Mattel's hover board, a realistic prop replica from “Back to the Future II,†makes whooshing sounds when tilted or turned.The hover board, which Marty McFly maneuvered with great flair in “Back to the Future II†and which subsequently landed on the must-have Christmas list in 1989 for hundreds of children, has finally arrived, thanks to Mattel.
The board is really only a realistic prop replica, down to the Mattel logo, the flashy ‘80s graphics and the peg hole for handlebars (if you will recall from the movie, Marty borrowed it from a girl who was using it as a hover scooter). Matte l even reproduced the sounds the hover board made, taking them from the movie's soundtrack.
At $130, it doesn't actually fly, of course, but it does glide a short distance over smooth surfaces. (And remember, the hover board doesn't work on water.)
Mattel developed the board with advice from several Hollywood insiders, including Bob Gale, the co-producer and co-writer of the movie, and the movie's special effects supervisor, Michael Lantieri.
Being a gadget from the future, the hover board does not have an on switch; you just move it to power it up. Then it begins to hum, and will make whooshing sounds when tilted or turned. Hold it vertically - tucked under your arm, for instance - and it will power down.
When the hover board arrived in the mail, my colleagues were eager to see it, especially after I put the batteries in and powered it up. My older co-workers said it sounded like a tired vacuum cleaner and were disappointed that it didn't lift me off the ground. But the younger ones, presumably the ones who wished for a hover board back in 1989, were impressed, even though the design was missing the lenticular stickers that made the board sparkle in the movie.
The hover board is available in limited quantities only at MattyCollector.com, Mattel's Web site for adult collectors. It comes with a display stand, which is poorly designed and doesn't hold the board well. But this is one prop that won't stay mounted for long.
