Star Wars has no shortage of iconic characters and machinery, but one underrated droid is finally getting its due.
Arguably, the flying Viper Imperial probe droid, made famous for scouting out the secret Rebel base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, has long been the most forgotten of Star Wars droids. That hasn’t stopped one fan from modifying a replica of the droid with drone. The results of having a flying machine floating around the house definitely feel like something out of a space opera.
The drone is the work of YouTube user ajw61185, and it’s an impressive re-creation. The lights are a nice touch, and honestly even just seeing its shadow cast on the wall is enough to fool your brain for a second. The actual size of a probe droid in the movies is around five feet, so the scale is a little off, but there’s only so much a drone can take.
Naturally, ajw61185 made sure to pipe in John Williams’ “Imperial March,” as well as making heavy use of Lucas’s favorite wipe transition in his video.
As for how the droid is able to fly with the extra weight, ajw61185 states that the whole construction is made from a 3 mm depron foam, a material originally made for floor insulation that hobbyists have taken to due to its light weight and stiff feel.
The probe droid as it appears in Empire.
“Landing is a bit of a challenge, but I made break-away mounts for the legs, in case I miss a hand catch,” ajw61185 notes in the video’s description.
The droid, which “flies reasonably well indoors” weighs about 50 grams in total and was apparently made just for fun (he certainly appears to be enjoying himself, given his appearance as a Tauntaun-mounted Rebel in the video). Interestingly, ajw61185 is also planning on sharing drawings and build photos in the video’s comment section.
Browsing his YouTube page, it’s clear ajw61185 loves both Star Wars – he’s made a number of other replicas – as well as flying craft in general. Hopefully he can figure out a way to add the probe droid’s iconic sound, or even working retractable antennae, in his next build.
