Lhorgrim said:
Does anybody remember "Damnation Alley"? I think it was a made for TV movie in the 70's. All I remember about it was these cool (for the time) multi wheeled military type vehicles, and some giant scorpions. I was kind of young, but I remember enjoying it at the time.
Damnation Alley was the first movie I thought of when I read the title of this thread. It was a real movie, not "made-for-TV".
I, too, loved this movie as a kid, but I haven't seen it in years. I've seen DVDs on ebay, but I think they're all bootleg.
Both the incredibly cool ARK II vehicle and the steel-plated cockroaches (not giant scorpions) were ACTUALLY REAL! Below are some trivia notes from IMDB, and there's even a fansite for the ARK II (Landmaster):
http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/landmaster/
* The 12-wheeled "Landmaster" vehicle used in the film was created by Jefferies Automotive in Universal City, California. Despite the appearance of two "Landmasters" in the film, only one was built at a cost of $300,000 in 1976. The Landmaster is powered by a 391 cubic-inch Ford industrial engine, and features a fully-functional, custom-built "tristar" wheel arrangement, which could actually help it "crawl" over boulders. It also used an innovative steering mechanism that guided the vehicle, not by the front wheels, but by "bending" the middle section with hydraulic rams to affect a turn. The Landmaster's bodywork was made with 3/8-inch steel plating, which helped it tip the scales at over 10 tons. It was so tough, in fact, that it survived a 25-foot jump during testing with no damage.
* The infamous armor-plated "killer cockroaches" are in fact Madagascar "hissing" cockroaches. In reality, they are three-inches long (as seen in the film), and are quite benign. They make the "hissing" sound to communicate with one another, and when they are agitated.
Carl
