I’ve always wanted an Action Fleet-sized Starspeeder 3000 from the Disneyland Star Tours ride. Sadly it was too expensive for my grade school self back when they were available. Thankfully, Max says it’s only a question of when, not if, the Micro Galaxy Starspeeder will be made.
Until then, I made a deluxe shuttle for Star Tours for my wealthy Micro Galaxy figures, using the moon bus from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Moon Bus is 1/55, which gives more room for Micro Galaxy’s 1/72 figures.
The detailed interior is what convinced me to buy it and turn it into an MGS ship.
The single-sheet instruction is pretty simple even for novice modelers like myself.
Star Tours Star Rover 6000
While Star Tours is best known for its budget galactic flights with its Starspeeder fleet, the company also offers an upscale flight experience with its premium Star Rover shuttles.
Unlike the Starspeeder 3000 that packs 40 passengers into a tiny ship, the slimmer but comparatively sized Star Rover carries only 6 passengers in first-class luxury.
I lighted the interior using the battery-powered lights featured in a previous post. I used Blu Tack to stick them in the ceiling bulkhead for a natural lighting look.
The soft leather seats are large enough to accommodate the tallest Wookiee. Each seat gets its own holo entertainment system and underseat locker storage. Passengers are also surrounded with Corinthian leather couches to lounge around in the cabin while socializing and taking in the sights.
Amenities include a full buffet that’s open for the duration of the flight, and a compact refresher station with sonic shower. For diners looking for dishes not on the buffet menu, the flight attendant can whip up specialty meals on request.
And unlike the Starspeeder with its hapless droid pilots, the Star Rover is flown only by Star Tours’ most experienced pilots. The flight crew consists of a senior captain, a co-pilot who handles comms and navigation, and a dedicated steward to see to the passengers’ needs.
However, even Star Tours’ experienced captains are not immune from pilot error. While the Starspeeder has a fatality rate of roughly 50%, the Star Rover has a more respectable accident rate of 20%.
A Star Rover on Coruscant, moments before getting shot down for violating restricted Senate airspace.
It is said that a single seat on the Star Rover costs more than the entire 40 seats on a Starspeeder passenger flight. The prices are only beaten by Chandrila Star Line’s Galactic Starcruiser, and even they went bankrupt trying to beat Star Tours’ premiere offering.
“What do you mean where’s Ben? I thought you had the little brat!”
Where to Buy
This Moon Bus model kit is made by Moebius Models, and is available on Amazon. I modified the bus by redoing the interior and relocating the bottom-mounted jet thrusters to the rear. I also added greebles from other kits to make it look more like a starship than a bus. At 1/55 scale, I thought the seats would be too big for Micro Galaxy figures, but they fit just fine.
Moebius also makes the iconic Space Clipper from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I plan to turn into another Star Tours passenger liner as soon as I can find a cheap one.
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