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The Star Wars Car

Posted by CmdrTaco on 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."

38 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. I just don't get it. by djh101010 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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?

    1. Re:I just don't get it. by Trigun · · Score: 5, Funny

      Cool paint adds 10 horsepower.
      Rear spoilers add 30 hp.
      Type R sticker == stick-on NOS

      Hope this helps...

    2. Re:I just don't get it. by kinema · · Score: 5, Funny

      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).

    3. Re:I just don't get it. by danamania · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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/

    4. Re:I just don't get it. by Trigun · · Score: 5, Funny

      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.

    5. Re:I just don't get it. by thegrommit · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

    6. Re:I just don't get it. by EvilAlien · · Score: 5, Funny
      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)

      --
      perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
  2. Wow... by The+Tyro · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    --
    Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
  3. She's called Pammy by tarquin_fim_bim · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  4. slashdot don't bother by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Sighting: X-Wing... no wait, Civic Del Sol (56k don't bother)"

    pictures are already frozen in carbonite

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  5. Sounds familiar by Gudlyf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Reminds me of this past Slasdot story.

    --
    Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
  6. Mmmm, star wars by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I see it has no back seat. Obviously the guy was smart enough to realise that he wouldn't be needing one.

    --
    Beep beep.
    1. Re:Mmmm, star wars by Macgruder · · Score: 5, Informative

      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. It's already down under the load, but bookmark it for future reference.

      They (and I) are also members of LASFS (Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society). And I bet more than a few of them read Slashdot

      --
      I'm not crazy,I'm actively irresponsible.
    2. Re:Mmmm, star wars by nEoN+nOoDlE · · Score: 4, Insightful

      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.

      --
      Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
  7. Sad but True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    My favorite quote from the thread: "This guy has yet to see what a vagina looks like."

    1. Re:Sad but True by jandrese · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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 read the internet for the articles.
    2. Re:Sad but True by Macgruder · · Score: 5, Informative

      True. This guy's wife, Colleen, is very attractive. And together, Shawn and Colleen Crosby are one of the best costuming duo's in SF/Fantasy fandom.

      (oddness alert, the parent post quoted Larry Niven, who is also close friends to the Crosby's. Members of LASFS and all that. See earlier post of mine for details and links)

      --
      I'm not crazy,I'm actively irresponsible.
  8. Hey baby, wanna take ride in my X-wing? by Liquidrage · · Score: 5, Funny

    He needs to slap a big Type-R sticker on it. Then it would really be a chick magnet.

    1. Re:Hey baby, wanna take ride in my X-wing? by Flavius+Stilicho · · Score: 5, Funny

      Images of the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons spring to mind.... "No! Girls may NOT ride in my X-Wing unless dressed as Princess Lea. Go away!"

  9. Deeply Arrested Adolescence by Angry+Toad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I mean, just wow. I cannot imagine the headspace of someone who could drive around in that thing and not feel embarassed.

  10. MIRROR - Images slashdotted already. by SiGiN · · Score: 5, Informative

    Managed to save few images.. While can.
    Mirror

    --
    Dephine URL
    1. Re:MIRROR - Images slashdotted already. by jwilhelm · · Score: 4, Informative

      Working Mirror.

  11. Move along by holzp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ladies, move along, these are not the geeks you are looking for...

  12. It's no M.F. by BaconLT · · Score: 5, Funny
    Cool? Yes.

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

    --
    Who mediates your information?
    1. Re:It's no M.F. by LMCBoy · · Score: 4, Informative

      a parsec is a unit of distance, specifically the distance at which our sun would appear to be 1 arcsecond

      Uh, no. A parsec is the distance of a star at which its parallax angle (as seen from the Earth) is one arcsecond.

      parallax arcsecond.

      Glad I could help ;)

      --
      Liberal (adj.): Free from bigotry; open to progress; tolerant of others.
  13. Not surprisingly, there are more: by cblguy · · Score: 4, Funny
    Check out Road Squadron (check out the Vehicles).

    Umm, yeah. ;)

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

  14. Top 10 Star Wars Car Names by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny

    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

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  15. I know the owner of this car by dspisak · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  16. Dont you people have anything better to do? by Carpal+Tunnel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  17. Don't cover the airbag! Safety first. by twitter · · Score: 4, Informative
    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.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  18. Princess Bride by Rura+Penthe · · Score: 4, Funny

    You keep using that word "cool". I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Apologies to Rob Reiner for the paraphrasing.

  19. Yet another MIRROR by jazzbotley · · Score: 5, Informative

    Slashdot this, he says:

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

    Famous last words ...

  20. As a racing engineer.... by DG · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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

    --
    Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book
    1. Re:As a racing engineer.... by blair1q · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.

  21. On the set of "Star Wars Episode 3" by Brad1138 · · Score: 4, Funny

    George Lucas, "All right, were the hell is R2D2s head!?"

    --
    If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
  22. No back seat by jtheory · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

    --
    There are only 10 types of people: those who understand decimal, those who don't, and, uh, 8 other types I forget.
  23. Airbags... by ElGuapoGolf · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

  24. Riiiiight.... by The+Tyro · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

    --
    Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.