Robots on 66

April 30, 2021

Oklahoma’s newest roadside attraction

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Mary Beth Babcock with RT-19 Robot

Sawyer Fabrication, in partnership with the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, is excited to collaborate with Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell and Mary Beth Babcock to install a series of “Robots on 66” across the state.

Rt-19 is part of the “Robots on 66” series, a creative project that adds fun robot statues to popular destinations along Oklahoma’s stretch of Route 66.  RT-19 is installed in the Uptown 23rd St. District in Oklahoma City, across the street from the historic Tower Theatre.

Loading RT-19 robot in fabrication bay
Installing the RT-19 Robot
Installing Rt-19 at Uptown 23rd District

Rt-19, an upscale replica of a classic tin robot statue. Standing at 8-feet-tall and weighing 900 pounds, this statue is reminiscent of the 1950s, the glory days of Route 66. This is the second robot installation in a series to be installed across Route 66 in Oklahoma, leading up to the Centennial of the Mother Road in 2026.

The vision behind the Robots on 66 series is Mary Beth Babcock of Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Liliput, the first robot of the series, resides.

Lilliput robot installed at Buck Atom's in Tulsa
Lilliput in front of Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios

Bringing Robots to Life

Lilliput, RT-19, and all future robots are all replicas of 1950’s tin toys. Creating 8-foot replicas of the toys begins in our drafting department where the robot is created to scale in Solid Works. From here, the drawings are passed on to the fabrication department where metal is machined, cut, formed, and welded to create the robot.

Welding RT-19
Fit and Welding
CNC work on RT-19
CNC machine work
Painting RT-19
Paint and Coatings
RT-19 in production in the Sawyer Fabrication shop

RT-19 features custom CNC machined details, that were meticulously hand-painted, with the Rt. 66 emblem included in the design.

Lilliput in the fabrication department
Lilliput tin toy beside the 8ft replica in production

Follow Robots on 66 and Sawyer Fabrication on Instagram to keep up with the Robots on 66 project.

We love to collaborate with local artists to bring their visions to life and work with local businesses to build staircases and structural elements. Let’s chat about your next metal project!