No batteries required: Our old school rubber band plane for under $3

Remember the days without battery power toys and RC gadgets? Maybe not. Of course there’s no doubt we’re crazy about the latest RC gear and electronics, but we definitely believe there’s still enjoyment to be had in the less techy toys. So today we opened up a classic…our rubber band powered wind up airplane model.
The set up was only slightly more fiddly than I’d anticipated but it got done in just a few steps and the model was ready to be wound up and flown.

Set it Up

To be honest the instructions aren’t that great, written in Chinese accompanying a few small pictures, however it’s fairly obvious what goes where and how.

Begin by attaching the bridge which the wings sit on to the wooden stick. This was the fiddly process as the fit is pretty snug and you feel like you could snap the wood if you’re too forceful. But it didn’t snap and the the bridge piece made it’s way about 7cm down to where it should be. Two of the double sided sticker strips attach to the bridge, then the wings can be stuck on. The piece of plastic is bound on with the small rubber band over the top.

It’s obvious in which places to fold the wings because of the indentations in the polystyrene, and the plastic supports can then also be stuck to the underside of the wing.

Next attach the propeller to the front; the hook for the rubber band at the back (both angled downwards) then the tail piece with the blade facing up.

Use a double sided sticker to attach the rear wings on the underside of the plastic tail piece. Then another sticker for the upright tail wing.
Next hook the long rubber band around the front and back hooks: Double it up first and then it goes round about three times. Neatly tie whatever’s left.

Take it out for some old fashioned flying

We took it outside to have a play and take a few photos and it glided very nicely: it was at its best when thrown out of an upstairs window to enjoy a longer glide and a few twists and turns.

It’s a nice toy even for us past our youngest years, but perfect for kids playing in the garden on a summer afternoon. It’s a good value toy, easy to withstand a crash landing or two, and great as an introduction to the world of model airplanes without spending money on a new RC gadget. And you won’t need to worry about rummaging in draws for those AA batteries or about waiting all afternoon for a full charge up.

Play around with the folds of the wings and a youngster might even start to get to grips with how flying works….Every RC pro or professional pilot has to start somewhere after all.