OK this a great piece of design, no doubt about it. Clever, well thought out, it ticks all the boxes in terms of a possible design brief. But really, this much thought to design and make a weapon you can conceal easier than a handgun? That’s just wrong.
Think about it, the military, police or security fields prefer to SHOW their weapons, seeing one is a deterrent in itself, right?
So it would seem the whole point of this concept is to deliver to the consumer market. I mean, go for a walk or taking out the garbage and get down to business if things go bad? What sort of place are you living in? And if you are living in such a place, then surely slinging an AK off your shoulder is probably a better option than having to pull your SMG out of your back pocket and unfold it, no?
In lieu of more design/media/newsworthy content (not a lot of interesting stuff going down this week it seems) we bring you Mr Ozio, with Flat Eric for your viewing (and listening) pleasure:
Bomb Squad Industries launches it’s first co-lab project on a grand scale. The ‘Doodle Monster Project’ is open to everyone around the world to take part in for a bit of fun and a whole lot of unity.
Group Lotus has teamed up with Hot Wheels, the famous global die-cast brand, to design, develop and produce a Lotus Hot Wheels Concept vehicle.
This 1:5 scale model was on display to the world at the annual SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Centre between October 29th and November 2nd, 2007 and a 1:64 scale version of the design will become part of the Hot Wheels product range in spring 2008.
Russell Carr, Head of Lotus Design said; “This was a dream job for the design team because, for many of us, when we were children, it was Hot Wheels that first ignited our passion for cars and design. Lotus Design’s international reputation for designing visually dynamic and exhilarating sports cars perfectly fitted the brief for this programme and we relished the opportunity to design a concept that was free from the typical technical and legal constraints of a full size car. In addition the design offered unique challenges because it has to work as a toy and we therefore had to remember how specific views, features and tactile qualities of toy cars fascinated us as children. I am very proud of the final design by Steven Crijns that succeeds in being both instantly recognisable as a Lotus and a Hot Wheels Car.”
Steven Crijns, Design Manager at Lotus Design and creator of this concept design explained; “Hot Wheels cars are barely 75mm long, so specific attention went to create a bold shape that would work well at this scale. Another challenge was to create an exciting design that would work well as a toy. The car needed to be recognisable as a Lotus without having to turn it over to look at the badge underneath, so I took elements from the Elise and Exige such as the headlight design, the Lotus ‘mouth’, the pronounced wheel arches and trademark bonnet graphics. I was keen for the design to express the Lotus philosophy of performance through lightweight: the shrink wrapped body is kept to an absolute minimum to save weight. The dynamic voluptuous curves make the car look agile and fun to drive. Bold aerodynamic aids are incorporated to achieve exceptional Lotus handling. The top exit radiator at the front, a distinctive Lotus design feature, the rear diffuser and a large rear wing all provide down-force helping the vehicle stick to the road. In addition, large side air intakes and an open rear end aid engine breathing. Inside the car, the exposed centre spine is part of the structure and incorporates the switches and gear linkage and supports the rear wing.”
