Apr. 17, 2015 | By Alec
While 3D printed toys that are sometimes much more fun than what we had to play with as children, today’s kids tend to disagree. In my experience that kids can get bored with them pretty quickly. While you could of course construct one of the many 3D printable robots that populate the web nowadays to give more value to their playing time , there are other options to give your 3D printed toys more firepower as well. Literally.
Just check out this very cool Party Popper Cannon by designer Chris Czech. He has effectively designed a cool little cannon that looks a bit like an eighteenth century mortar. But instead of raining death and destruction upon your enemies, this little toy (its just 2.74 x 2.58 x 2.39 inches) can shoot BB pellets at amazing speed and distances. In fact, it can send a pellet up to 15 meters away and looks like marvelous (albeit slightly dangerous) fun for older children. As you can see in the video below, the little Lego man doesn’t stand a chance when faced with the Part Popper Cannon.
As Chris explains on his party popper’s Selfy page (where the designs can also be purchased), the secret behind its fire power is in its name. ‘This beauty is a deadly little design that takes regular party poppers and turns them into ferocious firepower. It works by inserting a stripped down party popper into the back of the barrel of the cannon and loading a BB bullet into the front,’ he explains. ‘When you pull the party popper string it sends the BB flying at incredible speeds and distances.’ In fact, it does so with such velocity that this isn’t a cannon you should be firing at friends, as it can easily take out an eye.
Preparing one of these cannons for action is thus also relatively simple. All that needs to be done is 3D print and assemble all components, and getting your hands on a party popper (typically you can buy a whole bag for a children’s party. ‘To prepare a party popper for use all that needs to be done is to remove the contents of a party popper excluding the popper string and charge,’ he writes. Inserting that into the back end of the cannon will provide you with all the firepower you need and even a simple trigger to operate it. Check the gun in action in the clip below.
If you’re interested in owning one these bad boys, go to Chris’s Selfy page here. Just be aware that ordering the cannon for $4.99 will only provide you with a digital download for STL files that you need to 3D print yourself.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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