Thames & Kosmos RuBBeR BaND RACERS User Manual

Franckh -Kosmos Verl ags-GmbH & Co . KG, Pfizer str. 5-7, 70184 Stut tgart, Germ any | [phone] | www.ko smos.de
Thame s & Kosmos, 301 Frie ndship St., P rovidence , RI, 02903, USA | 1-800 -587-2872 | www.th amesandkos mos.com
Thame s & Kosmos UK Ltd, G oudhurst, K ent, TN17 2QZ , U nited Kingdo m | 01580 212000 | www.th amesandko smos.co.uk

Safety information

Working with bamboo

WARNING. Not suitable for children
under 3 years. Choking hazard —
small parts may be swallowed or
inhaled.
Keep the packaging and instructions
as they contain important
information.
WARNING. Do not aim at eyes or face.
WARNING. Do not fly close to the eyes
or face.
Do not throw the models toward
other people or animals. Make sure
people and animals are well out of
the potential flight path of the flying
models.
Flying models should be used in an
open area with a 30-meter radius
containing no people or animals.
A parent or other adult should
supervise all outdoor experiments
with the models. Outdoor
experiments should not be conducted
near streets.
Do not touch the rotating rotor.
Be careful that loose clothing or hair
does not get caught in the rotor.
Wear eye protection to avoid injury to
the eyes.
WARNING! Use the model boats only
in shallow water and under adult
supervision.
Be careful when inserting the wooden
dowels into the plastic components. If
you put too much force on them, they
can warp, splinter, or break. Do not
injure yourself!

Bamboo is a super strong natural
material. The thickness of the
bamboo dowels can vary, as the
material can be affected by humidity
and other factors. When working with
the bamboo dowels, you may find
that some of them do not slide easily
into the airfoil ribs or other plastic
connectors. If a bamboo dowel does
not slide smoothly into a connector,
try the other end of the dowel or a
different bamboo dowel. We have
included a piece of sandpaper: With
the sandpaper, you can sand down the
bamboo dowel to reduce its thickness.
We have also included extra bamboo
dowels in case one does not work.

Part separator tool

Use the part separator tool to help
you separate small parts.

The end marked
“A” can be
used to remove
anchor pins.

The end marked
“B” can be used
to remove button
pins and shaft
plugs.

Tip! If the rubber bands in your kit
ever break or wear out, you can use
regular-size rubber bands from around
the house. To make them long enough,
simply loop two of them together like
this and then pull apart to tighten.

KIT CONTENTS

2

1

5

6

8

9

Wheels (4)

1

Shaft plugs, short (2)

2

Dowel holder anchor pins (2)

3

Dowel holder shafts (2)

4

Nose piece

5

Airfoil ribs (4)

6

Dowel holder pegs (4)

7

Bamboo dowel, 90 mm (6)

8

Bamboo dowel, 220 mm (4)

9

Stabilizer films (2)

10

Button pins (8)

11

3-hole rods (2)

12

5-hole dual rod

13

5-hole rods (4)

14

3

4

15

20

17
11

7

12

14

28

25

18

22

21

24

13

16

15
16
17

18

19
20

21

22
23

24

25
26
27

28

23

27

Part separator tool
Rubber bands (6)
Straight connectors (4)
150-degree connectors (2)
Stabilizer connectors (2)
Hulls (2)
Hook fixture
Bridge connector
Propeller cap
Propeller cone
Rubber band hook
Propeller
Wing surface plastic film (2)
Sand paper

26

19

10

YOU WILL ALSO NEED: A “test flying” area at least 30 meters (about 100 feet)
long, and a tub or kiddie pool for the watercraft experiments

Hi! I’m Helo!

Hey Rubber Bandits!

Ready to build five awesome rubber band powered
models, learn how propellers push vehicles
forward, and how rubber bands store energy?
Well, let’s get started! With this kit you can build an
airplane, helicopter, fan car, airboat, and hydrofoil.
Helo the Geeker will be your guide!

550020 -02-240516

1

PART

PROPELLERS

1

FOR FLYING

Model 1: Airplane

Assemble the propeller.

1

Put the cap on

2

the propeller.

Up! Up! And away!

Let’s take off!

The logo should
be facing away
from the hook
for this model.

Assemble the fuselage as shown using

3

two 220 mm dowels
bands.

and 3–4 rubber

Note! If a dowel does not slide
smoothly into a connector, use
the sandpaper to sand down the
dowel to reduce its thickness.
Slide the sandpaper
back and forth along
the part of the dowel
that you want to sand
down, and test it often
until it fits.

Use 3–4

rubber bands.

2

Wrap the rubber bands

4

around the bridge
connector.

Assemble the right-side wing with a 220 mm dowel

5

straight connector, and a wing surface film.

Attach the wing surface to the

6

airfoil rib by fitting the holes over
the small tabs on the airfoil rib.

Assemble the left-side wing as a

7

mirror image of the right-side wing.

, two airfoil ribs, a

3

Attach the

8

stabilizer films
to the tail
section using a
90 mm dowel

Build both landing gear

9

assemblies with a 90 mm
dowel , dowel holder
shaft, and a wheel. Affix the
landing gear to the fuselage.

To fly the plane, make sure

10

all components are securely
assembled, nothing is twisted, and
the two sides are symmetrical.
Take the model to an open space
with a 20-meter-long “test flying”
area. Grass or smooth flooring is
preferable to keep your model safe
upon landing.

Wind the rubber bands by

turning the propeller in the
direction indicated. Wind it
80–100 times. Hold the model
by the fuselage dowel and hold
the propeller to keep it from
unwinding. Throw the plane
forward with a smooth flick of the
wrist and simultaneously let go
of the propeller. The plane will fly
forward!

.

×2

Wind

Wind 80–100

rotations.

Make adjustments — such as

sliding the wings backward or
forward and tilting the stabilizer
rudders — until you get it to fly
nicely! Try winding the rubber
bands differing numbers of times.

4

Model 2: Helicopter

Assemble the propeller.

1

Put the cap on the

2

propeller.

The logo should
be facing away
from the hook
for this model.

Assemble

3

the rotor
mast as
shown using
two 220 mm
dowels
and 4 rubber
bands.

Use 4

rubber bands.

Attach the

4

stabilizer
films to the
tail section
using 90 mm
dowels

.

×2

5

Build the

5

landing gear
assembly with
90 mm dowels

as shown.

Attach the landing gear to

6

the helicopter body.

×2

Wind

Wind 80–100

rotations.

Fly the helicopter outside or in

7

a space with very high ceilings.
To fly, wind the propeller in
the direction indicated. Wind it
80–100 times. Hold the propeller.
Do not stand over the helicopter.

Release the propeller and the
model will fly upward and then fall
back down. Be careful that no one
is hit when it flies up or falls down.

6

GEEK

HOW DO

OUT!

PROPELLERS WORK?

To understand how propellers
work, let’s first look at another
part of the airplane: the wing.
Wings generate a lifting force in
air. Air is a mixture of gases. The
molecules in air are always moving
around and they are always being
pulled toward Earth by gravity. Air
pressure is the result of all these
moving particles pushing on each
other and all the things under and
around them.
Air behaves like a fluid and
obeys the physical laws of fluids.
To understand how wings work,
the most important principle of
fluids to know is that the faster
fluids move, the lower their
pressure. This is called Bernoulli’s
principle after the scientist who
came up with it. Airplane wings
are designed to take advantage of
Bernoulli’s principle to lift a plane
upward.
The cross section of a wing has
a top surface that is curved and
therefore longer than its bottom

Air flow

Lift

Low pressure

This is so cool

it makes my

head spin!

surface. Air flowing over the top
has to travel farther, so it moves
faster. As Bernoulli’s principle
states, faster moving air has a
lower pressure and slower moving
air has a higher pressure. The high
air pressure under the wing pushes
the wing upward and the low
pressure above sucks it upward.
This is called lift. Lift is always
perpendicular to the direction of
the airflow.
A propeller works like a
spinning wing. Imagine taking two
(or more) wings, sticking them on a
central axis opposite one another,
and spinning the axis. The wings
would spiral through the air and
create low pressure in front of
them and high pressure behind
them, and thus pull the propeller
forward. The wings of a propeller,
called blades, are angled so they
cut into the air more.
Just like they screw through
the air, propellers can also work in
another fluid: water!

Wing cross
section

Spiral

High pressure

Axis

Propeller

Lift

Propeller
from side

7

PART

PROPELLERS

2

FOR DRIVING

Model 3: Fan car

Assemble the

1

propeller.

Put the cap on

2

the propeller.

I’m a racing fan... in

more ways than one!

The logo should be
facing toward the
hook for this model.

Start the chassis

3

assembly as shown using
a 220 mm dowel .

Continue the chassis

4

assembly as shown using
another 220 mm dowel .

8

Connect the upper and lower chassis dowels

5

together with the propeller, 2–3 rubber bands,
bridge connector, and nose piece.

Use 2–3

rubber bands.

Assemble the four wheel

6

holder rods with 90 mm
dowels as shown.

Attach the

7

front wheels
with 3-hole
rods and short
shaft plugs.
Attach the rear
wheels with
90 mm dowels

and dowel

holder shafts.

×2

×2

9

Attach the left-

9

side body piece
to the chassis
as shown.

Attach the

8

right-side body
piece (hull) to
the chassis as
shown.

10

To drive the car, wind up the

10

rubber bands by spinning
the propeller in the direction
indicated 60–80 times. Put the
car on a smooth, flat surface
and let go of the propeller.
The propeller pushes the car
forward.

Wind

Wind 60–80

rotations.

GEEK

OUT!

ALL ABOUT

ELASTIC ENERGY

What makes your rubber band powered
vehicles go? It’s a special property
of rubber that allows it to store and
release energy!
Rubber is a natural material
from trees that has a property called
elasticity. Elasticity is a physical
property of a material that describes
the material’s ability to resume its
original shape after being stretched
or compressed. The force applied to a
material to make it stretch or compress
is called stress. The amount a material
changes shape when under stress is
called deformation, or strain. The
strength of a material relates to its
ability to resist deformation under
stress.
A rubber band has a shape when it
is at rest. When stress is applied to it,
such as pulling or twisting, it stretches
and changes shape. When the stress is
removed, the elasticity of the rubber
band allows it to return to its original
shape.
A law of physics called Hooke’s
law states that when a stress is
applied to an elastic object, the change
in length of the object is directly
proportional to the amount of load, up
to a point. Beyond that point, known as
the elastic limit, the object will break
and not return to its original shape
after the stress has been removed.
Because energy goes into the
rubber band when stress is applied,

and energy cannot be created
or destroyed, then it stands
to reason that energy comes
out of the rubber band when
it snaps back to its original
shape — that is, as long as
you don’t exceed the elastic limit and
break the rubber band. This energy
release can then be used to do other
work, such as spinning a propeller!
In your rubber band models, you
are storing energy in the elastic rubber
band when you use the force from your
fingers to wind it up. The stored energy
is called potential energy. When you
let the propeller go and it unwinds,
the potential energy is converted to
kinetic energy, or energy of movement.
The tighter the elastic band is
wound, the more potential energy it
contains. When released, more work is
generated and your vehicles can start
faster and move longer.

Before elastic is
deformed

Energy in

During
elastic
deformation

Energy out

After
deformation

11

PART

PROPELLERS

3

ON THE WATER

Model 4: Airboat

Assemble the

1

propeller.

Put the cap on

2

the propeller.

All aboard!

The logo should be
facing toward the
hook for this model.

12

Assemble the boat body as shown

3

using two 220 mm dowels
2–3 rubber bands.

Use 2–3

rubber bands.

and

Assemble the two hulls as shown.

4

×2

Attach the left and right

6

stabilizer films. Attach
a 90 mm dowel and
a straight connector to
each hull.

×2

Attach a

5

220 mm
dowel .

Wind up the propeller 60–80 times

8

in the direction indicated. Set the
boat in a bathtub or kiddie pool
with shallow water and let it go!
The air pushes the boat forward.

Attach the hulls to the

7

boat body with two more
90 mm dowels .

Wind 60–80

rotations.

Wind

13

Model 5: Hydrofoil

Assemble the propeller.

1

Assemble the

3

hydrofoil propeller
shaft as shown
using two 220 mm
dowels
rubber bands.

and 2–3

The logo should
face toward the
hook.

Use 2–3

rubber bands.

×2

Put the cap on

2

the propeller.

The rubber bands are
guided through the 5-hole
rod before being hooked
over the bridge connector.

Attach the

4

stabilizer films
as shown with
two 90 mm
dowels

.

14

Assemble the hull with two

5

more 90 mm dowels

.

Attach the hull to

6

the propeller shaft.

To use your hydrofoil, you need a tub or pool of water

7

that is deep enough so that the propeller does not touch
the bottom when the hull floats on the water’s surface.
Wind up the propeller 60–80 times in the direction
indicated, hold it as you gently place the hull in the
water. Let go and the forward motion caused
by the propeller will cause the
hydrofoil to lift up as it travels
through the water.

Wind 60–80

rotations.

Wind

15

GEEK

AIRBOATS AND

OUT!

HYDROFOILS

Airboats (also called fanboats) use
big propellers just like the ones on
airplanes to push them through the
water. Because the propeller doesn’t
actually go into the water, airboats
can glide over bodies of water full of
plants and debris in which normal
motorboats would get stuck.

Hydrofoils are boats that
have wing-like devices
attached to their hulls. The
wings, also called hydrofoils,
generate a lifting force in the
water when they are moving
fast enough. They work in
water the same way wings
work in the air. The hydrofoil
lets boats “fly” mostly on
top of the water’s surface,
reducing friction. When the
boat slows down though, it
will sink into the water, so a
buoyant hull is also needed.

These boats

blow me away!

Fan boat

Propeller on fan boat

To steer an airboat, air from the
fan is guided past large rudders.
The captain just has to adjust
the direction of these rudders
in order to steer. Airboats are
popular for transporting people
in the swampy areas of Florida
and other southern U.S. states.

Hydrofoil

16

MEET THE NEXT-GEN GEEKERS!

Quartz

Cadet

Spur

Toney

Bender

Wheeler

Helo

Props

2nd Edit ion © 2015, 201 6 Thames & Kos mos, LLC, P rovidence , RI, USA
Thame s & Kosmos® is a re gistered t rademark o f Thames & Kos mos, LLC.

This wor k, includin g all its par ts, is copy right prote cted. Any u se outside t he specific li mits of the cop yright law wit hout
the con sent of the pub lisher is proh ibited and pu nishable by l aw. This applie s specific ally to repro ductions , translat ions,
microfi lming, and s torage an d processin g in electro nic system s and networ ks. We do not gu arantee th at all materi al in this
work is f ree from copy right or othe r protecti on.

Conce pt: Thame s & Kosmos and Ge nius Toy Taiwan Co. Lt d.
Technic al product d evelopme nt and proje ct managem ent: Tham es & Kosmos, Ge nius Toy Taiwan Co. Lt d., Seba stian Mar tin, Dr.
Petra Müller
Tex t: Ted M cGui re
Origin al manual la yout and art work: Ted McG uire, Dan Fre itas

Manua l illustrat ions and phot os: lunama rina, iStoc k, p. 16 (airb oat); iSto ck, p. 16 (hyd rofoil); Jo hn Panella, © s hutterst ock.com , p.
16 (propeller)
All oth er illustrat ions by Geniu s Toy Taiwa n Co. Ltd., an d Dan Freita s, Ashley G reenleaf, a nd Ted McGuire of T hames & Kosmo s
Packa ging artw ork and phot os: Genius Toy Taiwa n Co. Ltd., Da n Freitas

The pub lisher has m ade every e ffort to lo cate the ho lders of imag e rights for a ll of the photo s used. If in any i ndividual c ases
any hol ders of image r ights have n ot been ackn owledged, t hey are ask ed to provid e evidence t o the publish er of their ima ge
right s so that they m ay be paid an im age fee in line w ith the indus try stan dard.

Distr ibuted in Nor th Americ a by Thames & Ko smos, LLC . Providen ce, RI 02903
Phone: [phone]; Web: www.thamesandkosmos.com

Distr ibuted in Unit ed Kingdom by T hames & Kosm os UK, LP. Goudhur st, Kent TN17 2Q Z
Phone: [phone]; Web: www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk

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Bell

Racket

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550020 -03 -240516

Kosmos Quality and Safety

More than one hundred years of expertise in
publishing science experiment kits stand behind
every product that bears the Kosmos name. Kosmos
experiment kits are designed by an experienced team
of specialists and tested with the utmost care during
development and production. With regard to product
safety, these experiment kits follow European and
US safety standards, as well as our own refined
proprietary safety guidelines. By working closely
with our manufacturing partners and safety testing
labs, we are able to control all stages of production.
While the majority of our products are made in
Germany, all of our products, regardless of origin,
follow the same rigid quality standards.