Michael J. Fox made some commercials in Japan for the Honda Integra in the late 80’s and early 90’s that were essentially designed to remind you that Fox was in Back to the Future without having to pay Robert Zemeckis and and Bob Gale. This is a print piece that looks like it was probably a magazine feature and not an advertisement. The Chris Miller deck dates to 1988 according to Art of Skateboarding, but the print piece appears to be from 1989. Because I first saw it on FB, it’s nearly impossible to trace to it’s original Internet source, but it might be this Michael J. Fox fan Tumblr. Unfortunately, there’s no real information about what it says or what it’s from. It’s likely related to the commercials because although none of the 5 versions I saw contain any skateboarding, a few contain scenes with the red guitar shown in this print piece. UPDATE: Added a vague translation.

It’s basically a desk toy, the new millennial equivalent of a Newton Cradle. I saw Neolev hover boards a couple years ago during their first Kickstarter campaign, but I skipped the posting about them because at the time the board part of the toy was just a rectangle that didn’t look anything like a skateboard. Neolev has a new Back to the Future licensing agreement and another Kickstarter. Now your desk toy can look like Marty McFly’s hoverboard, or any one of hoverboards used by Biff’s gang. The boards look cool, and the hovering works, but you’ll need a track to make it work, just like the Lexus version of an actual ridable hoverboard. (Liquid nitrogen is optional.) Neolev’s expensive toys are cool, but the novelty is going to wear out quickly. Back and forth. Back and forth. I’m surprised Tech-Deck hasn’t just licensed the designs as fingerboards.

I think someone in marketing forgot to tell the decision maker at Lexus that the “real” hoverboard viral marketing campaign has already been done. It’s barely been a year, and since that time an actual working hoverboard (of sorts) has been created. So it’s extremely unlikely that Lexus has made such an amazing leap in technology. Sure they could make a prettier version of the Hendo, but you’d still have to ride it on a special surface. I’m sure it won’t cost much to retrofit an average skatepark for maglev technology. If you’re buying into it, they’re going to release more details on Oct. 21, 2015, which is the date Marty McFly went “Back to the Future.” I guess they couldn’t wait till the next April Fools day. It looks like the old Tony Hawk Ride game controller from Activision. (Yes, I’ll eat my hat if I’m wrong, but I’ll be excited about it.) UPDATE: it looks like they’re building a special skatepark for this board. Pics and link after the jump. – Thanks to Josef for the tip. [Source: Bloomberg] – Thanks to Steve Spurlock for the tip.

Hoverboards are real, or at least more real now. We’ve seen hoaxes, models, and experiments, but this latest incarnation of the dream of the future is the closest thing to a Back to the Future reality. Before you get too excited, it costs $10,000 (!) and it requires a special surface to ride on in order for the magnetic field to keep the board floating 1 inch off the ground. That, and lots of extra batteries, because where the technology stands today, the ride only lasts a few minutes. That 10K price tag is ridiculous, but they aren’t really marketing it as a consumer product. They just want to generate money and interest to further develop the technology, and not just specifically for hoverboarding. Hovering stuff? That’s cool, but everybody recognizes the hoverboard as the modern equivalent of the Jetsons flying car, in terms of where is my ____ of the future? It was an inspired decision to build a miniramp, however slight the transition. [Source: Sploid – New York Times] – Thanks to Jack H. for the tip.

ReAction stands for retro action figure. Funko is releasing a line of action figures based on nostalgia, including figures like the Terminator, Escape from New York, The Goonies, Pulp Fiction, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a Back to the Future model with a Marty McFly that looks nothing like Michael J Fox. In fact, he looks more like Corey Webster in Thrashin’. That little plastic skateboard looks like it’s been chewed up a little. – Thanks to Myren for the tip.

I can’t believe the amount of people who still think the Huvrtech hoverboard is real, despite the obvious clues. I’m still getting emails asking about it! It’s fake people, what more evidence do you need? If you absolutely need to buy a hoverboard, head on over to GoldenArmoor.com, where they sell kits to make your own replica of the Mattel version, as well as every other one used by Griff’s hoverboard gang, including the Pit Bull, Rising Sun, No Tech, and Odd Man Out. Notice how the parts look identical to the ones found on the HuvrTech model? Click through to look at more pics and video, including Mattel’s collectable overboard release.

HuvrTech is some sort of viral marketing campaign in it’s early stages that has yet to reveal it’s true purpose. From the subject matter and Tony Hawk’s involvement, you could make an educated guess that it might have something to do with the Tony Hawk Foundation. Then again, it might be just for laughs. The gist of it is that hover boards are finally a reality. The web site mimics the feel of a tech startup, and shows a fake iPhone app as well as multiple product color choices. They somehow managed to wrangle Chrisopher Lloyd into appearing. He drives up in a Delorean and his byline says he’s from Back to the Future 2. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be intentionally funny or not. Other celebrity appearances include Moby, former NFL player Terrell Owens, and a befuddled looking Billy Zane. The production value is pretty cheap, and they don’t quite pull it off. Everyone floats a couple feet off the ground instead of at normal truck height, and there’s a lot of swaying around. The stunt rider’s foot doesn’t quite touch the ground on the one shot that shows any pushing. The main “production model” is…

This kickass screen printed poster was designed by Clark Orr, printed by Mama’s Sauce. It’s available online at Gallery 1988. Very nice.

Future Envy, by Nathan W. Pyle, available on Threadless.

Marty McFly’s hoverboard props and replicas have been sold a dozen times over. I’ve seen Biff’s Pit Bull once before, but in an unfinished stage. This is the first time I’ve seen a finished model for sale. The LA Times reported that was going for 13k back in February, but it must not have sold. Right now it’s listed with a Buy it Now of a cool 10 grand. Nucking Futs!