Hover Truck

[Scotaidh]

This was built a few years ago, for Wonderfest. Not for any competitions,  just a general display item.  I like to hear the comments of the viewers - that's my reward.    So, please comment. 


Hover Truck 001 This is my attempt to morph an old TV remote into a hover truck. Here's the remote, with the gubbins removed. Ignore the red thing in the background - that's something else still in progress (two years and counting ... <le sigh>)


Hover Truck 002 A better picture of the subject material and what was removed from the shell. The label-covered-area will be cut out to provide a cargo-bed.


Hover Truck 003 I lined the cargo bed with wooden stir sticks, soaked in coffee for a few days. I had expected them to be darker, but this isn't bad. The hole at the aft end will be the mounting point for a loading derrick - the travel-rest is already in place.


Hover Truck 004 The loading arm is equipped with an 'acquired' low-power tractor-beam emitter-head, replacing the original block and tackle. This is a low-budget cargo/salvage business, after all. "Wrecks retrieved, no clear-out too large or small, and we keep what we collect unless otherwise specified in writing by the customer in advance. "


Hover Truck 005 And the chosen colour shall be ... blue, because I like blue - and because red and/or silver and/or black have all been done to death. The windows are tinted gold because I didn't want to bother with making an interior. :p


Hover Truck 006 I wanted a driver's position at the front left of the vehicle - but my drill bit wandered and cut into the slot already there. Once I got it painted, it seemed OK - but then, the more I looked at it, the more ... innuendo-ish it seemed. OK, yes - I have a dirty mind - I was in the Navy, alright?


Hover Truck 007 I added a hatch, to compliment those on either side of the pressurized compartment.  One can never have enough ways to escape from an accident.


Hover Truck 008 I wanted my hover system to be self-evident, un-needful of explanation. This is red reflectors hole-punched and stuck over clear "gummed reinforcements". I was going with just the clear circles, for that whole subtle approach, but it seemed a bit too subtle, so I want blatant. As you can see, there are more of these emitters at the cargo end than at the cabin end of the vehicle, to fit my idea of each emitter having a fixed maximum lift capacity.


Hover Truck 008a See? Too subtle ...


Hover Truck 009 There was an indentation between the top and bottom pieces of the remote - I guess to aid the user's grip? It seemed a good place for a sensor strip, so I again went with "blantant" to ensure it wasn't overlooked.


Hover Truck 010 What's a truck without a cargo? I decide to make a 'junk' drive unit from a used CO2 cartridge, dressed up a bit. I should have dremelled through the side of the thing, but I didn't see how an obvious saw-cut could ever look like a catastrophic failure of the unit, so I didn't, settling for the "used & refurbished" look. It's a good thing I left the red cap as a push-on, because I had to demonstrate to TSA that it was, in fact, not pressurized.


Hover Truck 011 Without load ...


Hover Truck 012 ... and with load. I tried to make the paint-work appear 'appropriately used, not abused' .


Hover Truck 013 Warning labels in place - gotta keep SOSHA happy, you know - without all that Naval "Run she may, shine she must". We operate on the exact opposite criteria - "It runs, don't it?"

[zenrat]

 

[Weaver]

Excellent job - I love 'found object' modelling.

Hover Truck 006 I wanted a driver's position at the front left of the vehicle - but my drill bit wandered and cut into the slot already there. Once I got it painted, it seemed OK - but then, the more I looked at it, the more ... innuendo-ish it seemed. OK, yes - I have a dirty mind - I was in the Navy, alright?

Hover Truck 007 I added a hatch, to compliment those on either side of the pressurized compartment.  One can never have enough ways to escape from an accident.

You could have added " - I was in the Navy, alright?" to the caption 007 as well.....

[Dizzyfugu]

I cannot help it but this looks like a British Mad Max vehicle, like a postmodern channel boat? And this is NOT meant in any negative way, very creative! 

[Scotaidh]

Thanks, guys. 

Dizzy, no worries.   

My inspiration was actually a cargo-hauling vehicle described by Alan Dean Foster in his book "Flinx in Flux".  The main character, Flinx, has found/rescued a young lady, Ms. Clarity Held.  They've avoided assassination attempts, and he now has to smuggle her out of the city and off-planet to his ship.  He boosts a hover truck in preference to a faster vehicle because he believes it to be less conspicuous, and just the job for getting her to the cargo terminal where he disguises her as a large plant, and puts her on a cargo-handling shuttle (disguised as a large plant) up to his ship. 

I liked the description of it as battered, well-used, with a large cab.   

The remote seemed a good fit for this type of "veekle", as I once heard it pronounced. 

I will add that Mr. Foster is one of my favourite sci-fi authors, and his "Flinx" series is one of my all-time favourite series.

[Dr. Griffin]

I like it. 

[Scotaidh]

Excellent job - I love 'found object' modelling.

Hover Truck 006 I wanted a driver's position at the front left of the vehicle - but my drill bit wandered and cut into the slot already there. Once I got it painted, it seemed OK - but then, the more I looked at it, the more ... innuendo-ish it seemed. OK, yes - I have a dirty mind - I was in the Navy, alright?

Hover Truck 007 I added a hatch, to compliment those on either side of the pressurized compartment.  One can never have enough ways to escape from an accident.

You could have added " - I was in the Navy, alright?" to the caption 007 as well.....

Mr. Weaver, you indeed correct, though I have always had that mindset.  In high school, I got marked down in Driver's Ed because I refused to drive with the doors locked.   

[Joe C-P]

Very interesting!