The winners of the 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Most Apocalyptic Vehicle contest

We gave a fabulous prize to the Most Apocalyptic Vehicle at the Denver premiere of 'Fury Road'

Because your friends at Autoweek understand the incredible cultural significance of the release of "Mad Max: Fury Road," we put together a Most Apocalyptic Vehicle contest for the Denver premiere of the film at the Alamo Drafthouse theater last week. The folks at U-Pull-&-Pay Self-Serve Used Auto Parts helped out as well, and I handed a $400 junkyard-parts gift certificate to the contest winners. Let's see some of the machinery that showed up!

Alexi II, the 1971 Cadillac hearse, got the mall cops all agitated when the flames went higher. Photo by Murilee Martin

Soon after I moved to Denver, I learned that the Mile High City is the Hearse Fanatic Capital of America. Naturally, such a hearse hotbed can be expected to produce what must be the world's most apocalyptic hearse: Alexi 2, a 1971 Cadillac hearse built by Superior. When civilization collapses and the warriors of the wasteland need to impress their subjects with their familiarity with and/or lack of fear of death, something like this machine will be just the ticket.

The builder and driver of the hearse shows that you can still be suave after Babylon collapses. Photo by Murilee Martin

A Cadillac hearse not only provides a luxurious ride, the coffin rollers in the back make loading and unloading wasteland booty rounded up by your War Boys a snap.

A pickup truck with backup motorcycle makes sense for post-apocalyptic transportation. Photo by Murilee Martin

Bob Harnsberger, my Speed Week pit-bike accomplice and builder of an Infiniti-engined Renault R5 Turbo replica for the B.F.E. GP 24 Hours of LeMons (the Renault was very exciting at the dragstrip as well), brought this International Harvester pickup truck with backup "SNAFU" bike in the bed.

A fully caged Checker Marathon with Chevy small-block and 4-speed manual transmission would come in handy during apocalyptic driving conditions. Photo by Murilee Martin

A couple of LeMons race cars showed up, including Rich von Sneidern's evil-looking 1978 Checker Marathon

The Grumpy Cat Racing '50 Dodge truck got a Mad Maxian makeover for the occasion. Photo by Murilee Martin

The Grumpy Cat Racing 1950 Dodge pickup, a very successful LeMons race machine built by Kevin Temmer, got some apocalypse-appropriate upgrades for the occasion, including field-of-fire-enhancing door removal and giant spare-tire rack in the bed.

It's hard to beat the Chrysler Flathead Six engine for reliability under trying conditions. Photo by Murilee Martin

The Grumpy Cat Racing Dodge has a Chrysler flathead inline-six engine, pulled from a TWA airport tug once used at the old Stapleton Airport, under the hood. None of these newfangled overhead valves will be needed when society implodes!

The gloss-black paint on this Scout might not fare so well during desert dust storms and/or firefights, but it looks beautiful. Photo by Murilee Martin

This nicely restored IHC Scout boasted International Harvester 345-cubic-inch V8 torque, which will be helpful when towing the bullet-riddled vehicles of defeated enemies back to the compound for parts-stripping.

The most practical Apocalypsemobile was this Jeep Cherokee Photo by Murilee Martin

Steve McDaniel, roaming the country in his Jeep Cherokee, stopped by Denver while en route from his gig judging at the Real Hoopties of New Jersey to California, and he converted his Jeep into the G.T.F.T. Apocalypse Response Unit Bravo.

In case of actual apocalypse, this gear will be very helpful. Photo by Murilee Martin

Since McDaniel crisscrosses the country in this Jeep, it's full of actual survival-enhancing supplies. Certainly the most practical Apocalyptic Vehicle among the contestants… although the "Mad Max" version of practicality may differ a bit from the real-world kind.

The Undertaker! Photo by Murilee Martin

This Ford tow truck, apparently known as "The Undertaker," showed up late for the judging but deserves recognition for its apocalyptic qualities.

Just walk away, and there will be an end to the horror. Photo by Murilee Martin

Who won the $400 U-Pull-&-Pay junkyard gift certificate? I had no choice but to award the prize to the Mountain Miscreants, who brought four extremely apocalyptic vehicles in addition to dressing appropriately.

Meet "Tetanus," the Mountain Miscreants' 4x4 1965 Rambler Ambassador wagon. Photo by Murilee Martin

The Miscreants are regulars at Wasteland Weekend, the "world's largest post-apocalyptic festival." Their flagship vehicle is this 1965 Rambler Ambassador wagon, built on a Chevy chassis and featuring plenty of skulls and sharp edges.

This monstrosity started life as a Volkswagen Beetle. Photo by Murilee Martin

Air-cooled Volkswagens were preferred by the Manson Family as well as plenty of members of the Lord Humungus' cronies, and the Mountain Miscreants have this 1960s Beetle-based machine in their motor pool.

The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah. Photo by Murilee Martin

The Miscreants' Buggy has everything the well-dressed warlord needs.

This CamaroBird is known as the "Chimaro." Photo by Murilee Martin

Rounding out the Miscreants' fleet is an olive-drab Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle and this Camaro-Firebird mashup known as the "Chimaro." The outfits, the cars, the whole package: first prize for the Mountain Miscreants!

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Jacinta Leong on building beastly machines for 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

The credits for the movie "Mad Max: Fury Road" roll on seemingly forever. It makes you realize how many people it takes to make a movie as visually stunning as this one. All those cars, trucks and dirt bikes had to be imagined, drawn, built and driven. The amount of work involved is staggering.

Bryan Abrams of www.TheCredits.org interviewed "Mad Max" art director Jacinta Leong to find out what goes into making these wild war rigs.

Over 150 real cars were used in George Miller's latest "Max" incarnation, creating a literally moving spectacle of vehicular mutation and mayhem. How'd they pull this off? Abrams spoke to art director Jacinta Leong about her role in turning Miller's fever dream into a reality.

How would you explain your job to a layman? You can use the work you did on "Mad Max" as an example.

On a film, the production designer is the head of the art department. She is responsible for the look of the film's sets, environments, vehicles, props, graphics. My job as art director is to “make things happen,” so the production designer’s vision is realized -- from concept to construction. I organize drawings and modeling to communicate design work; research and collate information; ask questions and liaise with other departments so we all know how we fit in with each others' work and timeframes. When a set is ready to be filmed, then I'm almost home free.

Tell us how these incredible vehicles were built.

The production designer on "Mad Max: Fury Road" -- Colin Gibson -- instructed me on specific vehicle and set requirements, by providing me with his sketches and ideas. Supervising art director Charlie Revai also supplied me with information and his thoughts, such as logistics and creative decisions that he had developed.

The vehicles were built in a workshop next to the art department and set decoration, so we could prowl around them any time. I was in charge of the art department's drawings, illustrations and documentation, ensuring they contained relevant information. The drawings allowed us to discuss how everyone's work combined -- set decoration, mechanics, steel and SFX.

If I wasn't at the computer drawing, I was in the workshop seeing the vehicles take shape, being test-driven, and completed with scenic finishes and decals. 

What were some of the specific challenges you faced with the film? How would you compare them to the work you’ve done in the past?

A specific challenge designing the vehicles was achieving esthetic qualities as well as functionality. Our vehicles had to look amazing, but beyond that, they also had to drive safely at speed!

I'll use the Gigahorse for example. The Gigahorse was a stacked pair of Cadillac bodies, powered by a pair of Chevy 502 engines. So it obviously looked intimidating, but how did it actually drive? Engineer Antony Natoli and mechanic Mark McKinley designed a system so the two engines sat in a side-by-side arrangement and were connected to the transmission. I modeled the system in AutoCAD, and from this file, the plates and components were waterjet cut.

The Gigahorse Chassis Photo by Jacinta Leong

The Gigahorse's suspension was also a challenge. The chassis was built from scratch and all the components had to accurately function. The technical drawings I produced showed how the two engines connected to the bell housing transmission, then to the tail shaft and rear diff. The other parts included gear housing plates, control arms with rose joints, radius arms, shocks and bump stops.

I used 3DSMax to calculate and animate the extent of arm rotation...making sure the tires didn't interfere with the chassis. How would I compare these challenges to work I've done in the past? There is no comparison. I have never worked on a film with so many hardcore vehicles, with such a raw, gritty original look, screaming through such unforgiving and harsh environments. I may never have that opportunity again to work on a "vehicles" film of this scale and story...but I hope I do!

The Gigahorse design Photo by Jactina Leong

The completed Gigahorse Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures

"Mad Max" has the sand-blasted, post-apocalyptic, leather-and-gearhead thing going for it in a major way. How did you go into your design work with this in mind?

Director George Miller has been directing, writing, living and breathing the "Mad Max" story for decades. His team had already produced storyboards and concepts of "Fury Road." So he knew what film esthetics he wanted to tell this story.

Colin Gibson's ideas flow at a blistering speed, whether he's designing sets and dressing, or sketching props or graphics.

He is always in tune with the story; "Fury Road" takes place in a deteriorated social condition. His selection of materials for creating this world was "what would be left?" For example -- how are the people governed? Are there commodities? How much water is left for people to drink, and when it is given to them, what containers are they using? What are the characters' belongings, according to their personalities? What do they eat? They are desperate people; how do they survive?

The vehicles had their functions too, which led to their forms. For example, the pole cat vehicles were used to pluck prey from moving vehicles. How do they work? They looked like analog metronomes. This world looks believable, because all those questions were asked. Concept illustrator Peter Pound had also been working on this project since the late '90s, so he had many ideas on the vehicles. Reference books, too, were an inspiration. Through the collective creativity of art, props, set dec and vehicles, the design work culminated in finished vehicles, ready to film.

These poles were constructed like metronomes that carried people. Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures

You are credited along with Shira Hockman as the art director. What was it like working with her? Who else on the crew did you collaborate closely with?

I didn’t meet Shira, but I would like to; we corresponded by email while I was in Australia, and she was in Namibia. I did not travel to Namibia for the shoot, so I sent files to her to continue. Andrew Chan was assistant art director. He generated construction drawings and diagrams for vehicles and Citadel sets. I worked with Katie Sharrock, our set decorator, who found and made an incredible collection of materials, textures and dressing for the vehicles. Mark McKinley was our mechanic. He's brilliant...he can make anything work! Mark Natoli did very fine panel beating work, including innovative methods of making embossed tail pipes. SFX Supervisor Dan Oliver and his SFX department problem-solved the vehicles' engineering and rigs. I was privileged to work with the VFX department and concept illustrators at George Miller's "Metro" office, as we prepared to "pitch" all the ideas in an animatic that conveyed the Citadel run sequence.

 

 

Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus in Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' action adventure "Mad Max: Fury Road." Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures

Walk us through the creation of a specific environment or moment -- what you did and how you did it.

The Citadel had interiors including the blood bank, branding room, vehicle room and altar. These Interiors were linked by warren-like tunnels through which Max runs on a descent ...like to hell. We had the sets in 3-D, and I animated Max running through, so we had a sense of timing and spatial experience. For example, the blood bank was where Max is caged and tattooed. I modeled this set in 3DSMax, animating how Max fell out of the cage.

For these sets, I used cameras with different lenses, and different heights and tilts for Colin to review. He would give me feedback with each revision. In these views, we could also look at positions and intensities of lighting and fire to add to the atmosphere. I'm not sure how much of these sets end up on the cutting room floor, so I'll find out at the cinemas!

Do you have a favorite vehicle?

I loved the process of developing the War Rig - Imperator Furiosa's (Charlize Theron) vehicle. Its truck tows a trailer with a tank, which tows a fuel pod. We used a Tatra T 815 Truck as a prime mover; we pushed the cabin back so the engine was pronounced, with a bonnet. Peter Pound had drawn concept illustrations years before, so I used the illustrations, and the existing Tatra to draw our design.

The War Rig design Photo by Jacinta Leong

Drawing and modeling is a "level" or stage of design, and it's here that we see proportions, choose colors, and check moving parts. On the War Rig, as we added elements -- such as spikes and skulls -- we continually checked that they wouldn't be crushed when the vehicle turned or jack-knifed. The Tatra has swinging half axles, so we took that into account to make sure our fenders were clear of the swing.

We positioned weapons and studied how the actors would fit in the cabin, and on the exterior in turrets and swinging on davits as they defended the vehicle.

I used 3DSMax to show George Miller and Colin various designs, where they could "walk" around it on the computer screen, ask for different views, and see how various parts moved and turned. The software adjusted elements interactively, such as the curves of the tank's toothed blades. I used modifiers to vary the bend of the curves, spinning through the minimum and maximum extents of "bend."

I generated 41 drawings of the War Rig to get it built, and enjoyed working with Mark Gatt, our steel department supervisor. The steelwork required fabricating, rolling, welding, cutting and R&D to modify and build. There were spikes, vents, the grille, dressing, lighting panels, and it was a great chance to be inventive.

 

 

 

Charlize Theron and the War Rig. Photo by Jasin Boland, Warner Bros. Pictures

The War Rig went through a lot of damage through the story, so Charlie Revai and I produced a document to show how damaged it should appear in different scenes. The War Rig was an all-singing, all-dancing vehicle that satisfied design, engineering, mechanical, and story requirements. It was a challenging exercise that I truly enjoyed. Working on "Mad Max: Fury Road" was an awesome experience. I learned a lot, and I hope I contributed something, too.

The article "Here's How They Built The Beastly Machines For Mad Max: Fury Road" first appeared at The Credits.

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'Mad Max: Fury Road' movie review: So many cars, so little plot

We see it so you won’t have to (but you'll probably still want want to)

The fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise, "Fury Road," could have been so good.

Crikey.

The design of the whole thing, from the cars to the characters to the magnificent sprawling sets scattered across the desolate Namib desert, make for such a starkly stunning setting that it really is too bad they couldn’t have made the characters say something more interesting. Instead, the movie relies on delivering an overpowering visual clobbering and forgets to try and add anything else.

There are a few well-timed pauses in the action that really add to the story but they’re almost accidental in nature and the best and funniest one is immediately stepped on by yet another ill-timed body-squashing.

But this ain’t Filmweek, it’s Autoweek, and there are some great cars here. Our favorite is the Gigahorse, two 1959 Cadillacs welded on top of each other and bolted to a Monster Truck. This is the ride of choice of His Imperial Excellence the Warlord Immortan Joe. Joe is a very, very bad man who has enslaved his people and even cruelly keeps a harem of wives he calls “prized breeders.” When our heroine Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa rescues the girls and makes a break for freedom, an enraged Immortan Joe gives chase, employing a battalion of War Boys who have all been promised immortality in Valhalla. That’s the premise and that is what launches a two-hour post-apocalyptic car chase.

Car Life Gallery: Mad Max Fury Road cars and trucks and...things

Oh yeah, the cars.

Joe’s army has a Dodge Power Wagon-looking monster truck called The Big Foot, which has a pretty good jump scene in the movie, as well as a low-range transfer case rock-crawling scene to rival anything on The Rubicon.

Our hero Mad Max’s Interceptor, an Australian-market XB Falcon Coupe, is the first car we see, rusted and properly post-apocalyptic itself. The Peacemaker is a Plymouth Valiant on tank treads commanded by a bullet-toothed madman made up to look, in a Mad Maxian way, like an English Lord. The Tanker is a gas-hauling big rig with an old Mercedes S-Class for a cab. And Furiosa herself drives an unstoppable 18-or-more-wheeler called The War Rig. There are motorcycles, too. And exploding harpoons. And buzz saws, cross bows, spears, spikes and spatulas. There is nothing missing in this wheeled arsenal of an action movie.

Except some good dialogue. The words spoken at the start, a voiceover by Max explaining how he got where he is and what happened to the thing formerly known as civilization, are pretty good, and make us hopeful the whole movie will have such an articulate story. But there is almost nothing more said. Just a massive, War Boy-blowing road race. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just could have been so much better. At least it doesn’t fall all over itself trying to give meaning like a "Fast and Furious" flick (“They ain’t nothing but what ya got when ya got nothing blah blah blah”).

It would have also been nice, from our perspective at least, to have some lingering closeups or even some longer shots of the cars themselves. They looked really cool in the pre-release stills we saw a couple weeks ago. Instead you have to peel your eyeballs for fleeting glimpses of them as they whir and blast past before getting blasted to smithereens. Pity.

Should you go see it? Yeah, go see it. It is a sweeping vista on the end (and rebirth?) of civilization. But we wish there had been more.

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