Just as Transformers: Dark of the Moon is set to invade theaters throughout the world, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is dealing with a Transformers invasion of its own.
The company has recently acquired Transformers statues for several of its attractions worldwide. True to the Transformers story, these amazing Autobots also have a car-connection: each is made from recycled car and truck parts.
The Transformer statues are created by Anchalee Saengtai, an artist who works for YumiModal, a family-owned business in Bangkok, Thailand. The statues come in two sizes. The “small” versions stand just over eight feet tall and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. The larger versions stand a staggering 19 feet tall! Each is hand-crafted from hundreds of car parts.
Currently, there is a Bumblebee statue on display at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio and an Optimus Prime statue at Ripley’s Odditorium in San Francisco.
In the coming weeks additional Transformers statues will be added to Ripley’s Odditoriums in New York City, London, Myrtle Beach and Jeju Island, Korea. Ripley’s will receive two of the large Transformers later this year, with one scheduled for its Hollywood Odditorium.
“Discovered by our museum manager in Pattaya, Thailand, these car-part Transformers are the most amazing exhibits we have found in Asia in several years,” said Edward Meyer, Ripley’s VP of Exhibits and Archives. “That Anchalee and her team can build them to specification from recycled junk cars, using only the simplest of tools, is truly unbelievable. I can’t wait to display them in more of our museums as quickly as possible.”