See How a Movie Stuntman Uses Legos to Plan his Stunts

See that man in the Summit Racing drivers suit? It looks like he's reverting back to childhood and playing with toy race cars, but veteran movie and TV stuntman Richard Fike is doing anything but. 

Fike is the owner of Stunt Predators USA, and has been performing and coordinating vehicle stunt driving and chase scenes, explosions, shootouts, and other mayhem for over 38 years. Chances are good you've seen a Stunt Predators-choreographed stunt in movies like A Better Way to Die and The Avengers. Fike has also done stunts for many TV shows, music videos, and commercials. 

In this video on the Great Big Story YouTube channel, you'll see how Fike uses realistic LEGO Technic models to plan vehicle stunts like high skiing, reverse J-turns, and ramp jumps. He sketches a small-scale layout of the stunt scene on concrete with a piece of chalk, then roll the LEGO cars through the layout to see if there will be any obstacles or other potential problems. 

It all looks like fun, but it's serious business for Fike and his team. 

"The biggest thing about stunt performers is that we are not daredevils," he says. "Daredevils take unnecessary risks. We take calculated risks."