Paxtonmobile
EF0
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2015
- Messages
- 20
The Paxtonmobile Project: the truck and Dorothy from Twister
First off, let me say hello, and give some backstory. My name is Justin, I'm 23, and I work on at BNSF. Let me say before I get into my project that I have no intent on doing the things they did in the movie Twister- I have no plans on getting THAT close, driving into a tornado, or actually trying to put something into a tornado.
The backstory is that I grew up on Cosmos, and Twister- Twister introduced me to meteorology. I instantly fell in love with the weather, and gobbled up everything I could as a kid on weather, and pretty much anything science in general. I was planning on going to Oklahoma University for a degree in meteorology, but things in life changed that, so I joined my other job idea career thing, the railroad.
And now for the actual project!
I've always wanted to replicate the truck and Dorothy from Twister. It's like the #1 thing on my bucket list. I plan on chasing with it, filming and taking photographs, and I have no illusions that I'm out there doing a pro's job- I'll be hanging out way back there while letting the pro's do their thing.
I decided to move ahead with building the Paxtonmobile (what I affectionately call the truck) after my dad was diagnosed with several forms of cancer early 2014. He told me to start building this, as "you've been dreaming about that thing since you were little, let's make that dream a reality to keep us busy!" And so we shall.
I know I'll probably catch some flak for building this, and for my silly little plans for it. I don't really care, this is a childhood dream I'm building. I'm not going chasing with this until I've researched safety tips and taken first aid- I will NOT be "that guy" that turns around from being a first responder to victims, nor "that guy" that barrels down a muddy road at a ridiculous speed trying to get a shot. Safety on the railroad is #1, I've always been a safety oriented person, and so I'll be as safe as possible while out chasing.
I do plan on refilming bits of Twister, as I live ~350 miles away from all of the filming locations. My friends have created computer-generated particle systems that replicate the tornadoes from the movie (pretty much CGI) so I'm all set.
I began my hunt for a 1994-1996 Dodge Ram 2500 V10 4x4. And after a lot of searching and frustration, I found it. I flew to Nashville, TN to pick it up, and drove it home to Kansas City, MO. I had the cab lights installed, and I drove the truck down to Norman, OK to go on a tour of OU and the NPC/NWS. I also measured one of the Dorothy's there, to make my replica. And I also made a stop at Wakita, OK, to see where Twister was filmed and see the movie museum.
Me and a boilermaker friend of mine from work are going to build the frame, instrument mounts, and possibly some of the instruments themselves. I had a metal shop build the barrel and pieces that are welded to the lip of the barrel. The frame should be done by March, and it should have all the greeblies/lights/sound by June/July.
I look forward to the day I pass Reed Timmer, in his Dominator, while I'm in the Paxtonmobile. Call it a stupid little dream I have, haha.
In March, I'm meeting Cary Elwes, the actor who played Jonas, and in September I'm going to Wakita, OK, where a good deal of Twister was filmed, for the 20th anniversary party, and possibly meeting Bill Paxton.
Now, pictures! This is my childhood dream coming true.
![ad6d806df7d59493d94196d296df5a07.jpg ad6d806df7d59493d94196d296df5a07.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14016-e6f40d701b3d6634eb1dcdf444e48bd2.jpg)
![9f507c1db16c98ae9e0cc71e56615404.jpg 9f507c1db16c98ae9e0cc71e56615404.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14017-f736b8dd2f9be6d8a417b60531b24fb0.jpg)
![d573e8229d20c4bec8c317ca16541c06.jpg d573e8229d20c4bec8c317ca16541c06.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14018-e7fe6caa6adf51358cf70e010d0962d3.jpg)
First off, let me say hello, and give some backstory. My name is Justin, I'm 23, and I work on at BNSF. Let me say before I get into my project that I have no intent on doing the things they did in the movie Twister- I have no plans on getting THAT close, driving into a tornado, or actually trying to put something into a tornado.
The backstory is that I grew up on Cosmos, and Twister- Twister introduced me to meteorology. I instantly fell in love with the weather, and gobbled up everything I could as a kid on weather, and pretty much anything science in general. I was planning on going to Oklahoma University for a degree in meteorology, but things in life changed that, so I joined my other job idea career thing, the railroad.
And now for the actual project!
I've always wanted to replicate the truck and Dorothy from Twister. It's like the #1 thing on my bucket list. I plan on chasing with it, filming and taking photographs, and I have no illusions that I'm out there doing a pro's job- I'll be hanging out way back there while letting the pro's do their thing.
I decided to move ahead with building the Paxtonmobile (what I affectionately call the truck) after my dad was diagnosed with several forms of cancer early 2014. He told me to start building this, as "you've been dreaming about that thing since you were little, let's make that dream a reality to keep us busy!" And so we shall.
I know I'll probably catch some flak for building this, and for my silly little plans for it. I don't really care, this is a childhood dream I'm building. I'm not going chasing with this until I've researched safety tips and taken first aid- I will NOT be "that guy" that turns around from being a first responder to victims, nor "that guy" that barrels down a muddy road at a ridiculous speed trying to get a shot. Safety on the railroad is #1, I've always been a safety oriented person, and so I'll be as safe as possible while out chasing.
I do plan on refilming bits of Twister, as I live ~350 miles away from all of the filming locations. My friends have created computer-generated particle systems that replicate the tornadoes from the movie (pretty much CGI) so I'm all set.
I began my hunt for a 1994-1996 Dodge Ram 2500 V10 4x4. And after a lot of searching and frustration, I found it. I flew to Nashville, TN to pick it up, and drove it home to Kansas City, MO. I had the cab lights installed, and I drove the truck down to Norman, OK to go on a tour of OU and the NPC/NWS. I also measured one of the Dorothy's there, to make my replica. And I also made a stop at Wakita, OK, to see where Twister was filmed and see the movie museum.
Me and a boilermaker friend of mine from work are going to build the frame, instrument mounts, and possibly some of the instruments themselves. I had a metal shop build the barrel and pieces that are welded to the lip of the barrel. The frame should be done by March, and it should have all the greeblies/lights/sound by June/July.
I look forward to the day I pass Reed Timmer, in his Dominator, while I'm in the Paxtonmobile. Call it a stupid little dream I have, haha.
In March, I'm meeting Cary Elwes, the actor who played Jonas, and in September I'm going to Wakita, OK, where a good deal of Twister was filmed, for the 20th anniversary party, and possibly meeting Bill Paxton.
Now, pictures! This is my childhood dream coming true.
![ad6d806df7d59493d94196d296df5a07.jpg ad6d806df7d59493d94196d296df5a07.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14016-e6f40d701b3d6634eb1dcdf444e48bd2.jpg)
![9f507c1db16c98ae9e0cc71e56615404.jpg 9f507c1db16c98ae9e0cc71e56615404.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14017-f736b8dd2f9be6d8a417b60531b24fb0.jpg)
![d573e8229d20c4bec8c317ca16541c06.jpg d573e8229d20c4bec8c317ca16541c06.jpg](https://stormtrack.org/data/attachments/14/14018-e7fe6caa6adf51358cf70e010d0962d3.jpg)
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