A helicopter takes several months to build and requires collaboration with other people. But you can build a helicopter toy by yourself.
Required Tools and Materials
12 to 18 inches of kite string
3 to 4 inches of aquarium tubing
Felt-tipped markers
Super glue
Water
New No. 2 pencil
Tongs
Small saucepan
Tongue depressor
Fill the saucepan with water and boil it.
Step 2
Dip the tongue depressor in the water for a minute. Take the depressor using tongs. Twist the stick in the center. Twist one side backward and the other forward. Keep this position as the depressor cools down. Repeat the step as often as necessary to get the shape.
Step 3
Put some super glue on the pencil’s eraser. Stick this on the middle of the depressor. You can use a pencil to mark the center spot, or a 1/4 inch dowel or eight inches long. The helicopter’s balance will depend on how centered this will be. For this reason, you need to be very accurate.
Step 4
Color the blade. The color is up to you.
Step 5
Put the string on the pencil one third from the toy chopper’s top. To build a helicopter toy, use a nylon cord or a kite string. A length of 18 inches is sufficient. A small amount should be left for you to hold.
Step 6
Slice 4 inches off the aquarium tubing. Make sure the tube’s inside diameter is big enough to put the pencil in. There should be plenty of room for movement Do not make it an exact fit.
Step 7
Make a hole on the tube close to the end. Make it big enough for the kite string.
Step 8
Place the tubing so the hole’s end is on the top. Put the pencil in it so the wrapped part is inside the tubing. Now pass the string length at your end in the hole. This allows the string to be pulled.
Step 9
Grab the helicopter’s handle. Use your hand to pull the string. Pull the string so the motion will be smooth and fluid. When you do this, the chopper will start to spin. When you get to the string’s end, the chopper will depart from the tubing handle. The chopper will now fly.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to build a helicopter toy. Probably the most taxing part is shaping the tongue depressor. But even that part will be easy if you practice it often enough.
