Animatronic Repair, Upkeep, and Reprogramming
Our animatronic repair services encompass a comprehensive suite of solutions, covering everything from cleaning and routine maintenance to intricate repairs. We specialize in addressing various issues, including replacing damaged parts, fixing foam and latex damage, and skillfully color-matching existing paint for a seamless restoration. Beyond immediate repairs, we go the extra mile by offering recommendations to extend the overall lifespan of animatronics. If reprogramming is required to enhance functionality or update performances, our experienced team is adept at seamlessly integrating new code. Our track record includes successful animatronic repair and reprogramming projects for multiple Great Wolf Lodge and Monster Mini Golf locations, as well as collaborations with numerous top-tier haunted houses, attesting to our expertise in the field.
Please note that we almost always refuse to work on any pieces from Spirit Halloween, Home Depot, Lowes, Hallmark, Gemmy, Grandin Road, Neca, Walmart, Party City, and other “toy” types of animatronics. These companies use cheap parts, plastics that disintegrate, and generally do not hold up. Despite the “collectable” name that some stores give their items, these items rarely hold their value, and it’s almost always going to be much cheaper to buy a new piece than to get something repaired. The one exception would be for an item that is of close sentimental value for which the budget would be justified. Spirit Halloween has its own Tech Squad that you can find here: https://www.SpiritHalloween.com/content.jsp?pageName=DrZombie for most other companies, we recommend contacting their customer service lines.
For reference, most of our repair jobs do break the $500 mark since we often have to undo/redo stitching, recreate broken plastic pieces, and replace electronics, not to mention being extra delicate since the plastics they use go brittle very quickly. If circuit boards are fried, you are looking at $1,000+ on a custom programmed board (unfortunately the only option to recreate what was originally there much of the time). For these types of animatronics, we charge $50 just to diagnose issues on top of shipping costs back/forth.
For those of you who landed here looking to have a “lower category” of animatronic repaired, we’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news… For those of you with higher level pieces, let us know how we can help!
- Disintegrating valve pistonDisintegrating valve piston
- Moisture and sediment buildupMoisture and sediment buildup
- Moisture sitting in a valve is always a bad signMoisture sitting in a valve is always a bad sign
- Rusty water draining from compressor tankRusty water draining from compressor tank
- Broken pneumatic couplingBroken pneumatic coupling
- Open-animatronic surgeryOpen-animatronic surgery
- Repair job just needs to dry overnightRepair job just needs to dry overnight
- Hands-on approachHands-on approach
- Good as newGood as new