Thomas Galvin

One of the newest "Chronic Argonauts" to The Time Machine Project website is Thomas J. Galvin III. Thomas is a native of Richmond, Virginia, currently living with his wife, Jessica, in the Central Florida area.

Thomas began costume design and construction over 10 years ago ( 30 years ago if you count his Luke Skywalker costume at age 8 ). Every year brings new ideas and challenges Thomas with different materials and techniques, skills mastered entirely on his own. Thomas finds an opportunity to showcase his creations at the southeast's largest comic book, science fiction/fantasy, anime, gaming, toys multi-media yearly event, MegaCon, held in Orlando, Florida.

In October 2009, Thomas embarked on his most ambitious costume to date. He had noticed a growing movement within the costume / convention world, called Steampunk . Its' basis is Victorian-Industrialism, as if combustible engines were never invented and steam power was the height and end of technological progress.

With that in mind, Thomas came to the logical conclusion that the worlds of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells would be perfect avenues to create a costume with one hell of a prop! The 1960 George Pal film version of the Time Machine would be his goal. It was something he had never seen before at any convention and he knew that if he could pull this off he would thrill the crowds at the next MegaCon .

Although this was to be Thomas' most difficult project to date, he was no stranger to large scope projects. In February 2009, Thomas had taken a golf cart and with both limited time and materials, transformed it into a replica boat from Walt Disney World's The Jungle Cruise for a Mardi Gras parade that took place at Disney's Port Orleans Resort.

During the year long construction of his Time Machine, Thomas discovered The Time Machine Project website, finding it a wonderful resource of references and images that have helped him along in this journey. Thomas also discovered that he was not alone in constructing this classic movie icon, becoming part of a larger community of enthusiasts who have built their very own variations of Time Machines. The website creators, Don and Mary Coleman, bestowed a great honor on Thomas and his undertaking, inviting him to join fellow enthusiasts as part of this fantastic website. Don Coleman continues to be a great support and collaborator, assisting with details and confirming the finer points and quandaries in time traveling mechanics.

Thomas now invites you to join him during the construction process of his Time Machine. He has been documenting the progress and you can watch them on YouTube; his video series is entitled, Steampunk: The Time Machine Project. Conveniently, this website provides you with quick links to these videos. Enjoy and I'll see you somewhere in time!

Thomas' most recent project: A scale replica of George Pal's Time Machine, with a bit of a difference.

I finished The Time Machine with a few hours to spare before the grand debut at Winter Haven's "Ghouls Night Out."  It was a complete success
and I could not have been happier. My wife, Jessica made an adorable "Weena" and my Mother In Law was there to help witness and film the evening.

Of course, it was my Father's generation who immediately recognized The Time Machine and were the first to express their excitement to see a replica driving around. The younger kids did not quite know what they were seeing. They were more like... "Wow! Cool!... What is it?"  Even after explaining it to them, they still seemed a little confused.  But there was no doubt, they all wanted their picture with it .
   —Thomas Galvin

During my construction process, I have been documenting my progress and posting video blogs on YouTube.

 

 

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