The original C-17 is 174 ft, has a wingspan of 169.8 feet, and can carry 102 troops, a payload of 170,900 lb (77,519 kg) of cargo "distributed at max over 18 463L master pallets or a mix of palletized cargo and vehicles." Its remote-controlled counterpart is made at a 1/10 scale. According to its creators, the model weights 264 pounds.

It was presented at the EURO Flugtage 2008 RC show byt the Aero-Club Rheidt. [Aero-Club Rheidt — Photos from Flickr]

"This year we have 125 partipants," show organizer Frank Tiano told us, "with 40 hobby vendors and coverage from 35 magazined from all over the world." In a good weather day, Top Gun gets 10,000 drooling spectators.

Looking at the detail and size of these beasts, we can understand exactly why.

Frank also confirmed to us that the A-10 featured in Popsci.com was going to participate in the competition, as well as many other new entries. So if you are around, it's a complete must, Maverick's glasses not required (but recommended.) [Top Gun—photos by Palmer Johnson, DVD video available from Wildberry Productions]

NOTE: if you're planning on assisting the Top Gun 2008 event, contact us at tips@gizmodo.com if you want to collaborate with us.

The model includes these chambers:

• Light-up cockpit with room for four figures.
• Medical bay.
• Secret smuggling compartments to hide from pesky Death Star crews.
• Auto-opening boarding ramp.
• Pivoting gunner station.
• Crew quarters with light-up dejarik table.

Weapons:

• Rotating laser turret fires two missiles and makes weapons sounds.

• 3-missile launcher with blasting sounds.

• Cannon that launches a "laser" missile (whatever that is.)

• Missile-firing mini-fighter inside an opening docking bay that makes electronic boarding and flight sounds (oooook, this is not in the movies unless I missed a secret chapter.)

• Pivoting training probe with lightsaber sounds.

Here are all its features:

• Light-up headlights and loads of electronic vehicle and weapon sounds—engine boost, cruise mode, fly-by, firing cannons, and much more.
• Opening, light-up cockpit can fit up to four figures.
• Remove outer panels to access the ship's interior.
• Authentic movie phrases from Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, C-3PO, Chewbacca, and R2-D2.
• Movie sound effects everywhere.
• Light-up engines.
• Includes Han Solo and Chewbacca and can hold up to 18 figures.

In other words: a whole bunch of pointless, completely unnecessary, and totally amazing plastic junk that arrives 30 years too late, and is a complete must for every 39-yo fanboy—who is going to secretly play with it in the closet, going "pew pew pew" with their voice (screw the built-in sounds).

And yes, perhaps it's not as fun as building your own LEGO version, but it's the closest thing to the movie available. [Galactic Hunter —Thanks Eddie]

Craft Tip: spray paint the finished version gold and everyone will think you built a C-3PO model. And one day, in a fit of rage, you can tell your best friend that you slept with his girlfriend AND that for all those years he was duped into thinking that model on your coffee table was C-3PO when you'd really constructed a paper version of the similar but white robot and just painted it gold. Bwahahaha. [model via neatorama and blog@papercraft]

The detail on the model is really what makes this project stand out. It clearly had loads of work put into it, with the tiny valves on the front, pneumatic legs and grating on the top of the dome.

The creator doesn't quite know what he's going to do with it, as he doesn't just want to shill it on eBay. He's considering a raffle of some kind with proceeds going to charity, so if this is the kind of thing you'd like to decorate your apartment with, be sure to check on the deviantART thread to see if you've got a shot. [Deviant Art]

It's Toy Fair 2008 and Rob Foster is looking for what figures and models to get next. Every year, companies like Hasbro, LEGO or Gentle Giant release new products related to Rob's favorite toy franchise ever: Star Wars.

Jesús Díaz: Hello Rob, stunning collection. The sheer scale, all those figures forming on the shelves, the models hanging everywhere, even all that LEGO stuff... it's just amazing. As I was going through each image, my only thought was: "omfg, it can't be real." So first of all: how many figures does your collection have?

Rob Foster: In terms of 3 3/4" figures, I'd say that there are a little under 2,000 open figures, and 800 or so that are still in the packaging.

JD: When it all started?
RF: I started collecting in 1995 when Hasbro brought the line back. I was 15 at the time.

JD: Long time. How much do you calculate it is all worth now? Something along the lines of the Transformers $1,000,000 collection?
RF: To be honest, I have no idea. The vintage and Gentle Giant products do well when you're trying to sell them, but the modern stuff is over-produced compared to the 1970's and '80s. It's not about making money, so I don't worry about that.

JD: You mention overproduction and I see that you really enjoy getting massive numbers of troopers as well as different models... inside all this plastic horde, are there any favorites?
RB: Probably my favorite is actually the custom vintage Gargan. She was the fat dancer in Jabba's palace and was set to be made into the vintage line before it fell apart in the mid '80s. She was sculpted by Ryan Shaw to match the vintage style, and to my knowledge only about 25 of them were made.

JD: What's the oldest one?
RF: The oldest ones are the first series of vintage toys that came out with the movie in 1977.

JD: And your latest acquisition?
RF: I've slowed down a bit recently, but the latest items I picked up were Hasbro's new wave of figures, the 2008 models, wave 1.

JD: What's the one that took longer to collect? You know, the one(s) you really went the extra mile to grab.
RF: I've been very picky about the loose vintage set. I've been working on it off and on for about six or seven years now. It's taken a long time because they have to be perfect when it comes to paint chips and discoloration. Also, the accessories have to be original vintage too, no reproductions. I hope to get into that later this year.

JD: So no reproductions whatsoever, all originals... what about custom pieces from independent model makers?
RF: Apart from Gargan, I've stayed away from customs for the most part.

JD: How often do you get there figures? Or in other words, are you done yet?
RF: I'm certainly not done yet. I've been slowing down because I'm running out of room (everything has to be contained in that one room), but I want to get more into collecting vintage, and as long as Hasbro keeps making a solid product, I'll stick with the new figures too.

JD: Do you think this is the most complete Star Wars figure collection in the world... or about to get that title, this side of Skywalker Ranch?
RF: No, not at all. A lot of people tell me that it's way up there, but I've seen some pretty incredible collections over the years, lots of them with much more money sunk into them.

JD: I also see you have the LEGO stuff; do you have them all?
RF: I don't have everything Lego has put out, I've just picked up those here and there. The Ultimate Collector Series on the other hand, I actively collect. I just need to get around to buying the Death Star and Naboo Fighter to have them all.

Once you are inside the gallery, check the other pages to access the 134 images. The interview continues below, after the gallery

JD: I see the Ultimate Collectors... and the Falcon. How long did it take you to build it?
RF: I'm guessing it took about 25-30 hours. I worked on it for a weekend and then in evenings after work for a few days.

JD: I see you have many of the figures in their package yet. Does every figure (or almost every one of them) have the equivalent still inside the original packaging?
RF: If a figure came on a regular card, I have it open and in the package. If it came in a big box like with a vehicle or a 5-pack, I only have them opened.

JD: I think the only question left is how the heck do you support this amazingly dedicated hobby—what's your job?
RF: I work in the Art Department at a visual effects / animation studio called Reel FX Creative Studios although my department is now being called "Radium Dallas") doing Motion Graphics work. We do a lot of commercials, but the most recent thing that I worked on that had anything to do with movies, was the opening credits for Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I animated about half of it.

JD: And what does your other half thing about this?
RB: She's great about it. When my girlfriend and I started shopping for a home, the only thing I asked for was an extra room to put the toys in. She fell in love with this place we live in now, which only has one bedroom and one large main room. I told her the toys were going in the bedroom, and she said that was just fine. So that's our shared bedroom and has been for the last five years. She's a champ!

Indeed, she is. In fact, I can guarantee Rob—whose favorite Star Wars movie is Empire Strikes Back and recently bought a Blu-ray player, just in time—that if she is going through all this, they will go through everything together. Or at least, that's what I tell myself every time I look at all that LEGO. [Jedi Defender]

A hot-air balloon, bridge or skyscraper, although none of these are quite as fabulous as an illuminated Tokyo landmark. It costs 7,875 , which is around $65. [Gakken Toys via Kilian-Nakamura]

Not that a starship would actually make any noise in space, but, you know, it's like what you heard in the movie, if you were around to see it a quarter-century ago. And we think Wrath of Khan was one of the best Star Trek movies ever made. But that's just us. It's your $39.99 (now available for pre-order for July 30th shipment), but oftentimes things like this become collector's items. Now if they would just create a flying model that has a working transporter, now that would really be worth something. [Star Trek Store, via Krunker]

These miniature chairs are available in six volumes, each group costing between $38 and $50. The models don't have much practicality, but they just look cool. Check out the gallery to get an idea of their scale. – Charlie White

Masterpiece chairs of the world collection (Japanese translation) [Rakuten, via TFTS]

Marisa Miller + iPod minus clothing = ... [AppleInsider]

Too bad it requires four AA batteries to light the thing up and two AAAs for the remote, preventing it from being used as a nightlight. In spite of that, now your kid can truthfully say that you hung the moon. Of course, that will all be null and void by the time the little monster gets to be a teenage werewolf. – Charlie White

Product Page [Discovery Channel store, via Gizmodiva]

We're talking exact, too, with the same 12-cylinder engine, gearbox, radiator, suspension, controls—in fact, if you were a one-third-sized person and sat in this Ferrari, you'd insert a perfectly-engraved key (that's identical to the real one) into the ignition and start the car exactly the way you would in the full-sized car. It even has a one-third scale fuel injection system that's exactly the same as the one of the full-sized Ferrari.

It took the guy 20,000 hours to build this perfect replica. Amazing. – Charlie White

Ferrari 312 [Fine Art Models, via Jalopnik]

By the way Leonardo, stay away from Gisele. She's already got my last name as half of hers, which means I'm halfway there to legally being her husband. – Jason Chen

Victoria's Secret Angels like Macs [Pixelbomb (may be NSFW)]

More Backstage Mac + Model pics (Slightly NSFW) [Pixelbomb]

The project started back in 2004 with the goal of better understanding how robots and troops interact on the battlefield. Since modifying computer programs to include all the different participants proved prohibitively expensive, as well as taking into account the aforementioned physics problems, the Army decided to embrace kitty's foodstuffs. The whole setup cost only $5,000 and took six months to build, including the incorporation of all the toy soldiers and miniature flora. – Nicholas Deleon

Cat Food Boxes = Army Training Ground [Defense Tech]