Toysmith UFO Solar Balloon

by Toysmith

Product Features

• Fill the UFO Solar Balloon with air, attache the line and
• Watch it magically Rise!
• Thermodynamics in clear view!
• bright direct sunlight warms it in a few minutes and it soars!
• 10' LONG! x 2' wide 60' of string and instructions!

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 2 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001D21SUK
• Item model number: 7991
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,994 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Product Description

Fill the UFO Solar Balloon with air, attache the line and Watch it magically Rise! Thermodynamics in clear view! bright direct sunlight warms it in a few minutes and it soars! 10' LONG! x 2' wide 60' of string and instructions!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is, and it's no trash bag, September 9, 2009

By 

A. Thompson (Harrisonburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toysmith UFO Solar Balloon (Toy)

This toy is of limited value, but hey - it's only 6 bucks delivered. But if you use it for a trash bag you'll be disappointed. It's way too flimsy.

A 32 gallon trash bag weighs about 50 - 55 grams.
This weighs 61 grams, but the volume can be calculated to about 180 gallons. When this thing fills up with air, it's impressively huge.
So you get your kid to help you launch this on a sunny day. You have him tape a little postcard to it with his name and address on it. You explain to him about expansion and gases and Brownian motion. You have an ice cream together and watch it float around awhile. Then you let go of the string and wave bye-bye, hoping to get the postcard back someday.
Or, you wait for the sun to go down, watch it land on a fence, or rosebush or whatever. It's done for - there's no patching it.

Either way, well worth the $6.00!!

2.0 out of 5 stars arrived damaged - rip in the lining, October 18, 2011

By 

chris0898 - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toysmith UFO Solar Balloon (Toy)

I had this toy when I was a youngster and i loved it. However, the one I ordered arrived with a rip along the side and so this product was unable to fly. The kids were very dissapointed.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just like I remembered!, September 9, 2011

By 

Mike R. Becker - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toysmith UFO Solar Balloon (Toy)

Back in the '70's my family subscribed to Ranger Rick magazine. My dad ordered a solar balloon similar to the UFO Solar Balloon from the ads in the back. I loved it! Then this summer, I tried to recreate the experience with my ten year-old daughter using cheap yard bags. They wanted to float, but couldn't overcome their weight. I thought about cutting them apart and trying to tape them together to make a bigger balloon, but that seemed like way too much trouble. I thought, "why not try Amazon?" I ordered this balloon as soon as I saw it.
We tried it last weekend on a calm sunny day. This is important as even light cloud cover, or a small breeze will have a huge effect on the balloon's performance. I tied off one end of the balloon using string as it is lighter and takes less space than tying the balloon. Once filled, we brought it to an open space. In no time at all it started to rise! Not only is it a blast, it is an instant attention grabber. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions.

Things to be aware of:
- by necessity, the material is very thin. This makes it very fragile as well. Keep it far away from fences, trees, etc. Ours got snared by a tree and it created a small cut. Thankfully it was easily fixed using a small piece of packing tape.
- it is really susceptible to even the smallest breeze. Don't try to fly it on a windy day. That's what kites are for!
- it needs full sun to get hot enough to float. Partially sunny days need not apply.

We had tons of fun the first time and are looking forward to the next time.