I built an ornithopter.

14 years ago

I think it turned out pretty well.

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Current Music: Curve -- The Birds They Do Fly ♬

15 Responses:

  1. poitoi says:
    14 years ago at 11:09 pm

    that's pretty awesome!!! it reminds me of building large scale( 6-8 foot wingspan) R/C gliders from sheets of balsa wood and tracing paper printed with the shapes you needed to cut out....

    I know i've heard of teflon coated thread for fancy embroidery, but i dunno if that would help. if you want i could see if i could make some guides at work from brass or something....

    looks hella good though!!
  2. kfringe says:
    14 years ago at 11:11 pm

    What do you mean, "your Leonardo action figure?" I've seen Hudson Hawk, and I'm pretty sure that you mean "your Bruce Willis action figure."
  3. violentbloom says:
    14 years ago at 12:04 am

    that's swell
  4. theoctothorpe says:
    14 years ago at 12:44 am

    I am in awe.

    Especially considering the kit was what I'd consider to be "sub-optimal" as far as kits go (the materials are beautiful, but a kit should have the correct parts, and not ask you to *make* parts, only assemble them)

    Great job!
    • whohou says:
      14 years ago at 6:00 am

      All the more satisfaction for having completed it then, knowing it took some suboptimal bends and grinds to get there. It came out great, looking at the photos. + And that you narrated the photo page in that way made it all the more better. Great great.
  5. httf says:
    14 years ago at 3:35 am

    This photograph is gorgeous.
    • tooluser says:
      14 years ago at 10:49 am

      I thought the same thing, a whole macro-scale wonderland.

      Another thought, re: gravity & scale: braided, hollow-core silk thread rather than the braided nylon that appears to have come with it. At that scale, it may act much more like 'rope', and hang properly on the guides.
  6. pegasd says:
    14 years ago at 4:05 am

    Very impressive.
    • tjic says:
      14 years ago at 4:34 am

      I was a bit confused when I'd started reading because I hadn't previously had any data to indicate that you were handy. Then I assumed that the kit was five or six snap together parts, and thought "meh".

      ...however, after reading, it's clear that you did a lot of real work ... and the result looks quite sweet.

      Nice work!
  7. phreddiva says:
    14 years ago at 6:13 am

    1) Fucking awesome.
    2) I am planning a work outing to the Da Vinci exhibit at the SJ tech at some point in January (before the 25th). I know it's in SJ, but would you go? It's across the street from us, and we're a 12-minute walk from CalTrain. LMK.
  8. rivetpepsquad says:
    14 years ago at 9:25 am

    Wait, you're DONE?!?!?!? But you still intact fingertips! (Right?)
  9. mcity says:
    14 years ago at 12:03 pm

    How on earth are you going to fit into that thing?
  10. omni_ferret says:
    14 years ago at 8:47 pm

    I don't think anyone's made a Vitruvian Man action figure, unfortunately, but a papercraft version might be doable & fitting.

    (I was jokingly going to suggest Leonardo or Leonardo, but that ornithopter really deserves better.)

Comments are closed because this post is 14 years old.