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STAR FIRE! ...( 59 Impala Flying Car) Update: 3-29-12


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Posted

Lookin' GREAT so far! It looks like what the "futurists" back in the 1940's claimed we'd all be driving by now.

(... But Ralph Nader claimed that the rear ends of the STOCK 1959 and '60 Chevys would fly at 70 mph anyhow, in his infamous work of fiction, "Unsafe At Any Speed"! :lol:)

Thanks Jim, Glad you like it so far!

Posted

i wonder how many '50's-'60's cars would look this "right" as flying cars.....

Gerry Anderson of Thunderbirds fame would be proud.

I have seen a 53 Studebaker, a 57 Corvette & a 63 Corvette, all as Flying Car Models...They were Great!!!

Posted (edited)

Looks like something seen in the airlanes of Coruscant in the Star Wars Prequels... There were some really neat airspeeder designs in those movies...

Thanks Chris!

Edited by Ira
Posted

Oh sure, NOW we get a flying car. It was promised almost twelve years ago.

That T-Bird canopy sure hits the nail on the head.

Thanks Mike!

Posted

Its wild.

What color are you thinking of for this?

bobthehobbyguy

Thanks Bob!

I haven't decided on colors yet, any suggestions?

Posted

I'd suggest using something that fit the period that the car is being built for. How about gold metal flake or maybe pearl white with purple fogging? Scallops might also work.

bobthehobbyguy

Posted

Funny you're building a similar flying car, just like Juha Airio did many years ago..... I think it was in SAE around '99. Yes, I'm baack again. My old computer was really slow, so I have more modern up to date stuff now.

Posted

I'd suggest using something that fit the period that the car is being built for. How about gold metal flake or maybe pearl white with purple fogging? Scallops might also work.

bobthehobbyguy

Thanks for the suggestions, Great Ideas!!!

Posted

Funny you're building a similar flying car, just like Juha Airio did many years ago..... I think it was in SAE around '99. Yes, I'm baack again. My old computer was really slow, so I have more modern up to date stuff now.

This is my second Flying Car Model... they are Great Fun!

Posted (edited)

Modellpularn, That would be Scale Auto Enthusiast issue 114, April 1998. Juha Airio's Jetrolet Anti-Gravity car.

Great build Ira. Watching.

Thanks James!

I would like to see it, any photos of Juhas Car?

Edited by Ira
Posted

WHAT HAPPENED?

After looking at MIRROR a Long time, I realized that there would be no need for a big V-8 engine with 6 jet engines in the back, so I shortened the hood/front fender area by 1".

DSCN2654M.jpg

The finished MIRROR will look very different than the original '59 Chevy...

DSCN2672M.jpg

I'm headed back to the body shop for more mods!!!!

Stay Tooned!

Posted (edited)

It was very hard to do this...

But with 6 Jet Engines who needs taillights or a license plate?

I won't be using those beautiful taillights, so I ground off the taillight housings and filled the license plate housing too!

DSCN2682M.jpg

I got the jet engines from a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter snap kit.

DSCN2681M.jpg

Back to the body shop, I need more fins!!!

Edited by Ira
Posted (edited)

I knew, that some modellers are a little bit crazy...only a little bit, you know what i mean? But, when i see what you are doing with this 59er, thats absolutely crazy! How you became such a idea?!?

man, i will follow your progress....crazy....still crazy...

Edited by Dominik
Posted

I like the progress I see here. This is a concept that I too have thought about building. Many ways to get a car to "hover" on a stand: Magnets, hidden wires, clear rod or something simple such as a figure standing next to the car touching it.

At a local car show here in the Pacific Northwest I saw and took pictures of what looked like a 1957 Corvette Grand Sport/Star Wars crossover in racing colors. There was a guy under the car with a wrench, tools all around the floor - very realistic looking. Was a larger scale too so that really helped the illusion. What was really holding the car up was a wire running through the guy on his back with the wrenches. Seems to be that there was power there too as the dash lights were lit... but I forget.

Searched for the pics and can't seem to find them.

The other build that I remember, besides J-A's in SAE, was one built by the late Bob Paeth. He did a '60 Ford with a second set of fins just like this project. But used a more stock looking length and roof. Bob embedded big magnets in the base and little Neo magnets in the body of the car which effectively kept the car floating. Unfortunately the magnets kept wanting to move the car OFF the stand so Bob had to create a wall to keep the car on the stand... so the car was continually up against one wall or another.

Fun project!

Posted

I started the MIRROR earlier this year..

023.jpg

MIRROR is based on two 59 Impalas, a bubble from the 58 T-Bird and Testarosa hood vents.

When finished it will float in the display case...

025.jpg

Wow !!! what a start !! :o

Posted

I knew, that some modellers are a little bit crazy...only a little bit, you know what i mean? But, when i see what you are doing with this 59er, thats absolutely crazy! How you became such a idea?!?

man, i will follow your progress....crazy....still crazy...

Thanks Dominik!

I started this one several months ago with one idea, and then after a few months break, I got some new ideas... the more I work on it the more it evolves.

Posted

WHAT HAPPENED?

After looking at MIRROR a Long time, I realized that there would be no need for a big V-8 engine with 6 jet engines in the back, so I shortened the hood/front fender area by 1".

DSCN2654M.jpg

The finished MIRROR will look very different than the original '59 Chevy...

DSCN2672M.jpg

I'm headed back to the body shop for more mods!!!!

Stay Tooned!

You could of left it for all of that space luggage. Either way I still think it looks cool!

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