Fashion and Action: Red Skull

Friday, August 24, 2012

Still in Love With The Red Skull's Car (Schmidt Hydra Coupé)

Ace Vehicle Designer Daniel Simon just released a gorgeous little showcase clip for my favorite
movie car of all time - The Schmidt Hydra Coupé from Captain America: The First Avenger.
This time he's rendered his creation (and my obsession) in shiny villainous Red Skull red.
The clip showcases interior and exterior details - all set to Alan Silvestri's dramatic score.

(Bonus - a new wallpaper via Daniel Simon's FB page)

And because I 'm so smitten...here are images of the original black Coupe via Daniel Simon.com.

As well as some addition concept art that was part of the Marvel Auction earlier this year

In addition to the portfolio site and blog I linked to above Daniel Simon also shares his work on Facebook
@Daniel Simon and @Cosmic Motors. He's a must follow if you dig concept vehicles as much as I do.
He also shares a lot of his work from Tron Legacy & Tron Uprising as well, and I'm really
looking forward to catching a glimpse of his current work on Oblivion

Monday, July 25, 2011

Is it Wrong to Love the Red Skull's Car?

The vehicle design in Captain America is outstanding -- firmly rooted in the design aesthetics of the streamlined era while adding just the right amount of comic book oomph and Retro Futurism to reflect the characters and story. The best example being the Skull's Coupe...

"It is a completely made-up vehicle, but it looks believable for that time. I referenced one of the most beautiful cars of that era as a style guide for the front, the Mercedes 540K. The six-wheel chassis is inspired by another real era vehicle, the Mercedes G4. The massive supercharger is inspired by a Bentley. All those ideas are thrown in a basket and my job is to find the right balance and proportion, using my experience in car design. Schmidt's coupe is as big as a truck, a simple up-scaling would not have worked."

...explains Captain America's Vehicle Designer Daniel Simon in an interview at MTV Geek discussing his design concepts as well as what it was like to work with Director Joe Johnston - an uber vehicle geek - on the film. It's an excellent piece and shows Simon (who also worked on TRON: Legacy) really understands how to translate fantasy vehicle concepts into reality. So, it is OK to love The Skull's Car... and I do.