Drones may be the fun new hobby for radio-control enthusiasts, but they can also look a little scary. Like a flying death machine from the future that an alien overlord might use to enslave humanity without having to get out of their spaceship because they are binge-watching "The Wire."
Drones could use a makeover and a company in San Diego, California has come up with a clever way to make these flying contraptions look like something that's not a harbinger of intergalactic enslavement.
Flyguy Promotions builds custom drone models that put familiar characters and objects in flight. It's bringing two of its most recent creations to the San Diego Comic-Con, according to the YouTube page of the company's marketing director Otto Dieffenbach.
If you're at the convention this weekend, keep your eyes peeled for some of these familiar flyers, like Snoopy from "Peanuts." This drone has Charlie Brown's lovable beagle on top of his red doghouse in a pair of airplane goggles, as if he's in a dogfight with the Red Baron. Snoopy's head even turns when his doghouse banks one way or another.
Comic-Con attendees should also keep an eye out for a flying R2-D2. Yes, I know the previously Earth-bound droid firing up hidden jets was the absolute worst bit of "Attack of the Clones," but it's not the little fella's fault. I'm sure even droids have flying dreams (when they're not counting electric sheep).
Flyguy Promotions has also made some other identifiable flying objects that sci-fi and comic book fans might enjoy seeing streak across the sky, like this very impressive reproduction of Doctor Who's Tardis. According to a separate video on Dieffenbach's YouTube page, they had to obtain clearance from the US Navy before setting their time-jumping police box loose on the skies over San Diego. Now I'm just really curious to see how the US military would react to the sight of a flying police box over a major metropolitan area. I pity the poor pilot who's ordered to shoot a Time Lord out of the sky.
Finally, if you're a Harry Potter fan, get ready to squeal in high-pitched delight because Flyguy has also made the Boy Who Lived riding on his Nimbus racing broom. This thing could only be cooler if you could figure out a way to play Quidditch that didn't violate the US Federal Aviation Administration's non-commercial airspace rules.