The Speed Star[1] is a vehicle that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is Sonic the Hedgehog's personal sports car for racing competitions. It was built by Tails with parts left over by an attempted invasion by Dr. Eggman.[2]
Concept and creation
For Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the Speed Star's Car, Plane and Boat design was developed by artist Richard Tawny with the help of Scott Robertson (Design Studio Press) to feel like a true speedster capable of racing in any world, real or otherwise. The car was developed in Modo and was iterated many times between Tawny, the Producers at SEGA Europe and Sonic Team in Japan.[3]
Description
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing the Speed Star is a blue convertible. In the middle, it has two equal-sized depressions in both sides. On the bottom, it has a clean large white lining. Six "spikes" appear on it as well two on front with mirrors infused in each of them, along with four on the back, accompanied by two on the back. The bottom ones have taillights that have two sections; orange topped with yellow. On the front, it has Sonic's head from the "Sonic Team" logo. Below that are three head lights. The main one is a large, almost obtuse "U" shaped clear section with four bulbs inside it, two built on the right and left stacked on one another, and the other two headlights are on the bottom front on the car built slightly more into the vehicle one on the sides, a yellow bulb encased in white around a black surface. The back on the vehicle has two yellow top-white exhaust pipes around black casing. The wheels of the vehicle have an orange outer ring, a red middle ring, and a white inner ring around a red circle. The words "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" appear on the tires.
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the Blue Star has three distinct appearances that depend on its mode:
- Car mode: In comparison to its original incarnation, the Speed Star has less spikes and a slightly bulkier appearances, with harder edges and spoked wheels. Also, only two spikes remain on the chassis, above the rear wheels, each with a vent in the back.
- Plane mode: In its plane form, the Blue Star resembles a fighter jet, with a more streamlined, triangular shape including flat, angled wings across each side of the vehicle and a nose cone with two turbine engines attached.
- Boat mode: In its boat form, the Blue Star resembles a speedboat, with two bright red motors on the back and a large fin on the back resembling one of Sonic's quills.
In Team Sonic Racing, the Blue Star was vastly redesigned, with a slightly less bulky appearance and slightly less curved back, resembling more of a contemporary car design. Additionally, the then cartoonish-looking red alloy wheels have been replaced with more realistic-looking wheels, with a distinct sheen.
Game appearances
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
The Speed Star in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the Speed Star made its debut as Sonic the Hedgehog's racing vehicle in the game. It has the following statistics:
| Speed | Acceleration | Handling | Turbo-Boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 |
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
The Speed Star in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the Speed Star is used by Sonic the Hedgehog as his primary racing vehicle. In gameplay, it can transform into a boat, car or plane when passing through a Transformation Gate, with the mode of the vehicle depending on the terrain beyond the Transformation Gate. It possesses the following statistics:
| Mod | Speed | Accel. | Handling | Boost | All-Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Balanced | 4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Handling | 3/5 | 2/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Boost | 4/5 | 1/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Acceleration | 4/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
| Speed | 5+ | 1/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Console (Mega Drive) | 5/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 |
Team Sonic Racing
The Speed Star in Team Sonic Racing.
In Team Sonic Racing, Sonic appears with the Speed Star as his vehicle as the leader of Team Sonic to join Dodon Pa's racing Grand Prix. Unlike previous racing games, the appearance of the Speed Star can be customized with different paint jobs, performance parts, and decals. Its horn can also be changed.
In other media
Archie Comics
The Speed Star, from Sonic the Hedgehog #271.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Speed Star is a vehicle built by Tails and used by Team Fighters as transportation to and from the Chaos Emerald Championship.
Trivia
- Sonic previously drove a car called the Cyclone in the Sonic Drift games.
- When Sonic performs his All-Star Move, the Speed Star shrinks.
- A Lego vehicle that resembles the car appears in Lego Dimensions. It comes with the Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack and is called the "Sonic Speedster".
References
- ↑ Team Sonic Racing official website (Japanese). Characters. Sega. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved on 1 February 2019.
- ↑ Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing website.
- ↑ http://tawn.carbonmade.com/projects/4340467#1
