Gizmodo Australia » darth vader

Darth Pumpkin And Yod-o’-lantern

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Today, reader Jason Lindquist spotted these two at a local shop in Roseville, MN. The Force is not that strong in these pumpkins. Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate the carvers the next time. [Thanks jason]

Latestbuy Selling Lightsaber Torches… Must… Not… Open… Wallet…

Nick Broughall — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:14:07 +0000

Latestbuy’s announcement that they’re selling torches shaped like Lightsabers was met with a mixed response in my brain. On the one hand, they’re probably not the best torches to actually use, considering the light is actually blue or red. On the other hand, they’re LIGHTSABER TORCHES!

For $30 each, you get a torch shaped like either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader’s lightsaber, complete with either blue or red LEDs. Both play the Lightsaber sound effects when you turn it on or off, and require three AAA batteries to work…

You know what? For $30, I don’t care if it’s not the best torch. I’m buying one anyway. Quick, where’s my wallet gone?

[Latestbuy]

Vader Wii Sensor Bar Impedes Our Quest For Social Normalcy

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:30:01 +0000

We’ll hand it to those Star Wars toy engineers: They’ve stolen our hearts yet again with another clever Wii/Vader mash-up.

The $US50 Darth Vader Nintendo Wii Sensor Bar Holder is essentially a sculpture that holds your sensor bar in the place of a lightsaber. So while you flail away at Wii Sports Resort, onlookers will enjoy the tacit implication that you are not only besting the game but the entire Dark Side of the force. Well that, or your friends will realise that your fascination with a 30-year-old movie franchise is depleting your bank account and adversely affecting your overall grasp on reality, especially when playing Wii. [StarWarsShop via ChipChick]

Darth Vader Cake Has Dark Side Frosting, Banana Creme Filling

Adam Frucci — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:20:00 +0000

This Vader cake, made by the House of Cakes in Dubai, looks amazing. But the fact that it has a banana creme filling? Next level. [Great White Snark via Technabob]

No Wonder Darth Vader Has Such A Bad Attitude

Adam Frucci — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:40:00 +0000

It’s not that his soul has been overtaken with darkness, it’s that he’s just really gassy! Those movies make so much more sense now. [Copyranter]

This Is How Darth Vader’s Mask Looks Inside

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Here’s the (probably) most famous mask in the world from the inside, which you can’t barely see in the movies. Lord Darth Vader’s mask is supposed to help him breath, but what do all those other little electronic parts do?

Monitor his state? Give him physical feedback about his environment? Amplify his powers? Pick his nose? Facial massages? Shave him? I think I’m going to go with scratching his face when it gets itchy. It makes perfect sense. [Walyou]

Ancient Cylon Could Actually Be Luke’s Father

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:40:00 +0000

If you haven’t watched the season finale of Galactica, don’t read this. But if you have, it’s time for a definitive revelation: Luke’s father was really a Cylon.

During the episode in which the humans and the Cylons discover the wasted Earth, they come across the remains of its civilization. One of the things they found was a “2000-year-old, ancient Cylon.” That was the phrase in the script, which was used by VFX supervisor Gary Hutzel and chief model maker Pierre Drolet to create the Cylon you see above.

Like Ralph McQuarrie did for Darth Vader, the pair took inspiration on classic samurai armour designs. The result was what you can see above, which clearly came way too close to the Dark Lord’s helmet. So close that they took a couple of layers out of the helmet, to make it look like the skull on the right, which is the model that finally ended up in the actual shot:

Beautiful design either way, although I liked the full helmet better. I don’t care it looked like Vader’s, specially when McQuarrie also did art for Battlestar Galactica (some of it is under these lines.) [Darth Mojo—Thanks Alice]

Darth Vader Unmasked Mimobot Flash Drive

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Mimoco’s getting more clever with their latest Star Wars mimobot flash drives—Darth Vader and Clone Rex have removeable masks, and one out of six Vaders will have the Uncle Fester face underneath, not the NOOOOO one. [Mimoco]

Vader Back Buddy Pack Still Not As Lame As Those Three Prequels

Jack Loftus — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Way back in 2006, a young, eager Jason Chen brought the world word of a Yoda Back Buddy that mimicked the training scene from The Empire Strikes Back. Now Darth Vader, ever the envious Sith Lord, wants in on the action too.

Kind of demeaning for the ol’ baddie, no? I mean, turning one of the most celebrated villains in cinema history into some kind of $US40 gimpy clinger-on… I mean, it’s almost like an out-of-touch filmmaker taking a storied franchise, reshooting key scenes with poorly planned updates and cut footage from 1977, and then selling the resulting schlock back to us as if it were the second coming. I mean, if that actually happened. Did it?

But back on task. If this were an Anakin Skywalker Back Buddy, and it resembled Hayden Christensen, I might not be so critical. It’d be more fitting, is what I’m trying to say.

This Darth is available for pre-order and ships in August. [Star Wars Shop via OhGizmo]

Darth Vader’s Head Will Freak You Up Every Morning

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:40:00 +0000

I wish this alarm clock—a full replica of Darth Vader’s head—would would say “Luke! Luke, wake up! Damnit Luke, you whiny one-handed son of a Sith you! WAKE UP!” to get you out of bed.

Sadly, its $US30 price tag won’t get you James Earl Jones shouting at you like a Marines instructor. Instead, it will play AM/FM radio or act as a speaker for your digital audio player. However, with its glowing red time indicators I like it better than the Darth Vader alarm clock. [Playthings via Toyology]