14 DAY TRIAL // So far, 3D printed guns have mostly tried to emulate the real things, some even managing to acquire the same degree of lethality, even though they do break down after a few shots. Well, unless they're made of metal.
Few as they are, though, the metal-printed guns aren't what we're going to look at today. In fact, even the “normal” 3D printed guns are just an afterthought this time.
No, what we're going to check out is one of the coolest toys ever thought up, one that takes the concept of machine gun and runs with it.
Although the way it “runs with it” is quite different from what you might expect, since the thing doesn't shoot bullets.
The new machine gun shoots airplanes
Not actual airplanes, but still things that can fly. Provided you fold them properly, that is. Basically, the new 3D printed machine gun uses paper airplanes as ammunition.
The gun was invented by a man bearing the name of Dieter Michael Krone, and it was made fully from off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed sections. Among the things that weren't 3D printed were the inner workings of a cordless screwdriver.
We don't really need to explain what a marvel of simple engineering genius this is. Just take a gander at the video embedded below and you'll see what we mean.
Admittedly, you probably won't score many hits, if any, during a mock shootout, knowing the tendency of paper airplanes to always fail in the task of holding a straight line.
We suppose we can't blame air currents for existing, or the makers of the airplanes themselves for having a hard time getting the balance just right. It's very difficult to manage, and wind usually makes the efforts irrelevant more often than not.
On the other hand, if your town or city has tall buildings, maybe a tower or skyscraper, or a lookout point where everyone can see what you're doing, you can put on quite a show by showering the sky with paper aircraft. Well, assuming you won't get picked up for littering.
The catch to all this
There's not much of it really. The ammo will be totally dependent on your supply of paper, but you don't need to spend hours making more of the planes, because the gun folds the paper automatically. It will prevent the charm from waning after the first few shooting sessions.
Still, Dieter Michael Krone has the paper plane folding technique available for everyone to try, if they want to do it by hand.
