Moms and Dads often go the extra mile for their kids, to make their Star Wars experience the best it can be, but hands-on-Dad Mark Eaton from Florida really did go the extra parsec, building his two kids their very own version of Star Tours in their garage
Disneyland fan and devoted dad Mark Eaton built a Star Tours flight simulator and Mad Tea Party teacup in his Carlsbad condominium that was transformed into the Happiest Place on Earth for his daughter’s birthday party during the Anaheim theme park’s pandemic closure.
The labor of love by the former Disneyland passholder included fully functioning homemade rides, recreations of themed lands and a half-dozen Disney characters all at a cost of a few hundred dollars — far less than the millions Walt Disney Imagineering spends on new attractions.
Eaton grew up riding Star Tours at Disneyland as a kid.
“The ride is a flight simulator,” Eaton said. “Basically it just goes up and down and side to side matching the view of the video.”
He came up with a crude, inexpensive and safe way to replicate the Star Tours experience while laying awake in bed after Indy asked for the Disneyland themed birthday party.
“I just kept coming back to what is basically a super heavy duty teeter totter or seesaw, which to me is ridiculous,” Eaton said.
The StarSpeeder frame is made of two-by-fours, covered in cardboard and painted to match the spacecraft livery. A $30 used flat screen TV bought online serves as the cockpit window that shows the Star Tours ride video from YouTube. Up to three people can ride at a time. The whole thing cost less than $300.
“It needed to be as light as possible, but also sturdy enough that it was going to work,” Eaton said.
Counterweights in the front help balance the weight of the homemade Star Tours ride. Eaton serves as the ride operator — tipping the ride vehicle forward, backward and side to side.
“It’s so simple,” Eaton said. “It’s just controlled from the back by watching what’s on the screen and rehearsing it so you know the movements and the timing. You just mimic it the best you can.”
