This is a long one, but worth the read: A year ago I was hired by Factory Entertainment to build a prototype of a product they want to bring to market: The Flux Capacitor from the DeLorean Time Machine in Back to the Future. Factory Entertainment just announced this, so I can talk about it here!
The Flux you see here is the prototype I created for Factory Entertainment to secure licensing from Universal Studios and establish exactly what this should look and sound like in production.
Factory Ent. and I agreed that if we were going to produce a Licensed Flux Capacitor we wanted it to be done RIGHT ... and be unique. What I pitched to them was a replica of the Flux Capacitor seen in the newly-restored “A-Car”. A little history: There were three DeLorean Time Machines built for the film, A, B, and C. The A-Car is the hero car you see in most shots. That car had fallen in to serious disrepair over the years. A few years back a group of fans, working with Universal and creator Bob Gale, painstakingly restored the A-Car to its former glory. That car now resides in the Petersen Auto Museum in LA. There are several key differences in the A-Car Flux Capacitor that cannot be seen on the other two, or in any of the replicas (licensed or otherwise) that Iʼve seen produced, We wanted to incorporate these unique features and create a Flux Capacitor Replica based on the newly-restored A-Car DeLorean Time Machine.
Hereʼs some of what makes this Flux special:
Electronics:
My goal was to create an authentic approach to the electronics. One that reflects what we actually see and hear the Flux do in the films. Kind of. So, this Flux has two modes.
1) Power on: Here the flux tubes are fluxing and your hear the rough static electrical discharge.
2) Time Dispersal: Pushing a button causes the Flux to light up (like we see in the film) and go through the time jump we see in the first film. Interestingly, you never see what the Flux is doing during most of the Time Dispersal Sequence. So, the lights in my Flux matches the cadence of the flashes we see from the exterior of the Delorean.
Sounds:
As part of the project I was able to get the audio master (with dialing removed) of the original film. The Time Dispersal soundtrack in this replica were extracted from the audio masters.
Torr Relays:
Iʼm really proud of these. They are handmade from brass. Small details Iʼve never seen reproduced, like the tiny solder hole at the end of the tube cradles were incorporated. On the A-Car Flux there are secondary black brackets that attach the relays to the back board. Iʼve not seen those reproduced in other replicas so we incorporated them here. The glass tubes are actually pressure cast resin with the brass rod cast right into the piece. Not 100% accurate, but very close. Finally, accurate spark plug wires and caps were designed and incorporated in the final piece.
Torr Relay Labels:
I donʼt believe anyone has gotten these quite right. So Iʼve designed my own based on screen grabs from the documentary, which actually shows them very clearly. I was also able to get clear shots of all 3 relay serial numbers. Meaning, this replica has the correct, unique serial number for each relay, in the correct position on the backboard!
Elbows:
This replica features all 5 elbows seen in the restored A-Car DeLorean.
Controls:
The Original flux didnʼt have external controls but I wanted people to be able to activate it without turning it around or opening the cover. So some “canon-inspired controls with Demo labels are along the side. My favorite is the vintage-y guitar volume knob for the audio, a subtle nod to Marty.
Back Board:
There’s several, subtle difference to the backboard of the A-Car Flux. There are random screws holding electronics on the back, the relays are spun in unique directions, and the little curve of holes near the center should be on the left, not the right. I wanted all these oddities to be accurate in this replica. AND, it clearly shows a large open circle at the center.
I was not allowed access to the actual A-Car Delorean to do hands on measurements (I did ask). Everything is based on photogrammetry of screen grabs from the documentary and the film. Somethings might not be perfect. But Back to the Future creator Bob Gale himself has seen this and gave it his blessing. Good enough for me. I'm really proud of this and can wait to see this Licensed Replica come to market.
The Flux you see here is the prototype I created for Factory Entertainment to secure licensing from Universal Studios and establish exactly what this should look and sound like in production.
Factory Ent. and I agreed that if we were going to produce a Licensed Flux Capacitor we wanted it to be done RIGHT ... and be unique. What I pitched to them was a replica of the Flux Capacitor seen in the newly-restored “A-Car”. A little history: There were three DeLorean Time Machines built for the film, A, B, and C. The A-Car is the hero car you see in most shots. That car had fallen in to serious disrepair over the years. A few years back a group of fans, working with Universal and creator Bob Gale, painstakingly restored the A-Car to its former glory. That car now resides in the Petersen Auto Museum in LA. There are several key differences in the A-Car Flux Capacitor that cannot be seen on the other two, or in any of the replicas (licensed or otherwise) that Iʼve seen produced, We wanted to incorporate these unique features and create a Flux Capacitor Replica based on the newly-restored A-Car DeLorean Time Machine.
Hereʼs some of what makes this Flux special:
Electronics:
My goal was to create an authentic approach to the electronics. One that reflects what we actually see and hear the Flux do in the films. Kind of. So, this Flux has two modes.
1) Power on: Here the flux tubes are fluxing and your hear the rough static electrical discharge.
2) Time Dispersal: Pushing a button causes the Flux to light up (like we see in the film) and go through the time jump we see in the first film. Interestingly, you never see what the Flux is doing during most of the Time Dispersal Sequence. So, the lights in my Flux matches the cadence of the flashes we see from the exterior of the Delorean.
Sounds:
As part of the project I was able to get the audio master (with dialing removed) of the original film. The Time Dispersal soundtrack in this replica were extracted from the audio masters.
Torr Relays:
Iʼm really proud of these. They are handmade from brass. Small details Iʼve never seen reproduced, like the tiny solder hole at the end of the tube cradles were incorporated. On the A-Car Flux there are secondary black brackets that attach the relays to the back board. Iʼve not seen those reproduced in other replicas so we incorporated them here. The glass tubes are actually pressure cast resin with the brass rod cast right into the piece. Not 100% accurate, but very close. Finally, accurate spark plug wires and caps were designed and incorporated in the final piece.
Torr Relay Labels:
I donʼt believe anyone has gotten these quite right. So Iʼve designed my own based on screen grabs from the documentary, which actually shows them very clearly. I was also able to get clear shots of all 3 relay serial numbers. Meaning, this replica has the correct, unique serial number for each relay, in the correct position on the backboard!
Elbows:
This replica features all 5 elbows seen in the restored A-Car DeLorean.
Controls:
The Original flux didnʼt have external controls but I wanted people to be able to activate it without turning it around or opening the cover. So some “canon-inspired controls with Demo labels are along the side. My favorite is the vintage-y guitar volume knob for the audio, a subtle nod to Marty.
Back Board:
There’s several, subtle difference to the backboard of the A-Car Flux. There are random screws holding electronics on the back, the relays are spun in unique directions, and the little curve of holes near the center should be on the left, not the right. I wanted all these oddities to be accurate in this replica. AND, it clearly shows a large open circle at the center.
I was not allowed access to the actual A-Car Delorean to do hands on measurements (I did ask). Everything is based on photogrammetry of screen grabs from the documentary and the film. Somethings might not be perfect. But Back to the Future creator Bob Gale himself has seen this and gave it his blessing. Good enough for me. I'm really proud of this and can wait to see this Licensed Replica come to market.
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