Even as far back asThe Empire Strikes Back, theStar Warsseries has featured the iconic image of a Mandalorian suit of armor adorned with a jetpack. While Boba Fett, who was the first in the series to sport that instantly recognizable outfit, was never technically a Mandalorian himself, the look has become synonymous with the warrior people in recent years thanks to the popularity of the Disney Plus seriesThe Mandalorian, with its title role as well as supporting characters likeKatee Sackhoff’s ambiguously aligned Bo Katan. Now, a group of dedicated fans is in the middle of faithfully recreating that look, and they’ve just finished the jetpack.
YouTube channel Hacksmith Industries specializes in attempting to replicate technology seen in movies and TV with as much accuracy as possible in the real world. From a workingBack to the Futurehoverboard to a flamingGhost Riderskull helmet, holding back clearly isn’t in their nature. So it’s only natural they would eventually attempt to bring some of thesleek and shiny tech seen inThe Mandalorianinto reality.
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After creating picture-perfect replicas of the helmet and spear wielded by titularMandalorian Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal), the team set their sights on something a bit more ambitious: the jetpack. People both professional and… less so have been attempting to create such a feat of technology ever since the first drunk person said, ‘hey, what if people could fly?’ Unfortunately, there are reasons this particular breakthrough has eluded science for so long, and the Hacksmith crew admitted they couldn’t feasibly manufacture an actual working flying machine, at least not the size of the piece seen inThe Mandalorian.
What they could do, however, was fabricate a stunningly faithful replica ofthe dazzling piece of tech fromThe Mandalorian, with even some aesthetically accurate flamethrowers coming out of swiveling nozzles at the bottom. This wasn’t just some fragile cosplay-style pack cobbled together from insulating foam. They cut out sheet metal, welded it all together, and managed to fit small fuel tanks in there for the flamethrower portion, all without compromising the screen-accurate look. A little circuit board shoved in there also allowed for control of the whole rig, just like Djarin himself did in the sow (minus the actual flying, unfortunately).
Season 3 ofThe Mandalorianis still a ways off, and there’s plenty of speculation to be had about it. But for now, watching a team of talented individuals like this blur the line between fantasy and reality certainly seems like a capital way to pass the time.
The Mandalorianis now available on Disney Plus.
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