CHS Student Earns "Best In Show" at Dallas Comic Con

Carroll ISD often brings home awards and achievements in the academic and athletic sector, but this young Dragon achieved a particularly unique recognition. Max Thomas, 15-year-old Carroll High School student, recently won the award for Best in Show costume at the Dallas Comic Con.

After attending the Dallas Comic Con in 2012, Max was struck by the creative costumes and was motivated to build his own for the 2013 convention. He wanted to build a full-sized Dalek, a character from the BBC TV show, Dr. Who.

“His friends thought that would be a tough thing to do, therefore Max was even more determined to do so to prove he could do it,” said Tyree Thomas, Max’s mother.

After Max expressed interest in building a Dalek, his father, Toby Thomas, acquired the plans directly from BBC. Beginning in September of 2012, Max spent 6 weeks completing his project on weekends and after school. This is Max’s first large scale, wearable, movable, 6’ robot. It was built with parts from an old hover-round motor, and wheels driven by two electric motors and four motorcycle batteries. It features a joystick drive control for the motors, an air circulation system, lighting system, and a voice changer. In addition to the robot’s articulated eye and hi-res video system, there is even a cup holder. Max first showed his robot in November of 2012 at the Science Fiction/Dr. Who Weekend at the Grapevine British Emporium, before he attended Comic Con this year.

Max has been building robots since he was just seven years old. He graduated from the robotics program at the Lego Education Center in Southlake, and also attended Dragon Robotics summer camps.