US Chopper - "Easy Rider - Billy Bike" as 3D large model

Easy Rider is an American feature film from 1969, which describes the lifestyle of bikers in the late 1960s as a cult film and road movie. On May 8, 1969, Easy Rider was the official United States entry to the Cannes Film Festival. The premiere took place on July 14, 1969 in the United States, and on December 19, 1969 the film came to the cinemas of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The idea for Easy Rider came to Fonda and Hopper after they worked together on Roger Corman's The Trip. Originally, Corman even paved the way for Easy Rider, but was booted out by the producing studio. Filming began on Fonda's 28th birthday, February 23, 1968.

The two leads, along with Jack Nicholson and others, had previously appeared in various "motorcycle rocker" films and wanted to capitalize on the popularity of the simplistic action films for another, more personal work. With "Easy Rider" a film was created with relatively few dialogues, with a lot of background music from contemporary rock music and, in a broader sense, a pictorial play of non-verbal communication attempts.

Hardly any facts and background are provided, much remains speculation. The first names of the two main characters are only mentioned in passing, in the middle or at the end of the film. An originally planned introduction of the protagonists as sensational actors at fairs, who perform tricks with the motorcycles in costumes of the Western legend Billy the Kid and the comic book character Captain America, was omitted according to interview statements including a helicopter chase with the border police, since they seemed too conventional.

The message of the film is deliberately kept open. Only the motto "A man looked for America, but he could not find it anywhere" is given to the viewer on the film poster. And even with Wyatt's comment in the final scene around the campfire (Hopper: "We are the biggest." Fonda: "You know what we are: duds!" Engl.: "You know Billy, we blew it") it is not clear whether it means only themselves or society as a whole. Even in English-speaking countries, the meanings of the Southern slang term easy rider are not generally known - a "relaxed motorcyclist" can be seen in the film; However, easy rider also refers to someone who leads an immoral lifestyle using a prostitute without paying for her services. This is how the United States and liberty are portrayed as a whore to be exploited by everyone.

The four Panheads that were converted for the film, dating from 1950 to 1952, were used police vehicles that Peter Fonda had previously bought at auction. Two of the bikes were converted by Cliff Vaughs and Benjamin F. Hardy into the Billy Bike and the "Captain America".

Three operational machines were stolen before filming was completed and are presumed missing. The fourth had been dismantled for the final scene. It was later restored by Dan Haggerty, who looked after the bikes during filming, and is on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Iowa. In the fall of 2014, the Captain America was auctioned in Hollywood. An anonymous bidder got the bid for 1.35 million US dollars. The last scene at the campfire, in which Wyatt resigns, was forgotten at first and had to be reshot two weeks after shooting when the motorcycles were already stolen, so that these could not can be seen in the background.

Our Billy Bike model consists of 195 parts and comes with detailed, illustrated instructions.

Please note that this kit is not a toy and can only be used to a limited extent. Please keep the items away from small children under 6 years old. It involves breaking off small parts and being swallowed. We declare the model as a puzzle or decoration

Item Description:

Material:  wood
Dimensions approx.: 41 x 16 x 21,5 cm (LxWxH)
Weight approx: 1.2 kg
Content: 1 x lasered kit with 195 parts / assembly instructions

Supplied as a lasered kit. This must be assembled by yourself.
No tools needed. The parts must be glued.