Film-fanatic unveils replica Johnny 5 robot he spent six years building

A film-fanatic spent six years building a fully-functioning replica of movie robot Johnny 5 from Short Circuit – even moving home to accommodate the creation.

Ryan Howard, 34, spent more than £20,000 recreating the android from the cult 1986 film in his garage at his home in Annesley, Nottingham.

He claims the 200kg creation is “99 per cent true” to the original robot and is one of only two fully-working Johnny 5s in the world.

Ryan even moved into a house with an annex for Johnny after the project got too big for the family home, which required the removal of the patio doors to get him outside.

His hobby has involved 14-hour days and missing family holidays as he dedicated his time to building the robot out of more than 10,000 parts.

The replica, made mainly from aluminium, now stands at 6ft tall and can be programmed to talk, sing, dance or do “pretty much anything” Ryan wants him to.

Ryan, a father-of-two, has toured conventions across the country with his family and will be taking Johnny 5 to Texas, USA, in three weeks’ time.

‘It brought the inner child out in me’

The Open University engineering student says some people even burst into tears when they see their “childhoods brought to life”.

He said: “The reactions are crazy. We’ve had people crying and tearing up as they walk by him.

“He lives with us and is part of the family now. I even talk to him. The kids love it and my wife’s done very well to put up with me, to be honest

“We had no intention of him being able to do all these amazing things. He was just going to be a model in the corner of my room.

“But now I can program him to do pretty much anything. It’s a full-sized working replica with motors and everything and I can control it using my phone and laptop.”

“It brought the inner child out in me.”

Ryan was inspired to build Johnny 5 as a life-long fan of the sci-fi comedy, which sees a military robot gain human-like intelligence after being struck by lightning.

He said: “I was always a massive fan of the movie as a child. I had it on VHS which I think I watched until the tape no longer worked.

“During school I didn’t do too well but I knew I had a brain in there. I went on to be a mechanic and then a forklift engineer and I just began teaching myself engineering in more depth.”

He admitted the project became an “obsession” and that during lockdown he would sometimes spend 12 hours in the garage.

Ryan added: “The kids would even help me and I was able to teach them about engineering. I stopped counting when I’d spent £20,000. It’s cost a fair bit.

“When I finished him and was able to drive him around, it was like seeing my childhood come to life.”

And Ryan revealed that through Johnny, he can now afford to study at university.

‘Johnny has opened up an extraordinary life for us’

Ryan, teaching assistant wife Stacey, 39, and sons Ewan, ten, and Ben, seven, now take him to events in a modified people carrier.

Ryan added: “We’ve done weddings, conventions, charity events, festivals and school talks to encourage children into engineering and other STEM subjects.

“We’re just really normal people but Johnny has opened up an extraordinary life for us.

“We’re due to fly to Texas in three weeks time for an event there - we thought it was a prank at first when they got in touch.

“Me and my dad always said we’d take him down the pub. We thought it would be funny and put a smile on customers faces.

“Our local was really excited about having us. Everybody just seems to love him.”

Ryan’s creation has helped him earn 35,000 followers on social media in the past year, gaining Johnny worldwide interest.

He added: “Last year we had about 4,000 followers so it’s really taken off. It’s been absolutely crazy.”