Movie Gadget Friday: The Road Warrior
Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.
Previously on Movie Gadget Friday, we went thirteen years into the future of failed technology with Johnny Mnemonic. Gearing down from cyberpunk grunge to the post-apocalyptic Australian outback, this week we dust off the many dune gadgets and gas-guzzlers in The Road Warrior to take a closer look at the details. Known as the sequel to Mad Max, this leather-lust film takes the fight for survival by way of modded-out motors seriously (down to the skull hood ornaments). While electronics are scarce in this 1981 film, the ever-present tinkering and modification of hardware throughout more than keeps our attention.
The Interceptor
From dune buggies to Desotos, custom-built cars are scrapped together from scavenged materials and outfitted with nitrous oxide tanks and whatever weapons and are within reach. The Interceptor features two large tanks strapped to the trunk and an impressive roll cage built for brutal road battles. Modded from an original 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe and fitted with an impressive supercharger, Max's machine is capable of extreme speeds at the flip of a switch. Known as the last of the V8s, the vehicle contains a booby-trapped destruction device under the trunk in case of emergency. Other vehicles worth honorable hardware mentions are Pappagallo's custom-built scrap car with two Ford 351 engines, and the red Ford F100 featuring a boat windshield and some serious cobra door decals. More after the break.
Gyrocopter
Stripped down to a bare skeleton of a flying system, the Gyrocopter is capable of both land and air maneuvering. The machine is built to hold both a pilot and passenger but would surely buckle under any additional weight. With two blades and three wheels, the Gyrocopter has the basic helicopter feature list: vertical take off and landing, and the ability to save the day (as choppers often do). Though tempting to get excited about the prospect of being personally portable, be sure to stay seated during any flights -- there's simply not much room between the blades and your brain.
Crossbow Armband
Fitted tightly to your forearm, the crossbow armband is a crafty device for leaving enemies in the dust. The armband is made of quality leather, strong enough to withstand the force feedback of the miniature crossbow fastened to it. While it may not be the most comfortable to carry around, it features fingerless gloves for easy gripping of various other devices during road raids for effective multitasking. Ergonomically, the weapon is sound, allowing for one-handed firing so as to be able to keep your other hand on the wheel.
Ariel Waldman is a social media insights consultant based in San Francisco. Her blog can be found at http://arielwaldman.com.
Previously on Movie Gadget Friday, we went thirteen years into the future of failed technology with Johnny Mnemonic. Gearing down from cyberpunk grunge to the post-apocalyptic Australian outback, this week we dust off the many dune gadgets and gas-guzzlers in The Road Warrior to take a closer look at the details. Known as the sequel to Mad Max, this leather-lust film takes the fight for survival by way of modded-out motors seriously (down to the skull hood ornaments). While electronics are scarce in this 1981 film, the ever-present tinkering and modification of hardware throughout more than keeps our attention.
From dune buggies to Desotos, custom-built cars are scrapped together from scavenged materials and outfitted with nitrous oxide tanks and whatever weapons and are within reach. The Interceptor features two large tanks strapped to the trunk and an impressive roll cage built for brutal road battles. Modded from an original 1973 XB GT Ford Falcon Coupe and fitted with an impressive supercharger, Max's machine is capable of extreme speeds at the flip of a switch. Known as the last of the V8s, the vehicle contains a booby-trapped destruction device under the trunk in case of emergency. Other vehicles worth honorable hardware mentions are Pappagallo's custom-built scrap car with two Ford 351 engines, and the red Ford F100 featuring a boat windshield and some serious cobra door decals. More after the break.
Stripped down to a bare skeleton of a flying system, the Gyrocopter is capable of both land and air maneuvering. The machine is built to hold both a pilot and passenger but would surely buckle under any additional weight. With two blades and three wheels, the Gyrocopter has the basic helicopter feature list: vertical take off and landing, and the ability to save the day (as choppers often do). Though tempting to get excited about the prospect of being personally portable, be sure to stay seated during any flights -- there's simply not much room between the blades and your brain.
Fitted tightly to your forearm, the crossbow armband is a crafty device for leaving enemies in the dust. The armband is made of quality leather, strong enough to withstand the force feedback of the miniature crossbow fastened to it. While it may not be the most comfortable to carry around, it features fingerless gloves for easy gripping of various other devices during road raids for effective multitasking. Ergonomically, the weapon is sound, allowing for one-handed firing so as to be able to keep your other hand on the wheel.
Ariel Waldman is a social media insights consultant based in San Francisco. Her blog can be found at http://arielwaldman.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The_Steven @ May 2nd 2008 9:49PM
....the Gyrocopter has the basic helicopter feature list: vertical take off and landing,.....
Bzzzzzt.. Wrong answer. Care to try again?
Gyrocopers, and Autogyros are not VTOL's, they are (at best) STOL's Please note that the rotor is driven by air pressure while being driven forward by a prop that is connected to engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogyro
The_Steven @ May 2nd 2008 9:52PM
And.... at no time in the Mad Max movies is it seen demonstrating VTOL behavior...
So, go and suspend your own disbelief.
Sarig @ May 2nd 2008 10:38PM
"....the Gyrocopter has the basic helicopter feature list: vertical take off and landing,.....
Bzzzzzt.. Wrong answer. Care to try again? "
Well, that *is* a rather standard helicopter thing, even if gyro's don't do it ;)
Asha @ May 3rd 2008 2:51PM
It'd still be a fun way to get around and it isn't as if they need very much distance to get airborne.
Edward @ May 4th 2008 2:04AM
Good lord - fancy wanting an entertaining subject _and_ high quality writing! How embarrassingly Web 1.0 of you.
AlekZander @ May 2nd 2008 10:03PM
I want to get online... I NEED! A COMPUTER!
Worst Keanu Reeves line ever, IMO... and that's saying something
barry99705 @ May 2nd 2008 10:10PM
Where the hell did that come from??
453 @ May 3rd 2008 4:48AM
Johnny Mnemonic I think. Someone hasn't realised that the featured film changes each time! ;)
CharlieX @ May 2nd 2008 10:08PM
the worst screen grabs ever, Engadget. Composite feed? Look at that chroma noise. Shame! Shame!
CharlieX @ May 2nd 2008 10:09PM
hell, that's youtube and cell phone camera captures.
(barfs a little)
Tim @ May 2nd 2008 10:23PM
force feedback from the crossbow? really? not recoil?
RC @ May 2nd 2008 10:47PM
Hey, why didn't you guys do one of those tech sightings with Photosynth turning up in CSI: NY?
n4sa83 @ May 2nd 2008 10:52PM
My god... reading the above comments really show how many f'ing nerds are on this site.. some of you guys are so critical and find the need to analyze everything. Get a Life!
rmikejav @ May 4th 2008 10:48PM
Basically, what I see is a bunch of vacuum heads trying to think of cute things to say about stuff of which they know NOTHIN!!!
Did any of you terds ever empty shotgun shells and make a bomb from the powder charge?
How about a bow, not to mention a cross bow. Any of you ever held one in your Starbuck-stained soft little fingers?
Any of you ever melting down something to mold it into something else?
Any of you ever kill an animal and cook it over a fire behind your house (and actually eat it?)
Get outta here!!
Steffen Jobbs @ May 2nd 2008 11:46PM
Actually, Freud described the type of people who commented above as anal-retentive. They can't help who they are. It's in their nature to correct other's minor mistakes. Most of my teachers had that type of personality. Oh, by the way, you had two periods after the word "site." Please correct that grevious mistake.
patsy @ May 3rd 2008 10:03AM
"grevious"??? Dude, how can you LIVE with yourself?!
marty.com.au @ May 2nd 2008 11:53PM
Yes, obviously nothing better to do, probably no girlfriend, certainly no life, they could do us all a favour and unsubscribe from engadget...
I am reading this thinking, yeah, mad max2 that was a great movie... brings back memories.. Cool one engadget...
They are reading it thinking, hmm, where are the spelling misstakes, 3 faulty pixels in the screen grab and .....
what a bunch of wankers...
PS. There is a spelling mistake in this post, feel free to cream your pants over that one too!
Jongscx @ May 3rd 2008 12:11AM
Did you make them on purpose? ...at which point, are they really "mistakes"?
nato123 @ May 3rd 2008 12:32AM
Road Warrior is without doubt in my top five films of all time. A few scenes really make my day every time I watch it, including:
The sound of the air starter (yup, that's the high pitched whirring noise you hear) firing up the big diesel that Max takes back to the compound... The accuracy of this scene is pretty darn good, even down to the initial puff of white smoke from the cold engine.
I also love the scene where the truck comes back, all banged up, and the parapalegic mechanic is relaying instructions through his simpleton assistance. I think I could use a guy like that to relay instructions to my father-in-law next time he downloads some malware on his PC...
And finally, for my money, 'Humungous of the Wasteland' has to be one of the best characters EVER!
Dean @ May 3rd 2008 5:34PM
I agree, especially with the Mack trucks diesel air-starter. A great sound followed by the roar of a Mack diesel coming to life!
tony @ May 3rd 2008 12:40AM
The Interceptor... with the supercharger that can be flipped off and on. Pffft! Not! The problem with "shutting off" a roots type supercharger is that absolutely no air would get into the engine. The result being decidedly less than just slowing down some.
Carl M @ May 3rd 2008 2:28AM
Hey, how do you know there's no bypass?
Savage @ May 3rd 2008 3:42AM
Yep... since he pulled a manual switch could have flipped bypass plates inside the blower and shut the clutch off on the blower pulley with electric switch just like an air conditioning compressor.
Btw, he did say "last of the v-8 interceptors" in road warrior, I think "last of the big 8's" came from madmax (what can I say... I am a mechanic and the last of the Big V8's kinda guy!!)
JohnnyGTO @ May 3rd 2008 10:34AM
Well not to be too anal retentive, that looks like a General Motors diesels stle Roots 6-71 supercharger "a positive displacement type device which operates by pulling air through a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears. Air is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust. The supercharger is driven directly from the engine's crankshaft via a belt or, in a two-stroke diesel engine, by spur gears."*
There is simply no room for a bypass in the housing, not to mention it would tear the guts out of any reasonably sized clutch system used to start and stop the belt, its lobes are quite large.*Wikipedia
fashionista @ May 3rd 2008 4:18PM
The real car that was used in the movie did not have a working supercharger, that thing on the hood is a prop. I do believe that the mechanic in Mad Max explains the (imaginary) engine mods. However, you guys are the mechanics and seem to speaking in some strange language that is beyond me.
Sevil Natas @ May 5th 2008 9:50PM
Correct a roots type blower has no capacity for bypass. It's a straight shot throgh the injectors or carbuerators into the blower, through the manifold and into the heads.
It has been shown, though, to be possible to run a clutch, as seen in the movie, on the blower but with less spectacular results. I think it was Hot Rod magazine that did the test, a least a decade ago, and found that the vacum of the engine was enogh to turn the the rotors within the blower to allow the engine to run. The big but is your not going to be driving 120 miles an hour down the high way that way, not to mention an engine set up for a blower has got low compression piston setup and the carbeurators are super rich. Very boggy. Not to mention the clutch is gonna have to be of very high quality to get more than a day or to (or even a few seconds under drag racing loads) to hold up under any kind of loads. But it does work besides all that.
Ed T @ May 3rd 2008 9:48AM
Yeah, RW is one of the greatest action films ever made.
ephileon @ May 4th 2008 7:24PM
Of for the love of God ! Would the Yanks stop calling it 'Road Warrior'...
It's Mad Max. Why it got sanitised says a lot.
rmikejav @ May 4th 2008 11:05PM
Nope, my personal copy VHS says "Road Warrior"
BTW- I'm surprised no one mention the scene where the idiot tries to catch the razor sharp boomerang. Those flying finger segments made a great shot back in the day.
MadMax @ May 6th 2008 2:38PM
Mad Max is the first film, Road Warrior is the second film (AKA Mad Max 2). I think a lot of people believe there was only one film before Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. There are in fact 3 films in total.
TheDevilsAdvocate @ May 6th 2008 4:21AM
I always find quoting Wikipedia amusing, like it's the font of knowledge.
The Mad Max films are sooooo dated now, and I have seen far too many films featuring post apocalyptic environs. !!!
BJ @ May 19th 2008 12:18PM
this goin 2 bee soo stupid man