By now I'm sure you've read or seen previews about the new up coming A-Team movie. It's an awesome tribute/remake of a great 1980s show. If this is new news, don't worry. I've embedded the trailer at the bottom of this post. If you've seen trailer, did you noticed anything interesting about the new van? I found some photos of the van on the set. I studied them over and thought I would share them with you.
Time for Change?
Right away I didn't notice anything. But after looking it over a few times. A few things start to stick out. But the changes are a good thing. Matter of fact, we think they're freck'n awesome! But the changes do stand out from the original van. To set the record straight, I want to start off by saying this is not the same year of GMC Vandura used in the series. But that's not a bad thing. You'll see.
The Changes Arn't Bad
From the side you can see some differences in the way the red stripe is done. Note the side ground effects / side steps have been traded out for side exhaust pipes (very manly I might add). The wheels are solid black. Close up photos on AutoBlog and Jalopnik reveal that they're not even the same style as the original. You can see the bling chrome tow hooks and winch from miles away. Front license plate? I pity the fool who.... you get the idea. The front fog lamps on the grill bar are different shapes. The new van has an updated grill as well.
Final Thoughts
But at the end of the day. It's the same concept, just slightly updated. I'm glad they didn't move away from using the same make and model of van. I couldn't imagine anything built in the last thirty years that could replace the A-Team van. One question I have is. Would I go as far as to say this design is "retro." Well that's debatable. What are your thoughts? Comment and let us know how you feel about the new A-Team van. We'll be working on our next On Screen Cars post. See ya then.
Delorean Motor Company has announced that they are accepting pre-orders for the new Hot Wheels 1/64 scale die-cast of the black DMC-12. Similar versions painted silver and gold have been available for the past few months. Pre-orders are on sale now in packs of 12 only. Items will not ship until the die-cast model is release in September 2010. I've been checking out some of the great Back to the Future Time Machine conversions of the popular die-cast popping up on Flickr.
HOT WHEELS DELOREAN (BLACK) - 12 PACK
If you think you missed out on the silver and gold editions, have no fear. You can still find them on Amazon.com!
Just this last week, Gorillaz released a new music video featuring some cool muscle cars. Not to mention a surprising special guest. The new video is to help promote their upcoming album, Plastic Beach. For those who are not familiar with Gorillaz, let me give you a short introduction. Gorillaz are a virtual band created after comic book series Tank Girl. It's members are Russel, 2D, Murdoc and Noddle. The actual musical performers vary from song to song. It's a very interesting concept to say the least. But enough about the band. Let's talk about the video.
Each Gorillaz video tells a part in a never ending story. I'm not currently up to date with what's going on in the story, other than the fact their escaping to an island. But this video starts out with the gang racing through the desert in a 1969 Camaro SS. They're being chased down by a cop in hot pursuit. Noodle-bot manages to shoot at the cop till the cop runs off the road and crashes through a billboard (very Dukes of Hazzard like). Things are fine for the moment, till they pass Bruce Wills in a 1968 El Camino. Bruce Willis starts chasing down the group and tries to gun them down. He successfully shoots out the back window and driver side mirror. The chase goes on as Bruce's El Camino pushes Murdoc harder. Some nitrous effects are used and they escape only for Bruce Willis to catch up again later. The chase ends with the crew running off a cliff into the water, where the car turns into a shark. Let's talk about the cars!
The Cars
The Camaro is badged on the tail panel as an 1969 Camaro SS, painted black with a white vinyl top. The front emblem was replaced with a "Stylo" emblem. There's a star on the door with the bullet holes and rub marks, very rough looking. It's got the factory rally wheels with center caps. If it's a true Camaro SS, it should have either 396 V8 or a 350 V8 engine under the hood. It's debatable if the blower scoop is functional or if it's just there for looks. The scoop is sitting on top of a cowl induction hood. It looks kinda out of place. One last note, the Camaro front-fender scripts appear and disappear throughout the video. Do you think two cars were used?
The El Camino is a 1968 model (non-SS). The paint color resembles candy apple red. The wheels look like American Racing 200S, classic style. I found something a little confusing with the shifter. In one part of the clip, Bruce reaches down to grab floor shifter knob. If you look up at the steering wheel, you can see a column shifter as well. Is the floor shifter a fake or was the column shifter just left for nostalgia? If you look closely, the column shifter appears to be in the park position. Just a interesting note. Engine size? The car is badged as a 327 small block chevy (note the close up near the end of the video).
Final Thoughts
Two words. Mind Blowing. There is a lot of stuff going on here. I thought it was a great video. The video has a Mad Max kind of theme going on. The new album will be released soon, you can pre-order through our store! The cars are awesome. It's not that often that you see classic muscle cars in music videos anymore. Not exactly sure what the song is talking about. I've read different explanations on the web. Some say love, some say death and some say it's about the car. I think we're all left to interpret the meaning for ourselves. Question, is it just me, or do you guys think the video producers like classic Chevrolet cars? Would a Mako Corvette be a closer match for imagery of the car turning into a shark? Comment your thoughts as we work on our next post. On Screen Car will keep ya posted on On Screen Car happenings. See ya next time!
Meet the FireBreather, a custom 2010 Chevrolet Camaro built for the up coming film Jinn. This hero car was built for Exodus Pictures by Classic Design Concepts of Novi, Michigan. The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS was used as the base car. As you see there is a wealth of body mods on the car. The front nose, styling lines and graphics look like they pay tribute to Pontiac Trans Am. Note the four headlight setup and grill design. The car features a black and red color scheme with custom wheels. The wheels have the FireBreather graphics on the center caps. Performance mods include Elbach springs and Pirelli PZero Rosso tires. In addition to the movie production cars, there will be 50 cars released for sale. Pricing will start around $60,000.
Above is another interesting vehicle from the movie hit, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief. Not sure of the year at the moment. But it is a Maserati 4200 GT. This car may be one of the most expensive cars seen on this site yet. The base price of a Maserati 4200 GT is around $110,000 US Dollars. But why use a Maserati for this movie?
Well some believe it maybe due to the fact the Maserati emblem is a Trident. The Trident is a three pronged spear once used in fishing and as a weapon in combat. The Trident is also the symbol for the Greek God Poseidon, God of the Sea. According to the story of Percy Jackson, Percy is the son of Poseidon. Now that makes a little more sense. Otherwise any other available vehicle would have been fine. But why not do it with style?
Spoiler Alert Below!
The car is first spotted in the The Lotus Casino scene. The car is on display for patrons to enjoy. Percy Jackson and friends later use the car to escape the evil around them and continue on their quest. They jump into the car and run it through the casino and out the front glass doors. The crash through the glass reminded me of the first scene of Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) where Kip Raines steals the Porsche. You can see the video below.
Final Thoughts
It's a very interesting and exotic car. I like the styling. However it's not a car you would send your kids out in. But it makes for an interesting story in the movie. The Greek mythology tie in with the Maserati emblem is well thought out! Very Clever! Don't forget to check out our previous entry on Percy Jackson. It's about the 1966 Ford F-100 used in other parts of the film. Tell next time, keep your seas calm while we work on the next On Screen Cars post!
The Changes Arn't Bad
Final Thoughts
