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The Star Wars Car 403

Posted by CmdrTaco from the now-thats-stylish dept.
An anonymous reader writes "You think you're a Star Wars fan because you own a lightsaber? Behold, the Star Wars car. Some of the comments on the forum suggests that it's modelled after a A-Wing. One of the coolest "mods" I've seen in a long time, very original and time demanding it seems."
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The Star Wars Car More

The Star Wars Car

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  • I just don't get it. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by djh101010 ( 656795 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:45AM (#8013091) Homepage Journal
    Maybe this sort of thing appeals to the same people who make their PC tower look like some tricked-out alien egg or something, but I can't understand the appeal.

    Is it the challenge, or the attention to detail, or what draws people to these?

    • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Trigun ( 685027 ) <evil@evil e m p i r e . a t h .cx> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:52AM (#8013133)
      Cool paint adds 10 horsepower.
      Rear spoilers add 30 hp.
      Type R sticker == stick-on NOS

      Hope this helps...

      • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Funny)

        by kinema ( 630983 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:07AM (#8013189)
        What I don't understand about the rear spoiler is that the damn car is front wheel drive. Spoilers on the rear are there to produce more down-force to increase traction on rear wheel drive cars, they do absolutly nothing for front wheel drives. Well.... other then making the owner look like a totall moron (assuming he even needs any help with that).

        • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Funny)

          by Trigun ( 685027 ) <evil@evil e m p i r e . a t h .cx> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:14AM (#8013211)
          A rear spoiler does nothing for a regular car. At high speeds, a car, which is shaped like a plane wing (more or less) develops an upward force which can cause instability, particularly on wide banking turns. The spoiler will have the same effect whether the car is front or rear wheel drive, which in most cases is no effect, and in some cases where the car is going real fast in a straight line, a negative effect (particularly on front wheel drive cars) due to increased drag.

          The rear spoiler is, in effect, a third nipple. Kind of neat to have, ugly to look at, functionally useless, and if it sticks out more than a little, should be removed by a qualified person as soon as possible.
          • I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that rear spoilers do have a genuine effect on countering this lifting force, although it may have been biased as it was probably in a car mag.

            From memory (unreliable) the wing (or picnic table, possibly) on the back of 80s-early 90s Ford Cosworths turned a ~400Nm torque upwards (measured about the rear wheels) into a ~500Nm torque downward. Granted, these models were rear and later 4 wheel drive, but this is about the aerodynamics of the vehicle. It had lots of Scient

            • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:3, Interesting)

              by Trigun ( 685027 )
              It all depends on the car shape and relative speed. Obviously the only additional force the spoiler would add to any stationary car would be the downward force from the weight of the spoiler. As the car increases velocity, the car, sans spoiler, will develop an upward force, due to the high/low pressure differences.

              The major factor is at what speed will the car begin to noticeably lift from the ground. Most cars, even the rice powered ones will never reach speeds high enough to lose traction due to the

              • 85 MPH (Score:2, Interesting)

                by Harbinjer ( 260165 )
                That's the speed that you could definitely feel the lift on my old Mercury Grand Marquis('82 I think). The car was really heavy, but it started to feel much lighter and bounced around more at that speed.
                I think the oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme took about 95 before you could definitely feel it.

                Now that doesn't mean you need a spoiler, and one might not help much at that speed, but I'm saying you could tell the car was developing some lift.
              • er, spoilers dont create lift.

                they create negative lift, how much depending on the design.

                they also improve airflow around the car.

                So you get more grip for high speed cornering, and generally a slightly lower top speed, although it depends on how much downforce the spoiler creates.

                Some spoilers might actually increase top speed, simply because they are designed to produce very little downforce, and improve the aerodynamics of the car because of the air flow is better.

                But even these spoilers will create
                • A wing creates negative lift.

                  A spoiler (like the upswept rear of the "Whale Tail Porsche) "spoils the lift created by the vehicle's body.

                  The body of a car shaped generally like the cross section of a wing, creates lift because of the Bernoulli Principle.

                  In order for the Bernoulli princlple to operate, airflow over the body (or wing) must be laminar.

                  A spoiler "spoils" the laminar airflow by creating turbulence.

                  A spoiler can also increase top speed if it is designed to create pressure (actually "spo

              • Obviously the only additional force the spoiler would add to any stationary car would be the downward force from the weight of the spoiler.

                You must not have seen the spoilers we have around here, or else you'd have mentioned the tidal effects caused by the sheer mass.
          • Well no offence, but I believe in rear spoilers. I think they make a car faster and better in the turns.

            I also believe in Rolex watches. I wear my Rolex when I'm out putting my Grannie Touristo through the paces, and I get into the turns better and out of them faster.
          • I seem to recall hearing that the spoiler is actually an upside-down wing...it's shaped so that the bernoulli effect will push down instead of pull up, thus counter-balancing the airplane-wing-shaped car's tendency to become unstable.

            Of course, my sources could be wrong. But I would think that the designers of high-price, high-performance sports cars would have some idea what they're doing.
          • I saw a study done on VW Beetles, one with the pop-up spoiler and one without, and up to 150mph, there was little noticeable difference.

            The big question is the shape of the cars. People are talking about F1. F1 cars are designed to have maximal downforce, but the wing(front and back) configurations change slightly based on the track(less for Monza/Indy, more for Monte Carlo). If you want a better demonstration, look at Champ(CART) cars. For ovals(especially like Michigan), the front wings are smaller,

          • As a racing engineer.... (Score:5, Insightful)

            by DG ( 989 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @01:27PM (#8013836) Homepage Journal
            I am, in fact, a racing engineer. I make cars go fast for a living.

            Let's break this out into two sections: spoilers, and wings.

            A wing is supposed to be an active downforce device. The idea is to provide increased grip by providing a downward-facing aero lift (the wing, from an aircraft perspective, is upside-down)

            99% of the wings fitted in the aftermarket are appearence items only (especially those ridiculous aluminum-siding extruded horrors) in that they provide zero downforce.

            But a properly-engineered wing can provide lots of useable downforce at suprisingly low speeds - and for cars that rely on underbody aero (like LeMans LMP cars) the negative pressure area under the wing can interact with the underbody aero and make the underbody stuff work even better.

            For production-based cars, most wings don't do much, if anything. The exception is when production parts must be homolgemated for use in competition, like with WRC cars and similar series.

            Spoilers, on the other hand, have a different purpose. A car, seen in profile, makes a pretty good wing, and many body shapes produce signifigant vertical lift. The effects tend not be be noticable at lower speeds, but at speeds exceeding 70 MPH and higher, depending on the car, that lift can become signifigant.

            A spoiler seeks to disrupt the airflow around the rear of the car, killing the lift provided by the body shape - exactly the same way a spoiler does on an aircraft wing (especially as fitted to many gliders and certain passenger aircraft)

            These tend to be VERY effective in improving high-speed stability. Sometimes you get lucky and the spoiler actually creates downforce (this is engineered in on purpose in a NASCAR Cup car, for example) but most of the time, killing lift suffices.

            The little ducktails on the 2G GM F-bodies actually made 60 or so lbs of downforce at 100 MPH. Done correctly, they ARE functional.

            More recently, the Audi TT grew a spoiler to combat lift and the associated instability at autobahn speeds - look it up.

            DG

            • Re:As a racing engineer.... (Score:5, Interesting)

              by blair1q ( 305137 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @03:02PM (#8014424) Journal
              I have a Lexus GS-400, and a long, straight, flat, low-traffic place to drive it reeely fassst, so, naturally, within a couple of weeks of buying it (new) I went to see where its top end is.

              GS-400s have a curvy, stout body, with token ground-effect moulding up front. The specs I'd seen said it should get into the 160s, but with all that sheet-metal I had questions.

              At 145, the front end of the body started to float a bit. The wheels didn't come loose, but if I'd tried for 150, they might have. The car was nutating in three dimensions; basically flapping at a low frequency. This was severely reducing my chances of maintaining control, so I got off the throttle and let it coast back to legal speed (it took about a mile to get to 145 from 0, and a mile to idle back down to 65).

              The rear end, with its little wing/spoiler/go-fast option, was just fine.

              It wasn't even breathing hard at 145. The Tach said I had another 20-30% in the mill.

              I did, however, melt about 2,000 miles off the tires (140 treadwear rating; soft, grippy rubber like rock-climbing shoes; specced for 12K miles before replacement under normal driving conditions, but you need that traction in this thing or you're spinning at every green light; I can't imagine what kind of glue the VW Phaeton's tires will have to exude to stick down) and left it as a dusty black film on the rear fenders.

              I think with a tighter suspension (they'd softened it to make the car a little less hotrod and a little more luxury sedan) and a shallower nose, or a nose-wing, I could have clocked into the 160s, maybe 170s.

              And Burt Rutan thinks he has a rocket.

              • Re:As a racing engineer.... (Score:4, Funny)

                by iamhassi ( 659463 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @07:17PM (#8016073) Journal
                "I have a Lexus GS-400...It wasn't even breathing hard at 145...I could have clocked into the 160s, maybe 170s."

                "My old pontiac Fiero GT could easily out-do that... brought my top end to 165.7... (with) stock 6 cyl engine."

                Oh yeah? Well I have a stock 95 Neon R/T, and it easily does 190 mph in my high school's parking lot no less!

                You kids and your bullshit make-believe stories from weak cars, when will you ever learn.

                burn Karma burn

        • A spoiler 'spoils' the air flow over a car, reducing lift and pushing the car down. This a good regardless of FWD or RWD, and allows you to maintain traction while going around a corner as fast as possible.

          A spoiler is ideal for racers but useless for Working Joe during city/highway driving.

        • FYI: Rear spoilers do have a real use on all cars, even front-wheel-drive, if set up correctly. Wings improve high-speed stability, as most cars have a tendency to get a little 'light' or 'floaty' on the road at high speeds, and a rear wing will push the back of the car into the ground stopping the tail from stepping out on those long sweeping turns. If you are having problems with traction, the suspension should be tweaked to keep the driven wheels on the ground, as there isn't enough airflow to give dow
        • Actually a "spoiler" is not what you are thinking of. A spoiler exists to "mix-up" the airflow ... spoiling it... hence the name 'spoiler' What this achieves is a turbulent flow which reduces separation off the back of the car, which in turn reduces drag. It's the same reason for dimples in golf balls, just done a little differently.

          The wings for downforce on rice-mobiles, however, are ridiculous. An actual spoiler wouldn't hurt, but of course, those don't look fast.

          A front spoiler simply keeps air

        • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Funny)

          by EvilAlien ( 133134 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @01:58PM (#8014013) Journal
          Here is a hint: car mod-monkeys don't understand physics.

          Here are a few other things they don't understand:

          The Honda Civic is not a fast car, even with ground effects

          Girls think that the big wing on your trunk is compensation for a small penis (please see your email for assistance)

          Whereas flashy colors assists the mating ritual for peacocks, it detracts from the efforts of humans

          No, Mugen is not interested in sponsoring your tricked out Neon

          We all know that the NOS meter on your dash is fake

          You are no longer part of an underground movement (please see your local Blockbuster or EB for evidence)

    • The chicks.

      ...oh.

    • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Interesting)

      by danamania ( 540950 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:08AM (#8013194)
      I honestly don't know. It's bizarre. It's the same mentality as a fellow I know here who puts every reflector, sticker, and gadget outside and inside his car. antennae, bumpers, air fresheners, popup tissue holders... you name it, the car has it. Maybe some people NEED to be surrounded by clutter.

      In any case, I've mirrored the pics in a smaller size:

      http://www.danamania.com/starwarscar/ [danamania.com]
      • I think I'll add to my comment by saying I hope whoever did the car had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. That's some dedication there :)

        The stuff around the steering wheel scares me though.

      • Re:I just don't get it. (Score:5, Informative)

        by thegrommit ( 13025 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:40AM (#8013306)
        If you read the whole thread, the owner (obi_shawn) shows up on page six and talks about what he does for a living:

        I make action figures, hotwheels toys, props, models, and costumes for a living. So, much like a plumber that advertises on his panel van, my car shows what I do. And you'd better believe no one forgets it- I get a lot of business from being "that dude with the car".

        He also uses the car to raise money for charity.
    • It's art, which means not everyone is supposed to get it. Everyone needs an outlet for creativitiy, clearly this guy has found his. I feel that design is in a resurgence, which means that more and more people have access to art in everyday life. For example, the ipod. Art shouldn't be relagated to museums, and when it's not, life is more interesting.
    • well, my frustration is that if this guy is willing to spend this much time and money on this modification, why did he not go as far as building the entire body of the car using glassfiber and other available material, rather than go easy and put a handwritten R2D2 sticker [fallrevolution.com] on the rear end of the car.

      More importantly, why Honda(as it looks like --maybe I'm wrong...!)??? There must be a better choice for the base car....

  • Wow... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by The Tyro ( 247333 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:46AM (#8013101)
    That's some nice detail work... note the actual hoses that go into the laser cannon on the side of the door... complete down to the "scorch marks" on the paint next to the muzzle.

    Despite the fact that this car screams "cheesy," the attentino to detail is remarkable.

    • Re:Wow... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by EvilCabbage ( 589836 )
      "Despite the fact that this car screams "cheesy," the attentino to detail is remarkable."

      Read further. This guy is a toy and model maker by trade, so he should know how to detail something like that ;)

      He was also the builder of a scale AT-ST walker model sold on eBay recently, but the link escapes me right now.

  • She's called Pammy (Score:5, Funny)

    by tarquin_fim_bim ( 649994 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:46AM (#8013107)
    because you own a lightsaver?

    Yes, that swim-suited beauty lives in my top draw and leaps into action whenever she hears the cries of a light bulb in difficulty.
  • "Sighting: X-Wing... no wait, Civic Del Sol (56k don't bother)"

    pictures are already frozen in carbonite

  • Sounds familiar (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Gudlyf ( 544445 ) <.moc.ketsilaer. .ta. .fyldug.> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:47AM (#8013110) Homepage Journal
    Reminds me of this [slashdot.org] past Slasdot story.

  • Mmmm, star wars (Score:5, Funny)

    by Realistic_Dragon ( 655151 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:48AM (#8013117) Homepage
    I see it has no back seat. Obviously the guy was smart enough to realise that he wouldn't be needing one.

    • Re:Mmmm, star wars (Score:5, Informative)

      by Macgruder ( 127971 ) <chandies.williamson@gmail. c o m> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:09AM (#8013196)
      The gentleman's name is Shawn Crosby. His wife, Colleen, is very hot looking. They make costumes as hobbies, winning several awards at conventions. Not to mention they are both huge Star Wars fans. Her website is here [project-insomnia.com]. It's already down under the load, but bookmark it for future reference.

      They (and I) are also members of LASFS [lasfs.org] (Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society). And I bet more than a few of them read Slashdot
      • Here is Colleen as Lea [uploadit.org] and Elvira [uploadit.org].
      • Uhhh.. you *have* been hanging out on Slashdot too long if you think she [boston-baden.com] is [boston-baden.com] "very hot looking"...

        Here's some reference material:

        Hot [free-compu...papers.com]
        Not [dropdeadugly.com]
        Hot [beautifulwallpapers.com]
        Not [micheline.ca]

        Here's [gimpcity.com] a page you could print out and carry around as a handy pocket reference.

        • Re:Mmmm, star wars (Score:5, Insightful)

          by nEoN nOoDlE ( 27594 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @02:14PM (#8014099)
          Posting pictures of this guy's wife in comparison to some super models is uncalled for. At least the man has a wife. It doesn't really matter what she looks like. She shares her husband's obsession of building friggin' Star Wars costumes and toys. I wish I had a woman who I could share my interests with, and mine aren't even that obscure. I'm sure Shawn wouldn't trade his wife for anyone in your "hot" category.

        • Riiiiight.... (Score:5, Insightful)

          by The Tyro ( 247333 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @05:17PM (#8015317)
          Did you even look at the rest of the pictures in that gallery? Some people simply don't photograph well at times... there are other pictures of her on that site where she is quite attractive.

          Besides, who cares? This man is apparently married to a woman who shares a rather arcane interest; that of making star wars costumes.

          Have you any idea how rare a find a woman like that is? To find a woman who is into something that obscure, single, willing to marry (not to mention willing to marry you), and isn't a reclusive nutcase?

          Listen, dating for looks alone is fine... did it myself for a few years. However, the percentage of those "hot" women who either had problems, emotional scars, or outright personality disorders was quite high... perhaps from being hunted like an 18-point buck from puberty onward. It took me until almost my 30's to find the perfect woman, and I married her as fast as I could (I tried to elope after two weeks, but she wanted a wedding... oh well.)

          Everyone should be as lucky as that man. I think he chose wisely... mod him +5 insightful.

    • No back seat (Score:5, Funny)

      by jtheory ( 626492 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @02:07PM (#8014059) Homepage Journal
      I see it has no back seat. Obviously the guy was smart enough to realise that he wouldn't be needing one.

      Apparently he's married (see other posts), but I'd also like to point out that there's more than one answer to "why no back seat?" besides "no woman will have me".

      For example, "I don't live with my parents, so we can use an actual BED" comes to mind.

  • Sad but True (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:48AM (#8013121)
    My favorite quote from the thread: "This guy has yet to see what a vagina looks like."

    • Re:Sad but True (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jandrese ( 485 ) * <kensama@vt.edu> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:01AM (#8013171) Homepage Journal
      I don't know. Women like these creative types. They're far more interesting than the guys who just sit around Slashdot mocking the artist.
    • I don't know man. Last night, I met this absolutely gorgeous woman at the bar near campus, and we ended up talking about PROGRAMMING languages. I really don't wanna screw it up with this one.. this girl rocks!

      But fact is that there ARE some girl that dig dorks... sometimes you just have to find them. Or, in this guy's case, when he has ac ar like that, they can come find HIM!

  • Hey baby, wanna take ride in my X-wing? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Liquidrage ( 640463 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:48AM (#8013122)
    He needs to slap a big Type-R sticker on it. Then it would really be a chick magnet.

  • Reminds Of The Pepsi Racer (Score:3, Informative)

    by ten000hzlegend ( 742909 ) <ten000hzlegend@hotmail.com> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:49AM (#8013123) Journal
    I love the detail around the bonnet fringes especially to the bolts and "non-sheen" quality of the overall colour

    This reminds me of the Pepsi Episode I racer debut around 5 years ago

    http://www.sugarfreeracing.com/images/coke/52799 .2 .jpg

    Obviously this is a fan mod to his very own car, kudos

  • Deeply Arrested Adolescence (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Angry Toad ( 314562 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:50AM (#8013126)
    I mean, just wow. I cannot imagine the headspace of someone who could drive around in that thing and not feel embarassed.

  • Homepage of the owner (including picture mirrors) (Score:3, Interesting)

    by bazik ( 672335 ) <bazik&gentoo,org> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @10:59AM (#8013160) Homepage Journal

    http://www.shawnandcolleen.com/

    Looks like he'll have a huge bandwith bill...
  • Managed to save few images.. While can.
    Mirror [zapto.org]

  • Move along (Score:5, Funny)

    by holzp ( 87423 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:04AM (#8013180)
    Ladies, move along, these are not the geeks you are looking for...
    • Why would ladies be looking for geeks?

      I mean, maybe "Management, move along, these are not the geeks you are looking for..." would have been a little better...

      Besides, Jeff Gordon already drove the star wars car [floridatoday.com], didn't he? Of course, his version doesn't look as cool, but it's a bit faster...

  • It's no M.F. (Score:5, Funny)

    by BaconLT ( 555713 ) <spam@@@tomainoonline...com> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:04AM (#8013182) Homepage
    Cool? Yes.

    But, can it make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs?

  • Not surprisingly, there are more: (Score:4, Funny)

    by cblguy ( 697834 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:06AM (#8013187)
    Check out Road Squadron [roadsquadron.com] (check out the Vehicles).

    Umm, yeah. ;)

    I recall seeing a landspeeder on Ebay once... And a Moose once bit my sister...

  • A word from Yoda (Score:4, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:07AM (#8013190)
    Babe magnet, NOT this car is!

  • Car mods nothing new (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Felinoid ( 16872 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:07AM (#8013192) Homepage Journal
    However I've not seen anything quite this detailed. It is easier to modify a computer case than it is to mod a car.
    The car has to remain road worthy and you can't violate any local laws in your design. Some places will issue a fix it ticket for extra lights on your car.
    (Get a light kit at your local auto shop)

    The only illegal case mod I can think of is stuffing explosives in the computer and that only becouse having the explosives to start with is probably a violation of some laws. Well that and it's really stupid.

    Most of the body mods I've heard of are for the old VW Bugs. Two populare ones my mom was intrested in was the key in the back that made the bug look like a big wind up toy and one that is a replica body of a much more expensive car.
    (Why fork over for a gas hog when you can look the part and still have decent fule consumption?)

    Most mods have to do with loud stereos.
    But I have sensitive ears and I'd much rather remove the speakers from the car entirely and use the space for computers.

    People will mod everything. Computer, Car, Home, Self. Yeah... I understand quite a few plastic surgens aren't to happy with the more exotic alterations.
    I draw the line at my body.
    Thow I'm not exactly creative the mods I want usually involve installing Linux. Install computers on board the car and run Linux (Mobile computing) install computers in the house to run the house. My computer IS my TV so no more "install computer in TV" gigs but that one ended long before I got intrested in Linux. Back then I just wanted to install computers in everything.

    Except my body...
    No install Linux in me body thanks.
  • http://silicon.wack.us/sdmirror/starwarscar/

  • Top 10 Star Wars Car Names (Score:5, Funny)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:19AM (#8013236)
    10. Millenium Ford Falcon
    9. Chewberetta
    8. Car Car Binks
    7. Chrysler Coruscant
    6. An SUV called the "Natalie Sportman"
    5. Tucker Photon Torpedo (oops, forgot, this is not Star Trek. Sorry)
    4. Obi-Wan Cherokee
    3. Darth Dodge Maulrauder
    2. Tattoiyota
    1. Cadillac EwoQ [crestviewcaddy.com]

  • I know the owner of this car (Score:5, Informative)

    by dspisak ( 257340 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:25AM (#8013254)
    Shawn is a pretty cool guy, very creative and artistic.

    Contrary to commonly held views the guy has a lovely wife. I just love how people go straight for the typical stereotypes.

    Anyways, I'm about to do something against the better part of my judgement and post a link to my photo gallery where I have just a few photos of his Star Wars H-Wing car:

    http://www.nonmundane.org/gallery/Bizzare/R2day
    http://www.nonmundane.org/gallery/Bizzare/R2light n ight
    http://www.nonmundane.org/gallery/Bizzare/So lCockp it
    http://www.nonmundane.org/gallery/Bizzare/SolC ockp it2
    http://www.nonmundane.org/gallery/Bizzare/Sol GunLa test

    If I remember correctly it is either going to show up in FHM or Wired magazine among other places.

    And guys, please try to not kill my server if you can handle it. I only do this as it seems like most the mirrors or image hosts are hosed right now and I think people should at least have some idea of what the car looks like.

  • Do the lasers work? (Score:4, Funny)

    by pherris ( 314792 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:38AM (#8013298) Homepage Journal
    You could replace them with modded M16A2s (or whatever the kids are using today - I guess I'm dating myself) with tracers on a belt feed. Although I wouldn't be visiting any airports or US Govt installations with them anytime soon. Modded or not some dim witted LOE will probably impound it and give the owner a complete BCS. Guns mount on cars is a cop magnet (better than Dunkin' Donuts).

    Oh crap, I can hear the TSA changing my rating to "yellow" as I speak for this joke ...

  • Quick, slashdot it!

    http://www.boston-baden.com/hazel/Pix/2001/pix06 78 .htm
  • ...is HERE [daedalustech.co.uk]

    Enjoy!

  • OK, so those in the know will recognize a Star Wars symbol, but to the rest of the world I suspect the white, black, and red symbol [fallrevolution.com] looks like some kind of White Supremicist sign. I wonder if this guy gets a lot of dirty looks and thinks they're just from Star Trek fans.

  • Dont you people have anything better to do? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Carpal Tunnel ( 728358 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:50AM (#8013353)
    I must say, i am surprised by the amount of bashing going on about this. Some is to be expected, but this is absurd. Yes, the guy has an obsession with star wars, and honestly i could not handle being seen driving around in that thing, but why is this any worse than people spending tons of time modding their case? Or spending oodles of time creating a linux drink mixer, or modding their x-box? These are all hobbies that people enjoy doing and at the very least they should respected for the remarkable piece of artwork they have created and the skill that it required. How much creativity do you guys exhibit on a regular basis anyway? Probably not as much as these people. This kind of stuff is what stimulates the mind to create the amazing technological advances we wouldnt be able to live without as geeks.
    Oh yes, the site is down but from what i hear his wife isnt half bad looking. I personaly know quite a few damn good looking geek chicks. So maybe you guys are looking in the wrong places.
  • heh, looks a little on the dark side for my tastes.

  • Don't cover the airbag! Safety first. (Score:5, Informative)

    by twitter ( 104583 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:56AM (#8013370) Homepage Journal
    I recomend nothing at all on the stearing wheel airbag. Anyone who's seen the films of airbag tests gone wrong knows that airbags are ticky and mods must be tested.

    If you must, use something light. Paper decals secured with water based glue might not hurt you, but even then you are pushing your luck. Solvent based glue or paint is almost certian to screw up airbag deployment and heavy objects will be embeded in your face.

    Yeah, yeah, I sound like a ninny. Old cars did not have aribags at all. They used to kill and injure people more often too. What's that one piece of the mod worth to you? I'd feel really stupid if I or one of my friends was ever hurt more than they had to be in an accident just for looks and fantasy.

    As for the rest of it, it's wonderful. All I can ask more of it is that it's all secure and won't fall off in front of someone who will then freak out and kill someone.

    That said, I drive a 1970 VW camper van. No airbags, manual stearing, no power assisted breaks, and me six inches behind the front bumper. You can hear large bugs impact on the front pannel. It scares the hell out of me and I'm very careful with it. I'm not, however, going to defeat any of it's safety systems, like seat belts, and I've put in later manufactured seats with head rests. One day, people with think cars without navicomps are downright reckless. I'll feel much safer as they will not be able to pull out in front of me anymore.

  • Princess Bride (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rura Penthe ( 154319 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @11:56AM (#8013374)
    You keep using that word "cool". I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Apologies to Rob Reiner for the paraphrasing.
  • The detail put into that car is amazing -- for those that cannot get the images to load, here is a mirror [jeffwilhelm.com].

  • Links that Work (Score:2, Interesting)

    by redune45 ( 194113 )
    Found this page, full of more star wars car mods - Including the one this article was originally posted on
    http://www.roadsquadron.com/cars.html [roadsquadron.com]

    Also try this forum http://wraggy.com/barryboys/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/vie wtopic.php?t=2649 [wraggy.com] The pictures on it actually work too.

  • Looks more like an X-Wing to me ... (Score:3, Funny)

    by BillsPetMonkey ( 654200 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @12:13PM (#8013441)
    A very small red X-wing. In a box. I see lots of these on the Internet though - they are very popular on overstreched websites.

  • A few years back somebody had completely re-bodied a car to look like a Star Wars Land speeder, and it was for sale on Ebay for like $15,000. This is the best pic I could find:

    http://www.enorgis.com/Images/tn_starwarscar.jpg

    I remember from the other pictures it was kinda crappy up close but I suppose the Star Wars prop was too.

  • Another Picture [boston-baden.com]

  • Well, I'm not that impressed. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by YllabianBitPipe ( 647462 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @01:04PM (#8013693)
    Maybe I'm just jaded, but I thought he was actually changing the paneling of the car. It's basically the same car body with a bunch of star wars esque stuff stuck on it. Plus, the side panels are still white. I can't think of any star wars ship that was white with a dar red hood, can you? I think he could (and should) go a lot further with this and actually create new panels for the car at an autobody shop. Because, if I saw this thing drive by, I certainly wouldn't think "Star Wars" I'd just think "strange."

  • R2D2 on the wrong ship (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dark-br ( 473115 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @01:15PM (#8013771) Homepage
    Some of the comments on the forum suggests that it's modelled after a A-Wing

    Though the color scheme and armament it lacks the two tails of the A-wing though, and A-wings don't use R-2 units.

  • On the set of "Star Wars Episode 3" (Score:4, Funny)

    by Brad1138 ( 590148 ) <brad1138@yahoo.com> on Sunday January 18, 2004 @02:00PM (#8014023)
    George Lucas, "All right, were the hell is R2D2s head!?"

  • Airbags... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ElGuapoGolf ( 600734 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @02:32PM (#8014205) Homepage
    Is it just me, or does anyone else see a problem with putting potentially hard objects over the airbags (check the passenger side out, maybe the driver side too, forget) which will be flung towards your face at high speed in the event of a crash.

    Kinda reminds me of my old car which had a big sticker on the visor which warned that you "should not place any objects between yourself and the airbag". Duh. I wonder how many people had their plans for putting a big sharp spike on their steering wheel airbag covered foiled due to that sticker.

  • Record Slashdotting... (Score:3, Informative)

    by mattkime ( 8466 ) on Sunday January 18, 2004 @05:59PM (#8015567)
    How many sites can be taken out with one article?

    The Article Link [nasioc.com]

    Mirror attempts:

    http://www.danamania.com/starwarscar/ [danamania.com]

    http://dephine.zapto.org/Slashdot/ [zapto.org]

    http://www.jeffwilhelm.com/files/images/swcar/ [jeffwilhelm.com]

    http://cs.baylor.edu/~wilsonj/xwing.html [baylor.edu]

    Would anyone else like to try? Of course, its probably too late, as all mirrors have been slashdotted...

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