Other Interests

   Of Laurie Calvert  

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STAR WARS

Laurie's biggest passion since he first saw the film on March 18th 1978. He has seen these movies many times of course and even had his own private cinema showings but he also likes to collect many Star Wars items. A real movie Imperial jacket from Star Wars is one of his most treasured. Laurie's Stormtrooper replica suit is another (he got a 'Hero' costume on 6 Oct 1995, perhaps the first suit used for conventions in the UK). He has many rare items such as a Lapti Nek 12 inch single (dating from 1984). His collection includes a complete set of original figures plus a few variations. Laurie has made many Star Wars models and these have ended up featuring in his movie making. In the UK he watched the European Royal Charity Premiere of Empire (1980), the European Premiere of Jedi (1983, was also the triple bill World Premiere) and the Star Wars Special Edition Premiere (1997). He stood outside to celebrate the Premieres of Phantom Menace (1999) Clones (2002) and Sith (2005).

Scenes from AOTC Premiere 14 May 2002

	Laurie	X-Wing display

He has written for a regular Star Wars article for a fan based newsletter called 'The Contact'. This can be found on-line at www.lotna.freeserve.co.uk and also at Tony Baileys web site at http://uk.geocities.com/thecontact_2000/

Laurie also enjoys taking an active role at conventions and shows. The replica Stormtrooper suit has proved invaluable in getting him into, and being part of, events. He has been on television a few times too. The Suit plus his X-Wing Pilot suit was used in his short film 'X-Wing' which you can see elsewhere on this site.  

Laurie has visited Modesto where Lucas grew up. Laurie has over 100 Star Wars autographs. For him the best thing about being a fan is not the number of times he has seen the movies (93 at the cinema alone, not counting TV or video by 2006) or the number of items in his collection (five figure number spent), but rather just the thrill he gets each time he sees these films. That is all you need to be an enthusiast. If you enjoy the films 100% then you are as big a fan as him he says. He feels Star Wars is the most awesome thing to ever happen in the world of movies.

Updated 2005.

Visit the Official Star Wars site at www.starwars.com

MODEL MAKING

Laurie has made over 400 kits and over 150 rocket models. This is his oldest hobby. He has had Radio Control models, balsa wood gliders and a metal Traction Engine model that took two years to build from scratch. Laurie has organised the building of a Robot for Robot Wars. His design is called Lightning. Its design philosophy is to combine the strength of a flipper with ramming momentum. Very early picture below.

CARS

Laurie owns a FORD XR3, 1982 carburettor version car. This is was in a Ford museum for seven years but is now back home. It has raced at Santa Pod drag strip (only 3 times) and Goodwood race track, driven it at its top speed of 118 mph, and it has been shown on a BBC television programme called Top Gear. Sun Star Models measured the XR up in order to make a collectors model from it in 2005. Corgi Toys release a 1/43rd version Oct 2008. A Chevrolet Corvette (modified) 1978 version was one of his favourite cars and it managed 162 mph and on another occasion 3 runs at Santa Pod. He has driven Go-Karts and won trophies for 3rd (pairs event) and 1st (singles). Laurie loves Scalextric electric model racing and for about 10 years this was a passion of his. Formula One therefore features as something he avidly watches and he has even been to the 1989 British G.P. and saw his favourite driver, Ayrton Senna. Other drivers he admires are Nigel Mansell, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. Laurie collects 1/43rd scale F1 models.

ROCKETS                    

In the late nineties Laurie set up Hornchurch Airfield Rocket Team (H.A.R.T.) and this had 226 members at one point. H.A.R.T. has featured on television, radio and the newspapers. It is believed he may have been the first European rocketeer to successfully design, build and fly a supersonic rocket on his own. This means it would have had to break the sound barrier (760 mph at sea level). Needless to say it took 6 attempts. Laurie has built rocket cars which have competed in the Techno Games TV shows. See the 'Techno Games' page for interesting details and medals and awards won.

In total, Laurie has flown over 580 flights, one of which was a 5 stage rocket (all 'D' motors) called the Falcon 4. Unusual design with only one piece of body to recover.

Visit the H.A.R.T. site at www.hartrockets.co.uk

run by Peter Barrett.

MUSIC         

Laurie has made 4 album CDs using Korg DW6000 and Technics AX7  synthesisers, a Roland TR505 drum machine and a Casio sampler. This was great fun but now the machines are a little bit unreliable. He has recently used EJay software to make a further 6 Techno/dance album CDs.