:: Tron Legacy - the Standee road trip' ::

[DarthNuno]

Back in October 2010... few months before the release of Tron Legacy in Europe.
I have the idea to make something special for the release of that movie, and of course...Arcade + Life Style related!  
On the numerous trailers of that upcoming movie, you can see the original Tron arcade game... So why not display that cabinet to the new movie audience and let them (re)discover that game in 2011? I already got that cabinet with me in an exhibition (see this topic) and I know the good reactions people have around that game...
So I contact the major cinema group in Luxembourg : Utopolis.
(I choose Utopolis because it's for me the best cinema complex around... all the films are presented in original version, great sound/visual quality projections, clean rooms, and last but not least...I love the vanilla popcorn over there  )
I drop them a mail who explains my initial idea which is to put the Tron arcade game *playable* at the entrance of the cinema during the premiere. I'm just doing this in the name of my 'Arcade Life Style' , but of course I would appreciate in exchange at least free tickets and why not few Tron Legacy goodies...  
I got a fast reply from the marketing team. They like the idea, and want to make it possible! Of course they have to discuss with the 'Tron Legacy' distributor an arrangement for an eventual 'Premiere' date, but they already ask me details about the arcade game itself (pictures, size...), and here's the picture I send them    


 
Now all I have to do is wait that the cinema and the distributor find an agreement about an event for the release... details about the organization around the Tron game will be discussed after the agreement.

Few weeks before the release of the movie, I got a mail from the cinema. Unfortunately no agreement done between Utopolis & the film distributor   It means no special event for Tron Legacy...  
Too bad, because that was THE perfect occasion to display that game in public...
But to thank me for my proposal, they offered me a poster of the movie, and also a Standee   ...I can pick them up when the film is no longer showing   Cooooooooool  

[DarthNuno]

Monday 7th of March 2011.

It's a work day... I got the confirmation I can get the goodies this evening... cool!
My 'wing man' will be Remy -once again- (see Darth Maul or Popeye). So the starting point will be here, just after my work :



You all know I love statistics    



Because I 'm just out from my workplace, I could not wear clothes too extravagant... I put just my 'Addias Tron Legacy' sweater over the rest   Of course, for this story, let's listen the Tron Legacy soundtrack (from Daft Punk, hell yeah!)    



Let's go... only few km to drive in the heart of Luxembourg downtown  





...almost there...


 
...and here we are! The UTOPOLIS cinema... let's park the car as close as possible (not easy in that area) and see what this Tron Legacy Standee looks like?



Oh...



... my ...



God!!!



Did you see the size of the thing! Something like 230 x 200 x 100 cm   

Well, when they informed me that the standee was ready to pick, they strongly advised my to take a van or a trailer for this! Now I understand why 
Fortunately, all that is removable... but we have to be very careful, it's all made ​​of cardboard, but fortunately very thick. Let's picture how to disassemble it... bikes first 



Bikes removed... Jesus Christ, it's so big! I'm lost in my thoughts ... I already thought about where I'll put this monster ... V3 !!!!



How it's made?



Approximately twenty plastic screws hold the two parts together...



...the rest is just parts of cardboard which fit to keep everything...

[DarthNuno]

Disassembly continues...







Not easy working in public places ... we need lots of space during disassembly. Fortunately we are between two film projections and relatively early on a weekday. I can not imagine that during the weekend or evening...





Dismantling completed ... This is nothong more than large pieces of cardboard here and there...



While Remy is watching the pieces, I'll get the car to bring it as close as possible to the entrance. Unfortunately, this is a great space pedestrianized which is closed to cars. Regardless, I bring my car in this forbidden zone, loading should be fast.



Lots of wind today, so it's not easy to carry these huge pieces of cardboard, ready to fly  ... but here we are!



A last picture...very fast, because I'm not allowed to be here with a car   



Let's move... quick...



A last picture of the cinema, from an authorized location this time   



...on the way back, in Luxembourg downtown 



Caution... Light Cycles switch on ... dangerous inside a car   



And finally at home... let's size this   



Two countries - 2h20 min road trip time - 47 km on the road

Next step...the reassembly in the new game room ... yeps, the V3 

Thanks again to the marketing Utopolis team for this! 

 

[kroustibat]

really nice standee, great catch again bruno. the standee will take more space than the cab in v3

[Etienne MacGyver]

Too bad that your initial idea did not work out.

But hey, this is a nice goodie !

ps cool to see your windowsticker is still alive 

[Superully]

Unfortunately no agreement done between Utopolis & the film distributor

this totally sucks! i simply don't understand why stuff like that is never going to work out in modern times! where's the problem of putting up the game in the cinema? which negative effects could this have for the distributor? shouldn't they profit from something like that? but that's how life works these days: if you want to do something out of the book, it's always being made extremely difficult or impossible because of some jackass pointing towards some stupid rules!!!

Dismantling completed ... This is nothong more than large pieces of cardboard here and there...

this is a preliminary test for you to find out how good you are at puzzle solving! if you can't get the standee back together, forget about the galaxian theater (which i still think will be extremely difficult to get back together after all those years)!

[Q*ris]

Bringing a Tron cab there was a kickass idea, Bruno!
It's very generous and of course 100% arcade lifestyle... exactely like this forum.
I'm really proud to be a member here 
(and glad for you you got somehow rewarded for your initiative of course )

[DarthNuno]

Well, the problem was not the arcade game itself of course, but the distributor simply didn't choose that Utopolis cinema for a special Tron event, probably because that site was too small comparing other big cities. Remember, Luxembourg is a very small country... I'm sure If I tried the same thing in Brussels or Paris, I'm almost sure it was done!
If a new Tron movie pop up (there are some chances for a Tron 3), I'll try again 

OK, here's the stuff right now   



Believe me or not, but it's the only free location I have so far 

Here's the view on the plastic screws that maintains the two big parts together... and also the free poster   



Next step, when the V3 will be done 

[Etienne MacGyver]

Believe me or not, but it's the only free location I have so far 

your wife must be so happy with you 

[DarthNuno]

your wife must be so happy with you 

Hell yeah  Note that she must be very careful with the iron, I do no damage on that standee   

[Belike]

Another nice trip with Remy, congrats.
I will have a little Tron related present for you, if we accidentaly meet later this year.

[polderarcade]

Nice one
love those cardboard standees had a couple of them in the past from video games, took them from the local game store.
Only sat most of them are thrown away over the years, early years I wasn’t to good for my collection
and I needed the space
Only one left over is Mario kart I think.
But the video game one's where a little bit smaller, this one is really big

[Sonic 1992]

Standees are great, but they take up lots of space.... as much as an arcade cabinet. (to display properly)   I have about 10 of them I don't have room for in the attic safely stored, in the chance that I might have more room some day??

[DarthNuno]

Long time ago (maybe more than 20 years ago in fact) I had a huge HIGHLANDER standee... I know it's not arcade related, but I would die to get it back... so many memories ... so 80s'
Yeps, that Tron standee is just enormous... but as enormous as the V3, so it should not be a problem to put in it, very close to the Tron cabinet ...and other Tron goodies I already have 

[Etienne MacGyver]

I love Highlander, very cool movie !

There can be only one !