14 DAY TRIAL // Flight has always fascinated man, so it's little wonder that flying machines never stopped evolving after people finally invented them. It's a pretty ironic twist that flying objects were used as toys before they became large enough for transportation.
Flying toys never stopped being created and recreated. Every time someone discovered a new gravitational principle, or something new in aerodynamics, someone invariably applied it in ways that resulted in paper airplanes, toy plastic planes, balloons, helicopters, quadcopter drones, etc.
All things considered, propeller toys are pretty ancient by this point, with some even being shipped as Kinder Egg surprises.
Now, a new propeller toy has been created, one that could very well trump all the others, not just in terms of how high it can fly, but how it is made as well.
The 3D printed propeller toy
Italian industrial design student Flavio Gioia is the one we have to thank for what could very well be the most awesome of toys you can make at home.
Sure, you'll need a 3D printer in order to do it, one that can work with filaments besides PLA and ABS (since part of the toy is supposed to be flexible).
Well, we suppose PLA filament could work, but a MakerBot flexible filament or something similar might work better.
Also, the center of the propeller starts printing on the third layer, so you will have to use some support in order for everything to turn out alright.
Once you've 3D printed everything, you only need to insert a metal cylinder inside, like an M4 screw. Then you're ready to play your days away.
How the propeller toy behaves
If you do what the video shows and launch the toy into the air, it ought to be able to ascend four whole stories before coming back down to Earth. Just think: you can launch it and then watch in horror how it gets pushed away by the wind even before it reaches the apex of its ascent. Then you can go knock on your neighbor's door and ask them to retrieve it from their balconies.
Unless it goes so far off course (as much as the phrase even applies to steer-less contraptions like this) that it will be lost in the jungle of the yard across the street.
Still, even if you do end up having to fish it from the drainpipe of someone's house, the propeller toy will be great fun.
To make one, go to Thingiverse and download the print plans for free, then use a 3D printer (or ask a 3D printing service) to produce the parts. That's it.
