Star Wars Speeder Bike Concepts

[Weaver]

I posted these up on GTX's "Motorcycle Ideas" thread, but they really belong here too.

These are production concept art for the speeder bikes seen in Return of the Jedi. The artists started out with "flying scooter" style machines which I quite like actually, but which were not considered aggressive enough. They then went to more sit-in mini-spacefighter style types, before moving towards the "flying engine with tuning forks front end" that became the final concept, though not before an interesting diversion into a skeletal "microlight kit" style of machine. You can also see the genesis of a classic scene here.....

Ultimately, none of these drawings represent the final product because the effort now moved to the model shop and the final concept was as much their's as the artists' though they obviously took the later drawings as their point of departure.

The book I took these from doesn't credit individual drawings to particular artists, but Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Ralph McQuarrie are both mentioned in connection with these, while Joe Johnston did the ultimate model work.

[Jschmus]

The second sketch in the top image eventually made it into the Expanded Universe as a swoop bike, the civilian counterpart to the military speeder.  Swoops are favored by gangs and mercenaries, and Anakin borrows one from his "brother" Owen in Attack of the Clones.

[tahsin]

Just saw this through the link below in the Whiffs you have found and the only pic as far as I see .

Over on ARC, "madmike" posted a LINK TO HIS PICS of the Melbourne Model Expo 2011.

[Jschmus]

Here's more of the speeder bike with sidecar:
http://www.starshipmodeler.info/gallery13/bh_072208_speederbike.htm

[tahsin]

Posted some of the images to the local Star Wars expert in a Turkish forum over here and that's what he came up in 30 minutes



Apparently most of the time was spent looking for an image with a muzzle brake so that he could realise the concept he had since 1990s . Here we have the 90mm RCR with integral spotting rifle . "What's with the Ewok?" I asked and he said "That's your flying artillery."

[Jschmus]

"What's with the Ewok?" I asked

His name is Kettch, and he flies TIE Fighters in his spare time.  Yub yub, Commander!