Kenneth Mackenzie and Mini-Crab #71

We're welcoming Kenneth and his Colortran Mini-Crab #71 to our exclusive society. Pictured here you see Kenneth's Mini-Crab in action. Click on either image to enlarge!

A cool shot of Kenneth on the set of the feature 'Warm Bodies', shot last year in Montreal. Jonathan Lavine, Director, Javier Aquirresarobe, DP. More on Kenneth's work to follow. Welcome to the Sarkell Society, Kenneth!

William Sargent the inventor of the Mini-Crab Dolly

Recent photos of the prolific actor, voice-over artist and inventor of the timeless ColorTran Mini-Crab Dolly, William Sargent. These two awesome images were taken by Mr. Sargent's beautiful wife, Patti.

Joseph Tawil, former president of Berkey-ColorTran once told me that William Sargent was a "brilliant inventor, bar none". Designing and building the Mini-Crab Dolly was only one facet of Mr. Sargent's incredible and facinating career.

William Sargent is seen here on board his beautiful Aquila motorcycle just outside his Salt Lake City home. Click on either image to enlarge.

Mr. Sargent acted in many beloved TV shows including; Star Trek, My Three Sons, The FBI, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Streets of San Francisco, The Twilight Zone and many, many more. To see more of Mr. Sargent's work click on: William Sargent - IMDb

Steven Mahoney's Mini-Crab #157

A fully reconditioned and outfitted Colortran Mini-Crab Dolly owned by my friend, Steven Mahoney of Auburn, Washington. This Mini-Crab, #157 was once owned by Academy Award winning filmmaker, Dalvid L. Wolper. There's a good chance it was even used during the original 1971 film-production of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.

Steven has completely rebuilt the hydraulics on this beauty and has recently procured the extremely hard-to-find high-flying DP seat. Steven kept the factory 'ColorTran Blue' paint finish intact. Steven also has a set of the front and side boards, the column-weight and a few more accessories. "I hope my dolly will be used this summer on a feature called "Brush with Danger" states Steven. Even though this dolly has some Hollywood history, it's a working dolly and is currently rented out for a local production.

There's no question, with its Hollywood provenance in-place, this may be the most valuable Mini-Crab in existence! Great job Steven!

Drew Kutlik of Magic Wave Productions and Mini-Crab #212

Introducing our newest member of the Sarkell Society, Drew Kutlik of Pleasanton, California. Here's his hand-built Colortran Mini-Crab #212 with some nice attachments. Drew's dolly set-up includes two seat assemblies, two sideboards, the front board, 3-CO2 bottles, column weights, remote lift-control from the pushers station, 2- 35mm head mounts, a leveling head, and a custom-built column riser. Drew also has the hard-to-find carrying case!

Drew is planning on restoring his eight-wheeled craft and this is #212's pre-restoration photo. Drew will become #14 of our esteemed group. More photos and 212's history will be forthcoming. Welcome Drew!

Leif Peterson and Mini-Crab #118

Meet Sarkell Society Member, Leif Peterson, sitting on his decked-out Mini-Crab #118.
Leif Peterson is a film artist living in Portland, Oregon. Over the past ten years he has made short films, music videos, created film installations, screened internationally, and worked with a variety of collaborators.
Much of his work lurks just out of reach of waking consciousness in a half remembered land. He uses elements of myths, legends, and memory to create a unique and personal mythology.

Dolly #157 Purchased by Filmmaker Steven Mahoney

Introducing my new friend and the new owner of the David L. Wolper, Mini-Crab Dolly #157, Steven Mahoney.

Steven flew in from Auburn, Washington on October 18th and purchased #157. I spent some time demonstrating how the hydraulic lift operates, how to engage the crabbing features and finally how to disassemble the dolly for transport. Steven and I had a great time packing up the dolly, taking it to a local freight dock and securing it on a pallet for shipment. The dolly is now on its way to the Seattle area where Steven lives and should arrive during the next few days.

More information will be following as to the film-project Steven will be working on, which may include using this dolly along with a RED ONE camera system. Steven will become member #12 of the Sarkell Society. Welcome to our group, Steven! Click on any image to enlarge.

Ideas on transporting a Mini-Crab

If purchasing a Mini-Crab Dolly or you're moving a Mini-Crab Dolly out-of-state, here's some ideas.

Before the new owner, Steven Mahoney, arrived to buy #157, he had prearranged a freight company to transport the dolly back to Steven's hometown in the Seattle area. The cost was surprisingly low, about $225.00! Not bad for 300+ pounds of weight!

We transferred the dolly onto a wood pallet. Once on the pallet, we applied the dolly's two brakes to stop any movement. It also helped, as you can see, the wheels of the dolly fell into the pallet-slots for a cradled fit. The bungee cord you see was only to hold the push bar in place (not the dolly!).

Steven took this shot of me and #157 at the shipping dock with his iPhone. If you have any questions about shipping a Mini-Crab, please e-mail me and I will forward your questions onto Steven Mahoney, who is an expert with shipping large items.