The NFL is set to unveil a towering replica of Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor to mark the historic game between the Dolphins and New York Giants on Oct. 28 at London's Wembley Stadium, the first regular-season NFL game to be played outside North America.
The formidable animatronic, the biggest animated human figure ever built at 26 feet, is a "world first" and has been specially created by an award winning team at London-based SFX Company Artem Ltd, as part of an experiential marketing campaign undertaken on behalf of the NFL by Not Actual Size.
Remarkably, this feat of engineering has taken just under 10 weeks to construct, with a team of more than 40 people working round the clock to build the superstructure in time for its official unveiling in Trafalgar Square on Oct. 22.
Weighing in at over a ton, the Big JT animatronic boasts life-like features and some impressive record-breaking statistics:
" Standing at 26 feet tall, "Big JT" is almost the height of two double-decker buses stacked on top of each other (the real-life Jason Taylor is 6-foot-6 and weighs 255 pounds). It is the biggest structure of its kind ever built.
" The animatronic has moveable feet and arms and travels at 4-5 miles per hour (a single "Big JT" footstep covers nearly 2.5 meters.
" 150 square meters (equivalent of half a football field) of fabric was used to create the authentic football jersey and trousers for Big JT. The fabric and specifications used are exactly the same used on the official NFL team uniforms.
" Each of his custom-made boots are 6 feet long
" The oversized football the animatronic holds is 25 times bigger than an official ball
" Each of the animatronics eyeballs are the size of a large grapefruit
" Big JT's handspan is larger than a doorway
" A specially adapted camera is fitted to the helmet of Big JT and is programmed to transmit images of what Jason "sees" onto a 40-foot LED screen which travels behind him. Big JT also reacts to footage of himself and teammates played on the screen -- cheering touchdowns and tough tackles.
The imposing animatronic was designed by a team of engineers at special effects company Artem using Autocad and Solidworks. The crew then expanded to incorporate a huge variety of specialist fabricators, model makers, sculptors and finishers to bring Taylor to life. Artem's previous credits include movies Hot Fuzz, Reign of Fire and The Brothers Grimm. They also worked on the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in 2004 and the Millennium Dome.
Big JT will be taking a "mystery" tour of London in the lead-up to the game and making stops at several iconic venues before arriving at Wembley Stadium in time for the pre-game festivities, which will include an NFL tailgate party. The traditional tailgate party will feature American food, entertainment and performances by the Miami Dolphin cheerleaders.
Alastair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK, said: "The game on the October 28 is a world first. It will be the first time that a competitive NFL game is being played outside of North America. So it seems only fitting that we create something that reflects the scale of this event -- and it doesn't come much bigger than a 26-foot tall American football player!"
Tickets for the NFL game on October 28 sold out within two hours of going on sale and over half a million ticket requests were made in the first 72 hours after the game at Wembley was announced.
