Kit Completeness: 4
(5=Most complete) How complete is the kit? Plans only? That rates a 1. Parts bundles and kits rate 2–5, depending on whether it’s just key components, almost every- thing, or absolutely everything you need, including any unusual tools.
Ginger Ale
The Brew It Yourself Ginger Ale kit is a great weekend project for the whole family. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions, ginger ale flavor extract, yeast, a funnel, and two blank labels. My kids enjoyed measuring, mixing, and heating ingredients, proofing the yeast, and bottling in two 2-liter bottles, adorned with their custom-made labels. After fermenting […]
Bacon Curing Kit
Bacon is enjoying the limelight these days, showing up in everything from chocolate to donuts! If you really want to hop on this fat fad, brine your own. It takes a week, but is incredibly simple and delicious. This kit’s recipe book covers bacon, Canadian bacon, and pancetta. Note to the truly dedicated: invest in […]
Food: bacon, bacon-curing, food, meat
Digital Dominos
These Digital Dominos work just like regular dominos knocking each other down, only virtually. Each domino-sized PCB has a button that triggers an LED to blink (which corresponds to the domino “falling”). An IR sensor on one end and an IR LED on the other allow each domino to trigger any adjacent domino to blink, and so on. […]
Thingamagoop 2
Analog voltage-controlled oscillators (AVOs) make a variety of intriguing hums, beeps, buzzes, and loops, controlled by buttons, knobs, and sensors. These are fantastic group projects because once the soldering irons are all put down, you get an excellent payoff: you can have an impromptu concert. Bleep Labs, run by Austin, Texas, circuit bender and kit […]
Hi-Tech H45
If you want a more challenging high-power build experience, I like the Hi-Tech H45 kit. It’s big (2.63″ diameter and 49″ tall), with sturdy plywood fins and a durable plastic nose cone, and it can handle motor types F through I. I got my first high-power certification on this model back in 1990. Good times!
Big Daddy
A few rungs up the ladder toward high power is Estes’ Big Daddy, a chunky, 3″- diameter model. While designed for D and E solid rocket motors, it can easily handle AeroTech’s 24mm F motors. It’s not much more difficult to build than the Astra, but bear in mind that an E motor has up to […]
Mars Lander
If you want a more challenging project that takes shape with some real cutting and sanding, small manufacturer Semroc produces high-quality balsa rocket kit reproductions. The Mars Lander, originally sold by Estes in the 1970s, is a beautifully realistic-looking spacecraft with spring-loaded landing legs. You can also try their Saturn 1B ($78), a 1/70 scale re-creation of the […]
FreeRadical Cargo Bike Conversion
I’ve been living car-free for 12 years. When I first saw Xtracycle’s cargo bike conversion kit, I was impressed by the broad utility of the design; it can be used to haul cargo and also passengers. I decided to build the ultimate people-and-stuff hauler so I could pick up friends who don’t bike and we could […]
Desktop Trebuchet
RLT Industries has gone above and beyond with its Desktop Trebuchet kit. Each piece of wood is carefully chosen and precisely computer-cut. All the required tools can be found around your house or at a hobby shop, and the instructions are very detailed. However, as instructed, I used wood glue on the main frame and […]
Siege & Ballistics: ballistics, desktop, siege, tabletop, trebuchet
Atlatl Kits
If you’ve ever wanted to hurl spears to bring down a woolly mammoth, then these two kits from Thunderbird Atlatl are the way to go. The Nanticoke and Kanakadea kits are both high quality and simple to build, so with a little time and effort you can make a very nice-looking atlatl suitable for serious […]
