Introduction: New Rocket Powered Matchbox Cars! - Extreme!
Step 1: What You Need!
First of all you will need a package of Estes A10-PT model rocket engines. You can find these at most Walmart store, hobby shops or other stores that carry model rockets.
Step 2: You Also Need...
Something to attach the 'engines' to the cars. I used 32 gauge wire that you can wrap around the vehicle and secure the 'engine' safely during ignition.
Step 3: And...
you need something to guide the car on it's track. Without this, the rocket shoots the car and rolls it, flipping and tumbling across the 'track'. I used a coffee stirrer and after cutting a small groove in the bottom of the car, cut it to size & glued it in place. This is the perfect diameter for the string that the car rides on.
Step 4: The Controller...
I picked up an Estes Race Controller that runs on 4 "AA" batteries and has a long enough wire with alligator clips at the end. These will attach to the rocket igniters and fire the rocket!
Step 5: And Now the Final Test Results!
170 Comments
12 years ago on Introduction
Can you add information about the track / guidance system please?
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
it string man!
10 years ago on Introduction
You cannot build the igniter. It is a Estes rocket igniter. For $5.00 you can find them at almost any hobby shop. To make your own, you can (safely) build a fuse to go into the engine, or salvage some Nichrome wire and hook that up to a battery-It gets HOT because of it's great resistance applied to the batterys voltage.
15 years ago on Step 5
How did you ignite the rocket? How did you make the electric igniter?
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
I get 2 20 foot pieces of wire with alligator clips on one end clip the clips to the fuse and touch the other ends of the wore to a 12 volt cordless tool battery
Reply 15 years ago on Step 5
you don't make it you buy it
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
can i use A3-3T or A10-3T instead of A10-PT?
Reply 15 years ago on Step 5
Where can I find it? Thank you!
Reply 15 years ago on Step 5
hoby store that sells rocket cars
Reply 13 years ago on Step 5
do you mean a hoby store that sells estes rockets or a website that sells estes rockets? i have never seen a hoby store that sells official rocket cars.
Reply 13 years ago on Step 5
yea that one
Reply 15 years ago on Step 5
OK, Thank you!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I opened one up once and I'm pretty sure it's just 4 AA batteries in series. No circuitry.
11 years ago on Introduction
are model rocket engines allowed in australia?
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Yes, but you need to get them from hobby shops and they are quite expensive.
11 years ago on Introduction
I did this with a C6-5 a few years ago and the car almost flew away! I los the car, but a few hours later, i found it about half a mile away from the launch site!!!
11 years ago on Introduction
Its so COOL!!!!is so fast I love it :D
11 years ago on Introduction
we did that but we did't do the string and we also lost it
12 years ago on Introduction
Awesome, modded your design with 500 yards string and 3 stage rockets, (used bigger car of course) for the stages i used a simple stopwatch that had (2nd stage .4 seconds and stage 3 which had 2 rockets on side at .8 seconds) clocked speed at 210 miles per hour :D destroyed the car afterwards and forgot to video it :c but it was fun. (for the stopwatches, when the initial current comes i sautered a wire so that it activates start and then another wire so that instead of beeping it activates the stage, sorry for long comment.
12 years ago on Step 2
well about the rocket car, you could put 3 engines on top of eachother and then use 3 stages. Stage 1 would be connected to stage 2 with a piece of fuse string, and the same would work with stage 3. Or you could get a big ballon of hairspray or butane and have another fuse connected to that.
TO THE PYROS OF THE WORLD