18 More Things You Didn't Know About The Terminator

While filming fantasy or sci-fi, designs for monsters, aliens, and robots usually get tweaked throughout production. However, James Cameron claimed the final design for the Terminator looked exactly how he originally envisioned. Special effects visionary, Stan Winston, had seven people working on the robotic puppet for six months to make it look as authentic as possible. The animatronic was built using urethane molding, clay, and plaster. When it was cast, it was mixed with fibreglass and steel before being chrome-plated.

When completed, it was hailed as a work of art. It was, hands down, one of the most awesome looking puppets in movie history. There was just one problem. Metal is... really heavy. By the time the skeleton was completed, it weighed a whopping 100lbs!! When the crew tied a rig to the prop for its walking scenes, its weight caused it to make jerky movements. Instead of coming across as menacing, it looked ridiculous. To accommodate this setback, Cameron added a single shot, showing the Terminator had damaged its Achilles' heel (subtle), leaving it with a limp.

This little decision worked for the story because it was the first time Kyle and Sarah realised the Terminator wasn't as unstoppable as they once thought.