Pulse jet plus truck from Radio Shack equals comically overpowered R/C fun [UPDATE]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:56:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Toys/Games, Humor

Radio-controlled cars and trucks can be tons of fun, as anyone who grew up piloting the little toys will surely tell you. Judging by our own experience, there's no youngster that doesn't think of what great projects could be completed if he or she were only an adult with a nearly unlimited budget. Thing is, most of us never actually pursue such ideas when we reach adulthood.

Thankfully, there are a select few that really do follow through with their childhood aspirations of radio-controlled lunacy. Like the man in the video after the break, who mounted a pulse jet engine to the chassis of a relatively cheap radio controlled truck purchased from Radio Shack (which apparently sponsored the project for PopSci). Four pounds of thrust may not sound like a whole heck of a lot, but it's plenty sufficient to get this truck moving at ludicrous speed.

Best of all, the project was all captured on video, including some on-car footage from a GoPro mounted at the nose. See for yourself after the break, and if you want to replicate the good times, a complete parts list is included at Popular Science, as well.

*UPDATE: We heard from the builder (Thanks, Vin!), who sent us a link to a slightly longer video, which we've pasted after the break.

Continue reading Pulse jet plus truck from Radio Shack equals comically overpowered R/C fun [UPDATE]

Pulse jet plus truck from Radio Shack equals comically overpowered R/C fun [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, anything out there you'd like to strap a jet engine to?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Humor, Specialty

Click on the image above to watch the video

Those of you who'd like to power your daily driver with a jet engine but are a little too concerned about the complexity of a turbine should take a look at the good old pulse jet. With a slightly crazy but active community still working on the German World War II engine design, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything on wheels that hasn't seen a buzzing pulse jet strapped onto it somehow. Something with two wheels? Sure. How about something with four wheels and a couple thousand horsepower? Heck yeah! As you can see in the video pasted after the break, the venerable pulse jet has seen plenty of duty on race and show cars, and there's not much in this world thats cooler than a jet-powered automobile. Just don't start it in front of your neighbor's house and you'll be fine.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading So, anything out there you'd like to strap a jet engine to?

So, anything out there you'd like to strap a jet engine to? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 May 2008 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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