All Posts Tagged With: "xwing"
X-Wing: I Told You The Empire Assassinated R2D2
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You guys just thought I was kidding about the Empire using the launch of the 21 foot model X-Wing to assassinate R2D2 didn’t you? Well, the truth has come out at last about what really happened. Watch the video, then I expect an apology from all you non-believers out there.
R2D2 Dies As 21 Foot X-Wing Rocket Explodes Into A Million Pieces
Remember the X-Wing model rocket from last week that was built by those crazy rocketeers? They apparently launched the thing this week and well, it didn’t go so hot. The launch was impressive however, for all of about 2-3 seconds when something went drastically wrong and the ship exploded into a million little pieces, sending R2D2 plumetting to his death. There’s no word on what happened but early reports seem to indicate structural failure. Inside sources, however, secretly say it was an assassination staged by separatists loyal to the Empire that saw the perfect opportunity to take out the beloved little blue & silver droid, they consider the X-Wing merely as collateral damage.
On a more serious note, that sucks for the guys that spent all that time putting the thing together. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
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via: CrunchGear
Crazy Rocketeers Build 21 Foot Long Star Wars X-Wing… That Flies
I need a hobby like this, something that in the end people can look at and go, that’s freaking cool. Polecat Aerospace, a group of (as they say) slightly insane rocketeers got together and decided to make a flying scale model of an X-Wing fighter in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the movie Star Wars. Talk about crazy, the rocket which will actually fly is over 21 feet long and is powered by solid-fuel rockets and contains 3 man rated parachutes for recovery, but the coolest part of the thing is the X-Wings, they actually move in flight.
The wings, including the root sections and the outer panels are about 8′ long and weigh 60 pounds a piece, including the motors. The motion mechanism had to be able to move all 4 of these simultaneously, while keeping them in position relative to each other. Additionally, the motion hardware had to be strong enough to keep the wings in position once they were at the extents of their travel.
The launch date is set for next week, hopefully there will be video of the maiden voyage. I didn’t see anything on how long it took these guys to build this thing but they do have a website with pictures documenting the process. Here’s a few of the finished photos, check their site for a complete gallery of the building process.
