Prometheus RT01/RT01 Transporter wheel cover >> wall art

[Mystery Machine]

I've got in my garage a complete set of wheel covers from the RT01/RT02 Transporters from the movie.

These have all been well used and as well as having the usual 'weathering' paint to dull them down, make them look more authentic, they also have the battle scars from being used on set. Some have cracks and chips in, most have scuffs and scratches. All of them look cool!

They are made from thick GRP from an original mould and have rubber spokes to allow them to flex when mounted on the wheel. Apparently, on set, the trucks were driven over rocks and boulders which caused the tyres to flex enough to crack the surface of some of the wheel covers, despite them having the flexible rubber spokes. My friend built the orignial trucks (as well as the quads) so has plenty of stories to tell about them as well as quite a few cool photos as they were being constructed.

The covers were centrally bolted to the wheels with M16 bolts (with 4mm thick spreader plates each side) and then had a cast centre cap which sat over the bolt head and was velcro'd onto the outer spreader plate.

Here are the wheel centres after giving them a quick wash....to remove all the dust and dirt from storage.

 

[Mystery Machine]

The covers have a real copper finish on them that was vacuum metalised directly onto the surface after some base colour (copper colour) was applied. In the flesh they really do look like solid hammered copper domes.

Here are some shots of just one of the covers to give a clearer idea of how they look close-up. Each one has taken on its own character with different amounts of scuff/wear and patina.

 

[Mystery Machine]

As a contrast to the one shown above, here is one of the other covers which shows how different they all look from each other.

 

[Mystery Machine]

Here are the centre caps, bolts and spreader plates for mounting the covers to the vehicle. The centre caps are made from a cast resin then painted copper colour (along with the outer spreader plates) with a recess machined into the back of the cap to allow it to sit over the bolt head. Velcro holds it in place on the outer spreader plate.

 

[Mystery Machine]

Here are some close-ups of the copper finish on the wheel covers. This not only shows off the hammered finish but also some of the scuffs and battle scars that they wear so well.

 

[Mystery Machine]

I'm sure you've all seen the vehicle before, but just to give the wheel covers some context, here are some shots I've pulled off the internet to show them 'in situ'

 

[Lear60man]

Too Cool. Would yo happen to have some behind the scenes pic of the transporters or what type of vehicle was used to make the them?

 

[Mystery Machine]

Too Cool. Would yo happen to have some behind the scenes pic of the transporters or what type of vehicle was used to make the them?

Hi there,

I should be able to get my hands on a few behind the scenes photos. The vehicle used was a Tatra 8 wheeler but it had to be stripped back to the bare chassis and the engine relocated along with lots of other major changes. I'll see what info and images I can get next week when I head back down to the studios.

In the meantime, here are some shots of how I've got one of the covers displayed. They make GREAT ornaments.

(I had to make sure the fixing in the wall was super strong because the wheel covers weigh approx 20kgs/44lbs each!)

 

[Art Andrews]

That is very very cool and WOW, are those HUGE!

 

[Pro Mod]

So much skill and effort involved and it's just a wheel cover!
And your plans for the rest of them?

 

[100Topher]

These are really great pieces with applications for use far beyond just wheel covers. Very cool. What are your plans for the rest of them? I'm curious to see what you come up with.

 

[newworld]

Holy crap! I thought they were nice and all, but I was missing the scale. They're huge! I'm think "hallway dressing"!

Nice job.

D

 

[AlphaEarth]

You wouldn't be selling any of the others would you?

 

[Mystery Machine]

Thanks for all the kind comments, they really are amazingly cool bits of kit. Something that appeals to both film fans and also people who may have never seen the film but just appreciate them as a piece of contemporary art.

 

[zyote]

I wonder if your friend knows my friend who worked on the vehicles too! I really loved the design of these vehicles, i kinda want to make a scale model of the transport to display. would be great!