Creating a motion picture that inspires car enthusiasts only seems easy if you compare it to the nearly impossible task of achieving that with an entire franchise. The most notable exception for the latter? This has to be George Miller’s Mad Max universe, which has been inspiring generations of gearheads since 1979. And speaking of passing the MM torch, how about a children’s version of the Mad Max Black Interceptor?
Over the years, we’ve seen all sorts of Mad Max fan builds, with these ranging from a Dodge Challenger Hellcat morphing into the franchise’s original 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop to a VW Bus that stays true to the bootleg approach of the movie vehicles in its own way.
Nevertheless, as stated in the intro, the contraption we have here is a kid-sized nod to the Black Interceptor that both Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy (movie #4, Fury Road of 2015) have manhandled while playing lead character Maximillian “Max” Rockatansky. It’s worth noting that the machine appears to be a half-size tribute to the Black Interceptor in its said OG form, which debuted in the 1979 Mad Max movie.
The kid-sized Mad Max Interceptor was showcased at the Weekend With Max event
The tiny Interceptor was probably the most unusual machine to have graced the Wasteland… sorry, I meant the dusty rural N.S.W. over in Australia, which recently hosted an event that simply called “Weekend With Max”. Given that the first three movies were filmed Down Under—rain altering the desert meant production for film #4 was done in Namibia—this seems only natural.
Just seeing the tiny thing parked next to a full-size Interceptor replica made me giggle (helmet tip to Redditor MrBinkie for some of the images in the gallery below), but I was expecting the thing to be some sort of pedal car.
Fortunately, this was one of those situations where I was delighted to be wrong. And that’s because the YouTube clip embedded below shows the little black machine driving under its own power (e.g. 16:45 timestamp).
The clip comes from WastelandFirebird, an American enthusiast who’s been bathing in Aussie car culture and seriously showcasing it over the past 8 months or so. And, based on what you can hear in the vid, it appears this is no Power Wheels—in other words, the children’s car packs an internal combustion engine rather than an electric motor.
Now, before anybody points out that Mad Max is an R-Rated movie (think: Restricted, those under 17 require accompanying parent or adult guardian), hear me out.
Just look at the boy driving the contraption and giving the camera a thumbs up at the 17:20 point and tell me that’s not a happy kid. And while we can’t see his outfit, this makes me think of Mad Max 2: Road Warrior’s Feral Kid, who was played by Emil Minty.
And, to discuss the more recent Fury Road, I’ll remind you that a PG-13 iteration was made, but this was only screened for test audiences in the US.
Australia’s Stuntman and Daredevil Hall of Fame Museum
Once you look past the hand-written sign at the gate of the event, you’ll find a mix that would impress any Mad Max fan. The bits that really got me?
In chronological order, I’ll kick things off with stuntman Lawrence Legend talking about the upcoming grand opening of his Stuntman and Daredevil Hall of Fame Museum in Monte Cristo Rd, Junee, N.S.W, Australia (2:56 timestamp).
For the record, the museum will showcase stunt people from all corners of the earth and will preserve the history of stunt people in Australia. Meanwhile, the enthusiasts has also built a replica of the Ford F-100 Snake Truck from Mad Max 2: Road Warrior.
Then there’s the mini interview the YouTuber does with Roger Ward (21:35), who played police chief Fifi in the original film. And, as his fans are well aware, the Australian actor enjoyed covering many stunts throughout his career, so you should come across his shenanigans once that museum opens its gates.
