Hot Wheels Launcher

thingiverse

My son enjoys playing with his toy cars and I thought it would be fun to build him a launcher for them. I began by using http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1802809 as my starting point, but unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I had hoped. Despite that, I loved its simplicity so much that I created a design with a similar mechanism. This new design is simple and consists of just three parts, some rubber bands, and a cable binder. When you arrange these components properly and use layer cooling, everything will print nicely without supports (PLA). Initially, I used a printed splint to prevent the piston from shooting out, but it broke on the first try. So, I opted for the lazy solution and secured the rubber bands with cable ties instead. I apologize for the poor quality of my pictures - I printed them in black, which isn't ideal for photography. ASSEMBLY: To make things easier, I recommend connecting the rubber band(s) first. 1) Connect the rubber band(s) to make it simpler. 2) Insert the trigger. 3) Insert the piston into the ramp (through the trigger, of course). 4) Secure the rubber bands with a cable tie. To load the mechanism: I found that loading it by turning the ramp upside down and pushing the piston in is the easiest way to do so. Gravity will lock the trigger in place. EDIT: Version 2 has some minor tweaks - the piston is slightly longer, and there are small notches on its sides to help keep the cable tie in place. The upper latch on the ramp for holding rubber bands has been extended by 1mm to make it easier to connect them. EDIT 2017-07-12: Version 3 features a more stable design, where the rubber bands won't come loose as quickly. EDIT 2017-12-23: I created a new piston based on torkel_b's idea, eliminating the need for a cable tie. Thank you to everyone who suggested this improvement! EDIT 2017-12-31: New Version Alert! I've added a ramp that can be connected to a HotWheels track and modified the mechanism so that it locks automatically when the piston is pushed back. Additionally, the piston is now slightly longer, making cars go faster.