R1-G4 Droid based on a jet engine part?

SteveStarkiller

Sr Member
Hi Folks,

I've been getting pretty obsessed with the R1 droids recently. I'm contemplating designing a printable miniature, and making it as accurate as possible. I've seen some pretty good R1 models, but all of them are just not quite there will all the details.

Then a few days ago, I noticed a similarity between the body of the R1 and the engine on the Voidspider speeder that shows up in Mos Eisley.

take a look at these two images, especially the box with the circular aperture.

So do any jet engine buffs know what type of engine they might have grabbed this part from?

thanks for looking!



R1-G4.png


voidspiderref%5B1%5D.jpg
 
I may be way off base here but it looks more like some sort of exhaust for some sort of industrial engine or machine, than a jet engine.
 
What is a well known donor for SW props?

The Vickers Viscount.

Vickers_Viscount.jpg

And for those who do not have access to the Making of SW book, there is this snap shot on page 117:

image004.jpg

Compare with this:

Z1002.jpg
vickers-viscount-701-cutaway.jpg

I would say that is the same engine.

Cheers,
Falk
 
I see the vague resemblance with the crisscross tubing, but I don't think that Making of SW photo is of a Viscount engine.
The Vickers Viscount had 4 Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines. Google "dart turboprop" and you'll find lots of good pics like these...
http://www.terrafirmajets.co.uk/image_files/dartlinkedpic1.jpg
Indian Air Force | Dart 6 under servicing (July - Aug 1963) [www.bharat-rakshak.com]

There are definitely some Dart parts around ANH, but I don't think that droid uses any major parts from one.
It does look like part of an exhaust system though.
 
Was this droid made to be worn as a costume? If so then even more likely it is not part of that engine.
 
I see the vague resemblance with the crisscross tubing, but I don't think that Making of SW photo is of a Viscount engine.
The Vickers Viscount had 4 Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines.

The piece on the Voidspider speeder looks like the exhaust system for the Vickers and the panel(the one with the large circle) looks to be a piece for the R1 but I dont think the entire system was used for the Droid prop.
 
I didn't see any Vickers pics resembling the speeder parts.
Edit- I see what you're looking at now. Wish there was better ref though to confirm details.

R1 is a costume. There's video of a guy wearing it minus the head while practicing walking in Mos Eisley. The whole suit doesn't seem super heavy.
 
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I'd love to know where this guy comes from too

Just FYI, the R1 isn't based on any jet parts... its a made up illustration Chris Foss painting that precedes Star Wars by a few years... Here is a quote:
In Star Wars, there's a robot in the line-up with the sandcrawler when they're buying R2-D2 and C-3PO…I did do a homage, because I felt I should, to Chris Foss, because he did some very early designs for that and he was always a favourite of mine. So I made one and designed it up out of scrap as if it might have been in a Chris Foss painting, and that was my homage to him, because I always thought he was a genius as an artist. from an interview with production designer ROGER CHRISTIAN
Exclusive interview: The worlds of Roger Christian - | movies, TV, videogames, crowd-funding - Shadowlocked: find the future!

the book was first published in 1957 but this book cover for a re-issue of the novel came out in 1973
1265162_581797701906110_1097668871_o.jpgPanther Asimov The Naked Sun _Foss_.jpg
 
here is that video you mention:


I didn't see any Vickers pics resembling the speeder parts.
Edit- I see what you're looking at now. Wish there was better ref though to confirm details.

R1 is a costume. There's video of a guy wearing it minus the head while practicing walking in Mos Eisley. The whole suit doesn't seem super heavy.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I may be way off base here but it looks more like some sort of exhaust for some sort of industrial engine or machine, than a jet engine.

look like boat exhausts in a way, or a really mangled air conditioning intake

I'm open to it being anything, but we know the crew pulled a lot of parts from aircraft junkyards. Not ruling it out though.

Tried looking at the Vulcan?

hmm, looking at parts of the Vulcan's engine, a rolls olympus, nothing quite matching...

What is a well known donor for SW props?

The Vickers Viscount.

View attachment 323221

And for those who do not have access to the Making of SW book, there is this snap shot on page 117:

View attachment 323222

Compare with this:

View attachment 323220
View attachment 323219

I would say that is the same engine.

Cheers,
Falk

That snapshot from Making of Star Wars looks very close.

I keep finding a ton of images of the vickers engine itself, but none of the exhaust system, which I think it where we need to see...

I see the vague resemblance with the crisscross tubing, but I don't think that Making of SW photo is of a Viscount engine.
The Vickers Viscount had 4 Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines. Google "dart turboprop" and you'll find lots of good pics like these...
http://www.terrafirmajets.co.uk/image_files/dartlinkedpic1.jpg
Indian Air Force | Dart 6 under servicing (July - Aug 1963) [www.bharat-rakshak.com]

There are definitely some Dart parts around ANH, but I don't think that droid uses any major parts from one.
It does look like part of an exhaust system though.

the dart turboprop does have an interesting part on the end of the engine, almost the right profile for the R1's "foot"

star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-1753.jpg


RRDart_Engine_fig3.jpg




Was this droid made to be worn as a costume? If so then even more likely it is not part of that engine.

The piece on the Voidspider speeder looks like the exhaust system for the Vickers and the panel(the one with the large circle) looks to be a piece for the R1 but I dont think the entire system was used for the Droid prop.



Just FYI, the R1 isn't based on any jet parts... its a made up illustration Chris Foss painting that precedes Star Wars by a few years... Here is a quote:
In Star Wars, there's a robot in the line-up with the sandcrawler when they're buying R2-D2 and C-3PO…I did do a homage, because I felt I should, to Chris Foss, because he did some very early designs for that and he was always a favourite of mine. So I made one and designed it up out of scrap as if it might have been in a Chris Foss painting, and that was my homage to him, because I always thought he was a genius as an artist. from an interview with production designer ROGER CHRISTIAN
Exclusive interview: The worlds of Roger Christian - | movies, TV, videogames, crowd-funding - Shadowlocked: find the future!

the book was first published in 1957 but this book cover for a re-issue of the novel came out in 1973
View attachment 323495View attachment 323496


I agree its based on the Foss painting. I don't mean they based the design on a jet engine, but that they used jet engine parts to get the look they wanted from the painting. Very cool!


Thanks! I had seen part of that video in the Star Wars Begins unofficial doc, but its really useful to have it isolated.

thanks for your replies folks! Got a rough model in the works.

while we're at it, and looking at turboprops, does the R1's head look like it might be the nose cone from one of the props itself?
 
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