, Clubhouse Level North, 4-6 pm. There is a Kentucky Derby Hat competition and Tea, with $2,000 in prizes. We’re going in steampunk with awesome hats. Join us!
Saturday May 12: Guthrie Photo-Shoot at the Apothecary Gardens with tea in the Victorian Tea Room across the street, 1-5 pm. We’ll pose prettily in the Gardens, tour the Apothecary Museum, and film short videos. Come in full on steampunk for a very lovely afternoon.
June 15-17: SoonerCon Room Tea at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel – the room number and time to be announced as we get closer to the event. We’ll have games and prizes and tea!
Saturday June 30: OctopodiCon Tea and Games at the Edmond Public Library 1-3 pm. We’ll have board games and card games, both Victorian and Steampunk’d to play, with instructions for more games available. Come play with us!
Sunday July 15: OctopodiCon Tea: Forming an Airship at the Midwest City Library 2-4 pm. We’ll discuss the history of steampunk and how to join or form an airship or other steampunk group. There will be representatives of some local airships and groups there, so come join us!
Saturday August 25: OctopodiCon Tea: Steaming Up the Future at the new Northwest Library 2-4 pm. We’ll talk about some of our Visiting Professors, and how steampunk directed their careers along with ways and means to do research for your own backstories and histories and how to bring that believably into today and tomorrow. Come travel through time with us!
September 21-23: OctopodiCon Room Tea at FenCon. The room number and time will be announced as we get closer to the event (and maybe at the event itself as we won’t know what room we’ll be assigned until then). We’ll have games, prizes, tea, and more!
October 5-7: OctopodiCon 2012! at the Meridian Convention Center from 2:00
New Category
We’ve added a new category: Steampunk Articles.
From time to time, we’ll add an article there that we feel is of particular interest.
The first article we added was written by Betsy Brown for the Oklahoma Metropolitan Library Systam: A Pathfinder to help people locate library materials on steampunk within the Oklahoma Metropolitan Library System. The named books, films, and such should also be easy to locate in other libraries, so we feel it is of broad interest.
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