Call of Duty fans have been storming the stores to pickup the latest and greatest in the franchise, Black Ops. This first person shooter the follows the life and missions of black ops personal who is being interrogated. You play through parts of the 1960's during the Cold War. This game is amazing. But what does this mean for OnScreenCars.com fans? Well the creators of the game teamed up with automaker Jeep to inject an on screen car in the game, a special Black Ops Edition 2011 Jeep Wrangler.
The Jeep in the game is designed to look period correct. While the Jeep in real life is modern. Checkout the trailer for the game below. The Black Ops Edition 2011 Jeep Wrangler is a modified version of their popular Rubicon Jeep. It's available in two and four door models and only in black on black color combination. If ya had a Black Ops Jeep why would you want it any other way? Just below the cowl line on the fender sports two Call of Duty: Black Ops logos. The off-road worthy Rubicon is wrapped in MOPAR tail light guards and MOPAR fuel filler cover. All the while riding on 32 inch tires mounted on blacked out Rubicon wheels. Front and rear locking differentials pushed by a 2-speed transfer case insures you're ready to grab all fours on the hash battlefield terrain.
Not to mention get you in time for your next ball game. Even NBA star Kobe Bryant has been seen sporting a new Black Ops Edition Jeep Wrangler. Baller Bryant was presented the ride prior to the season opener game. I wonder if he'll be taken in all the rugged features or not. I bet he's a closet gamer himself. Hey! There's nothing wrong with a little Black Ops on the side. Not a bad gift. The four door model retails for $33k while the two door just over $30k. Speaking of other stars I wonder how R. Lee Ermey would favor with one?
In closing I think Jeep has an awesome package with this one. This would not be the first non-military Jeep sporting a military look. Jeep has been known for production of special edition models like this. But I think this may be the first national release that is tailored after a video game. Great combination I must add. If you haven't played the game you can pick it up through our Amazon links below. Anything you buy through our links helps support our site. Till next time keep your battle machines ready as we bring you another OnScreenCars.com entry. Now drop down and give me 20!
We had a great response from our first Fan Created Rides piece, Jason Rawley's ECTO-1X. Shortly after the story ran I was contacted by a number of people to do stories about their cars. One of the first to contact was Kevin Henry of the Denver Ghostbusters. Kevin is also a member of a movie car replica group called Colorado Movie Cars. Kevin sent me pictures of his ECTO-2K Dodge Magnum and his Jurassic Park Jeep. Since our first FCR was about a Ghostbusters themed ride, I decided to feature Kevin's Jurassic Park Jeep. If you're not familiar with the Jeeps from Jurassic park. Then check out last week's post about about the Jurassic Park Jeeps. Let's move on to Kevin's story.
Kevin first came up with the idea for creating this ride shortly after building his first Ghostbusters movie car. He wanted a movie car that was 4-wheel drive and had an open top. Then it was born! A practical off-road vehicle, but yet a movie car replica for the masses! A Jeep Wrangler from Jurassic Park! Kevin quickly searched the internet over for a Jeep from the correct time period. His search ended when he found a white 1990 Jeep Wrangler near by for $4000.
Kevin planned his conversion by looking over the pieces needed to turn his base Jeep into a Jurassic Park Jeep. But first he needed to upgrade his 1990 Jeep Wrangler to a 1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. To do this, he needed to find the correct roll-cage, wheels, side steps, seats and front fog lights. Many of the parts came from local junkyards in the Denver area. Then the work began.
Days were spent sanding. Kevin said the previous owner must have had a crash or rollover. The Jeep was riddled with bad body work. Him and his crew worked through the mess and redid the body work. Most of the body was taken to bare metal, primed and painted. Kevin debated colors between gray and slight champagne color. He settled on gray. He says he's very happy with the results. Next came the stripes.
Kevin masked off the stripes with newspaper and masking tape. Then did a pass or two with red paint. The interior got a full treatment as well. The carpet was pulled and the floor and interior walls are treated with Rhino Liner. Kevin can clean out this dino-runner anytime with a garden hose. Great tip for Jeep owners! Next came the wheels. The wheels were replaced with the correct factory wheels with BFGoodrich AT Tires. However to get them to JP Jeep specs, he sanded and sprayed the wheels red as well. Just like the ones in the movie. After paint came decals. Kevin ordered decals for the side doors, fenders and hood. All the graphics are placed in the same locations as the movie Jeep. Factory 4.0 Liter decals were also applied.
Kevin started putting the pieces back on the Jeep. Then came the first opportunity to show off the Jeep. Kevin scrambled to get the rest of the Jeep together for Nan Desu Kan Am, Anime Convention. The day of the convention Kevin and friends finished the Jeep including props! He pieced together some cases that resemble the emergency kit props from the movie. The Jeep was near completion and went on display. Near completion? Looks good to me. Kevin said it needed a few more pieces to be complete. He later added the winch, side steps, and light bar.
Since that first show, Kevin has shown the vehicle in countless other shows and events. But that doesn't mean this Jeep isn't just a show piece! Kevin takes it off road regularly. From the pictures you can tell he's not afraid to take this Jeep through mud, snow or high water! Hey what's the point of having Jeep and not using it? Kevin says from behind most people don't realize it's not a regular Jeep. It's when they see it from the sides or front, that they get the full effect. Kevin has a few more plans for the Jeep. Including adding extra speakers to blast out dinosaur noises. I'm sure wherever he goes, a JP fan some where notices.
As for advice, Kevin recommends utilizing online resources like the Jurassic Jeep Forums and other great Jeep sites. This is not the last Fan Created Ride we'll see from Kevin and his friends. We're looking forward to covering other FCRs from Colorado Movie Cars as well. However we're open to suggestions on any Fan Created Rides. If you have or know someone who has a tv/movie car, drop us a line via our contact page. Till next time, keep those dinosaurs at bay!
If you had dinosaur ranch on a remote island what vehicle would you use to get around? The Jeep Wrangler was Universal's answer as to the vehicle of choice for Jurassic Park's staff transportation. You know, the Jeep is perfect for getting up and down through terrain, transporting stolen embryos and running from dinosaurs. At least that was the case for the Wranglers in the film.
Base Jeep
The base vehicle for Jurassic Park Jeeps were 1992 Jeep Wranglers (YJ). The Jeeps were the "Sahara" trim level which included a few exterior extras such as alloyed wheels, colored fender flares, step board and front bumper mounted fog lamps. Interior options were special trail-cloth seats and removable doors with pockets. All 1992 Saharas came with the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder standard.* All the Jeeps used in the film appear to have manual transmissions. However automatic transmissions magically appear from time to time (kinda like how the General Lee switches back and forth through the Dukes of Hazzard series).*
Jeep 18
Jurassic Park Jeep
What makes the JP Jeeps special? Well let's start with the paint scheme and graphics. The paint scheme consists of a Sand Beige Poly background with two red diagonal stripes through the body.* Each Jeep is numbered on hood, on the side and on front/back license plates.* There is also a id tag hanging from the rear-view mirror. The park logo is on the doors. The windshield frame is red with light bar hoop on top. However from my research only Jeep number 12 features lights on the light bar (maybe removable?). Don't shoot me down with hate mail if I'm wrong. The rear tail lights lights have additional amber lights on the top. The wheels are alloy, however they're painted red to match the stripes. All of the JP Jeeps are equip with winches and ride on BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.
Jeep 29: Very little screen time for this Jeep.
Jeep 10: Note the missing top. Used in the scene where they escape from the T-Rex. Later used to escape to the chopper.
Jeep 12: Used to by Dennis Nedry in attempt to escape the ranch with stolen embryos.
Jeep 12: Can Dennis not drive? Note the Lightbar.
Jeep 12: Final scene for Jeep 12, Dennis is killed by a Dilophosaurus.
Final Thoughts
Above is a clip from our favorite scene from the movie. In this scene the visitors are being chased by the a T-Rex. For comic relief the camera pans to the side rear view mirror. On the mirror you can see a warning label that says "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear." The T-Rex in the mirror is looking a little too close for comfort. I still crack up when I see this scene. The Jurassic Park Jeeps are pretty neat. I think it would be a fairly easy movie car to clone. However it may not be one of the easier base vehicles to find. But they're around. If you're interested in creating one of your own, the guys at JurassicParkJeep.com forums maybe able to help ya out. It looks like a great community. Till next time, drive safe and watch out for dinos! Don't forget to register and chat with us in the forums!
* Updated: 03/05/2010 with some great info from the guys at JurassicParkJeep.com
