Shut up and take my money! Hobbyist creates fully-functional Millennium Falcon drone

By Drew Prindle Published February 5, 2015

millenium falcon drone quadcopter — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When you combine two good things, the resulting creation is often more amazing than the sum of its parts. Take pickles, for example. Cucumbers are pretty great on their own, and vinegar isn’t bad either — but when you put the two of them together and let ’em marinate for a while, they create one of the most beloved food items on Earth.

Same goes for quadcopter drones and Star Wars. Separately they’re badass, but together their awesomeness level is off the charts — just take a look at this unbelievably rad Millennium Falcon drone built by YouTuber Oliver C.

Recommended Videos

As you’d expect, the entire thing is custom made. The base drone is a “Prophecy 335” — a quadcopter of Oliver C’s own design, built from the ground up using off-the-shelf parts. To give it the iconic Millennium Falcon look, he made a custom “skin” out of lightweight foam that fits snugly onto the drone’s chassis. It even has working LED thruster lights!

Unfortunately you can’t buy one of these badboys (yet!), as Oliver C hasn’t mass produced them, but you can build one yourself if you feel inclined. Oliver C has posted DIY instructions for both the drone and the Millennium Falcon skin online.

And this is just the beginning. Oliver’s next project — a Tie Fighter drone — is already in the works.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

Cars

Kia PHEVs’ electric range will double to 60 miles

kia phevs electric range will double to 60 miles cq5dam thumbnail 1024 680

Besides making headlines about the wisdom, or lack thereof, of ending federal rebates on EVs in the U.S., Kia is setting its sights on doubling the range its plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) can run on while in electric mode.

With affordability and finding chargers remaining among the main hurdles to full EV adoption, drivers this year have increasingly turned to PHEVs, which can function in regular hybrid gas/electric mode, or in full electric mode. The issue for the latter, however, is that range has so far remained limited.

Cars

Volvo’s EX90 electric SUV features an Abbey Road sound system

volvo ex90 abbey road sound system 5 59366c

With deliveries of Volvo’s much-anticipated EX90 model finally coming through in the U.S., drivers who are also music fans may be heartened by discovering what the electric SUV’s sound system is made of.

They might even get a cosmic experience if they decide to play The Beatles’ 1965 classic hit Drive My Car on that sound system: The EX90 is the first vehicle ever to feature an Abbey Road Studios’ mode, providing a sound quality engineered straight out of the world’s most famous music recording studios. The Beatles enshrined Abbey Road in history, when they gave the studios' name to their last album in 1969.

Cars

Ending EV tax rebate could seriously harm Tesla, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen sales, study finds

Many analysts predict that sales of electric vehicles will be hit should the incoming Trump administration carry out its plans to end the $7,500 federal tax incentives on EV purchases and leases.

While predictions vary, with some expecting this would lead to a 27% drop in demand for EVs, research firm J.D. Power took an extra step and asked consumers how rebates had influenced their decision to buy an EV.