Adam Savage in the Royal Aircraft Factory Reconnaissance Experimental 8 (R.E.8), featured with Peter Jackson. Photo / Twitter
Adam Savage in the Royal Aircraft Factory Reconnaissance Experimental 8 (R.E.8), featured with Peter Jackson. Photo / Twitter
Former co-host of MythBusters Adam Savage has described his recent adventures in New Zealand as "mind-bendingly cool and amazing".
Savage, an American industrial designer and television personality, landed in the country last Friday for a "special project" with Tested website creators Will Smith and Norman Chan.
While thepurpose of their trip has been kept secret - with the stars stating on their website that they "can't disclose exactly what we're working on" - they have spoken enthusiastically about "an amazing adventure" they had with director Peter Jackson.
In a video launched on Youtube on Tuesday, Savage, Smith and Chan excitedly talk about the opportunity to fly in Jackson's World War I fighter planes over the weekend.
The trio were taken to an unknown airfield on Sunday where Savage was treated to a flight in a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 British two-seat biplane.
"[The aircrafts are] hand-built to perfect specifications of the originals by Peter Jackson's airplane company," Savage said.
"Every last thing in this plane is built perfectly to the specs of the thousand blueprints that were developed in Britain in 1916-1915 to make this thing."
Savage said he flew as a passenger with a professional pilot and was treated to a surprise while in the air.
"I took off, I was the first one to fly, and I didn't know about the second plane but about five minutes into my flight this triplane German Fokker comes in and we are like dogfighting and we get to really feel from the back gunners position.
"The moment the tri-plane showed up and I saw it, I realised oh my god Peter is amazing. He is incredible. He set this up so we get to see what it feels like to be up in the air with two enemy planes working against each other."
The planes are fitted with non-functioning but articulating models of machine guns and the group were encouraged to try and point the replicas at the opposing fighter plane.
"I thought, oh right, to fully play along I should grab this fake gun and point it – and I couldn't," Savage said.
"I have been so heavily trained in firearm safety that it was against my nature to point even this toy gun at another plane in the sky."
He said the three men were initially speechless after the experience and described it as "absolutely sort of mind-bendingly cool and amazing".
Savage will remain in New Zealand until the end of the week, when he then heads on a tour around Australia.
This was the second trip the group have made to NZ together, with their first trip in 2016 including coverage of Weta Workshop's production on the film Ghost in the Shell.
