Helium Balloon Carousel for Lego Minifigs

thingiverse

Inspired by the book 21 Balloons, I'm creating my own take on capturing the summer breeze and making it float in perfect harmony. Imagine stepping aboard a small boat surrounded by five other boats, with giant hot air balloons gently towering above you. As you begin to rise slowly, spinning about the center column, you're eventually freed from the guide and soaring through the air slowly, still spinning as the wind carries you. After a while, you glide back down to earth as air is released from the balloons, and your boat gently settles in the clear water below. This model showcases the properties and concepts presented by the fantastical design in the book. Instead of hot air balloons, I used helium balloons. One 12" helium balloon has an approximate lift of 5 to 8 grams. A major constraint was creating a vehicle light enough to achieve liftoff with minimal force generated by the balloons. I'm currently working on using tea candles as a heat source for a hot air balloon. To build it, you'll need: 1 Bolt.stl 1 Nut.stl 6 support.stl 6 boat.stl All parts printed at 2% infill (it's essential to conserve weight) 8 12" helium-filled balloons Use super glue to attach the supports to the holes in the nut. Slide the boats onto the supports. Tie the balloon ribbons to the support structures. Ground the carousel using the bolt. Have fun and don't let your new creation float away! Cheers!