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'Star Wars' speeder-bike rocker built by awesome dad

A young girl gets the gift of a lifetime when her "Star Wars"-fan dad makes a custom rocker in the shape of a speeder bike. Instructables has the guide.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read

Speeder Bike rocker
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Speeder Bike rocker
A rocker fit for a space princess. Tez_Gelmir

Somewhere out there on Planet Earth, there is a 1-year-old Jedi princess sitting atop her mighty speeder bike, gleefully rocking back and forth, a "Star Wars" fan-in-training.

The creation is a gift from her dad, who had the patience and skill to craft a custom rocker that looks like it flew straight out of the forests of Endor.

Australia-based Instructables user Tez_Gelmir built the Rocking Speeder Bike from plywood, PVC and 3D-printed parts. Strength and stability were at the top of his mind for the build. "The need to be strong enough to handle a beating led me to the first part of my design, a rigid backbone with a solid plywood top for the seat platform," he writes.

The design is based on an original concept drawing for the speeder bike from the movies, most famously the forest chase scene in "Return of the Jedi." The step-by-step Instructables guide goes into great detail on the build. Templates and tips will help other fans build their own rockers for their own offspring. It helps if you already have some advanced woodworking skills and a 3D printer handy.

'Star Wars' meets DIY for fantastic galactic creations (pictures)

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The rocker doesn't just sway back and forth and look pretty. It also has a light-up blaster cannon underneath that glows red as you imagine chasing your prey at top speed. Tez_Gelmir used an Arduino system to create the blaster cannon, which also has sound effects. The weapon is triggered by a button on the rocker.

A video of the rocker in action shows a thrilled young girl taking it for a ride while sporting a Princess Leia costume. The Rocking Speeder Bike project deserves every "Star Wars" cliche we can throw at it: The Force is strong with this dad. Use the rocker, Leia. Rock or do not, there is no try. This is the furniture you're looking for.

(Via Nerd Approved)