For something that got mere minutes of screentime in Star Wars, Luke’s landspeeder is right up there with Boba Fett in terms of impact. Fans young and old have always wanted their own version of the iconic desert-skimming craft. Back in 2017, Radio Flyer made that dream come true for anyone 130 pounds or less with their ride-on landspeeder children’s toy. Not satisfied with the landspeeder’s top speed of five miles an hour, one YouTuber added a jet engine and took it for a spin in the video below. It looks both dangerous and like an enviable amount of fun.
Replacing the upper plastic engine with one that could power a small experimental aircraft isn’t the only change they made. The team also swaps out wheels, adjusts the steering, and adds remote control capabilities. While the test drive remarkably doesn’t end up in anyone getting injured, it does attract a lot of attention.
We saw this fun build on Technabob. It’s not the first time someone has modified a ride-on car designed for kids. For example, somewhere out there is a Barbie Power Wheels Mustang that goes 70 miles per hour. As for the landspeeder, someone else made a life-sized version with jet engines, which almost seems practical once you’ve seen a jet engine added to a children’s toy. The Joel Creates YouTube channel includes other interesting builds, like a device that can put toothpaste back in the tube.
No matter how old we get, or how dangerous adults modify ride-on children’s toys to be, they just look like a lot of fun. From the child-size Zamboni to the Jurassic Park Jeep, kids these days don’t know how good they have it.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
