Christmas: The Pre-Reindeer Era was a piece commisioned as a
holiday gift.
The automaton depicts Santa making deliveries in that legendary time before he acquired the famous flying reindeer. Poor
Father Christmas must do the flying himself -- arms flapping and eyes squinting in the cold wind -- with his bag of toys
in tow.
The scene is tinted with a light metalic blue to create the effect of a frosty, moonlit Christmas Eve. The piece
features a detailed house and landscape over which Santa Clause flies. The roof of the house was covered with
individual miniature wooden shingles. The bag is made of balsa wood to reduce weight. The internal mechanism employs
a scotch yoke. Santa is mounted upon a blacked brass piston assembly.
Copyright 2002-2011, Dug North All rights reserved.
Dug North, Machini, and Machini the Marvel are Copyright 2004, Dug North
The Derby & and Eyes logo, and The Derby & Gears Logo are Trademark 2003, Dug North
