Columbia Star Wars Outer Rim Collection: Gone Sithin’

There are probably a dozen Star Wars collaborations available at any given moment, but this one from Columbia is low-key bizarre yet still desirable. First off, the Outer Rim collection features Star Wars characters integrated into a line of shirts from Columbia’s Performance Fishing Gear (PFG) line. Second, the print on the shirts depicts tropical leaves, which hide not just the heroic X-Wing and Millennium Falcon, but also stormtroopers, TIE fighters, and Darth Vader himself. Kinda ominous don’t you think? Also, where are the Mon Calamari?!

As with other PFG apparel, these shirts feature lightweight fabric with rear ventilation, anti-UV treatment, and, er, a rod holder. Whatever, it works and I’m down for it. You can order the shirts from Columbia right now. The adult male shirt costs $65 (USD), the adult female sleeveless top goes for $60, and the unisex children’s shirt is priced at $45.

[via Gear Junkie]

Watch a 1978 X-Wing Toy Restored to New Condition (without Using The Force)

Proving there are few things more satisfying to watch than a job well done, YouTuber Rescue & Restore documents the process by which he carefully returns an original 1978 Star Wars X-Wing toy to its former glory. Of course, my parents never bought me any of these name-brand Star Wars toys growing up because they were too expensive, so all I got were the knock-offs, and I’m pretty sure my Z-wing was mostly made out of lead.

Using a process called retrobriting, which appears to involve submerging the pieces in a liquid solution and blasting them with UV lights, Rescue & Restore is able to bleach all the yellowing from the white plastic. He then replaces the electronics (responsible for the light and laser sounds), adds a new set of decals, and cleans the clear cockpit window with an ultra-fine polishing compound. Honestly, I feel like my car’s windshield could use some of that too.

Do you also own a vintage X-Wing toy that’s seen better days, but don’t feel like restoring it to its former glory before selling? No worries, don’t do anything and just tell everyone it’s actually an incredibly rare ‘submerged in a Dagobah swamp’ variation, but you’re willing to let it go for only double what the regular model is worth.

[via Laughing Squid]

R2-D2 X-Wing Ceiling Fan: Use the Downforce

Until I saw this picture, I wanted one of those Big Ass Fans to hang on my ceiling. But now that I’ve seen this awesome Star Wars fan – made by a Star Wars fan, I want one of these instead.

Redditor Marcus Nery shared this sweet fan which features X-Wing fighter wings for its fan blades, and R2-D2’s domed lid hanging down underneath. It’s even got illuminated eyes, or whatever you call those lights on a droid’s noggin.

Sadly, you can’t go to the local Home Depot and buy one of these, but you could certainly copy the idea. Just gotta make sure you keep those fan blades perfectly balanced, or there could be trouble. So now what I really want is a Big Ass Fan Star Wars Edition.

[via Geekologie]

Just How Aerodynamic is an X-Wing or TIE Fighter?

Have you ever wondered how aerodynamic Star Wars ships really are? Well, wonder no more. EC Henry decided to give us some answers. He used AutoDesk’s now discontinued Flow Design software to analyze the aerodynamics and drag coefficients of ships from the Star Wars universe. I know, they don’t travel through air, they travel through space, but it’s still fun to see how aerodynamic their designs are anyhow.

As you may have guessed TIE Fighters are pretty useless when flying through the air. A TIE Interceptor is not much better than a standard TIE Fighter. X-Wings are better, but still not all that great. It turns out that A-Wing fighters are pretty fast.

Boba Fett’s Slave 1 would totally suck in the atmosphere and I’m guessing the Millennium Falcon would too. So basically Star Wars ships flying through the air are not a good idea and if they did, the Empire would never catch the rebels anyway. It doesn’t matter anyway because spaceships are for space.

I would love to see this done with Star Trek ships because I’m pretty sure that the Federation’s ships would be terrible in the atmosphere. The worst ship ever? The Borg cube. You can’t just fling a brick into the air and expect it to do much.

[via The Awesomer]

Catch Some ZZZZZs in This Star Wars X-Wing Bookcase Bed

Get a good night’s sleep and dream that you are making a run at the Death Star with this awesome Star Wars X-Wing Twin Bookcase Bed. It’s based on the classic T-65 X-wing fighter, and all of the details are here, like carved thrust engines, laser cannons, and even a painted R2-D2 Astromech droid. This is the bed for any serious Star Wars fan.

You can choose from either a left or right bed half, depending on how you want to orient them in your bedroom. Or you can do the right thing and get one of each, put them next to each other and have a full X-Wing fighter. Or if you’ve got a mirror on the wall, you’ll be all set.

This X-Wing has plenty of storage space, You can even get optional trundles that slide under the bed and have 3 removable dividers. And then there’s room for your books in the headboard between the wings. Or you can use that space for your Star Wars toys.

The bed features printed stars along the headboard and side frame, making it feel like you are zooming through space. Any kid who has this bed is going to be too excited to sleep. I just wish they had had these when I was a kid.

[via GeekAlerts]

Laser-cut Star Wars Spaceship Models

Toys are cool to display on your shelf, but they’re even more special when you’ve assembled them yourself. These kits from LazerModels give you the opportunity to put together your own works of geek art using flat-packed, laser-cut wood.

They come in a variety of neat designs, with my favorites being the Star Wars-inspired models. While they’re not exactly screen accurate, they capture the spirit of the original spaceships quite well. Right now, they’ve got TIE Advanced fighters and Millennium Falcon models available.

Each model is made from baltic birch ply, and is designed to be assembled using plain white craft glue. Hot glue and other adhesives might ruin them, so stick with the good old Elmer’s. They can be painted, but I dig the look of the exposed wood.

The X-Wing measures 6″w x 6″h x 8″ d, the TIE fighter measures 5″w x 6.5″h x 4″d, the TIE Advanced is  6″w x 6″h x 6″d, and the Falcon measures in at 7″w x 6″h x 8″d. Those height dimensions all include the stand.

While it’s not Star Wars related, I also love the wooden TARDIS model they have. I might need one of those for my desk.

X-Wing Pilot Motorcycle Jacket: Stay on Target

CharlieMcN33l has two great loves in his life: Star Wars and his Harley. He has even customized special Star Wars helmets for himself. So naturally when he started using his X-Wing pilot helmet, he need a matching flight jacket to go with it.

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Charlie usually wears a Carhartt Duck Detroit or a MA-1 Bomber when he rides, so he incorporated these into the new jacket, which is 60% X-Wing flight jacket, 30% Carhartt jacket, and 10% MA-1 Bomber jacket. He’s an amateur tailor, so it was probably easier for him to make this than it would be for us.

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The jacket is based on screenshots of the X-wing pilot jacket that Luke wore in The Empire Strikes Back. Now Charlie just needs an X-Wing inspired motorcycle.

[via Geek Crafts]

Stay on Target with These Crocheted X-Wing Fighter Blankets

These crocheted X-wing Fighter blankets are awesome. They not only look like X-Wing fighters and are warm and cozy, but you can also crawl inside! A blanket that is also a ship that you can pilot? Count me in. Pew pew pew! Stay on target.

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They were designed and crafted by Michelle of MJ’s Off The Hook Designs. Just feed your legs into the body of the X-wing and you can keep your hands warm in the engine pockets. But wait! No Astromech pillow behind you? That’s cool. I would just be happy to climb in and flap my arms while I pretend to assault the Death Star.

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If you think you want to make this and support the rebel cause you can find the pattern HERE. Best blanket ever!

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[via Geekologie]

LEGO Star Wars Minifigs in Ship Costumes: A New KanColle

Flickr user Nick Chen aka solscud made a cute collection of Star Wars minifigures wearing their respective vehicles. For instance, Kylo Ren has his command shuttle, Han Solo is wearing the Millennium Falcon and Rey is, well, in the Millennium Falcon, but with the new different radar dish.

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Check out the rest in the gallery below or wear your browser and blast off to Nick’s Flickr page.

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[via Geyser of Awesome]

Millennium Falcon and X-Wing Drones Arrive for Force Friday

September 4th is Force Friday, when Disney is streaming a massive unboxing event. It’s a huge day for Star Wars collectors. Maybe the biggest day in decades. Two items are sure to be of particular interest for fans who like drones. A remote-controlled Millennium Falcon and an X-Wing starfighter.

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With just a bit of assembly, you’ll be able to launch and fly both of these spacecraft, and recreate space battles right here on Earth. Pew pew pew! You’re all clear kid!

Photo via RC Groups

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Photo via RC Groups

The Millennium Falcon is more or less a good old fashioned quadcopter drone with four propellers in the body. The X-Wing looks even cooler, with its propellers hidden inside of air ducts like turbines.

Photo via Rebelscum.com

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Photo via Rebelscum.com

The X-Wing and Millennium Falcon are manufactured by Air Hogs, and are made from high density foam so they shouldn’t kill anyone should you crash into their head. We don’t have any info on pricing just yet, but I’m sure they will be reasonable enough that we will soon see Millennium Falcons and X-Wings everywhere.

[via Engadget]