Whoosh Boom Splat: The Garage Warrior's Guide to Building Projectile Shooters (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

These are the homemade machines that you’ve dreamed of building, from the high-voltage Night Lighter 36 spud gun to the Jam Jar Jet, the Marshmallow Shooter, and the Yagua Blowgun. Including detailed diagrams and supply lists, Gurstelle’s simple, step-by-step instructions help workshop warriors at any skill level achieve impressively powerful results. With Whoosh Boom Splat, you can build:

- The Jam Jar Jet—the simple pulse jet engine that roars
- The Elastic Zip Cannon—a membrane-powered shooter that packs a wallop
- The Mechanical Toe—a bungee-powered kicking machine
- The Vortex Launcher—a projectile shooter that uses air bullets for ammunition
- The Clothespin Snap Shooter—the PG-17 version of a clothespin gun that fires fiery projectiles
- The Architronito—the steam-powered cannon conceived by Leonardo da Vinci
And many more!

In addition to learning how to make these cool gadgets, you’ll find sections packed with information on what makes each machine unique. Gurstelle describes the machine’s historical origins as only he can: with verve, fun, and the sort of quirky details his legions of fans love. Whoosh Boom Splat is a must-have for every extreme tinkerer.

About the Author

William Gurstelle is the author of Adventures from the Technology Underground, Backyard Ballistics, Building Bots, and The Art of the Catapult. The number of hours he’s spent crafting fighting robots and catapults instead of working at, say, his normal job (as an engineer) is, in Bill’s own words “scary to contemplate, but it serves a purpose.” When not building devices that make stuff go whoosh, boom, and splat, Bill is a contributing editor at Make magazine and writes frequently for Wired, The Rake, and several other national magazines. He lives in Minneapolis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307339483
• ISBN-13: 978-0307339485
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #41 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Toymaking
  #84 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Do-It-Yourself

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, but..., October 26, 2007

By	M. Langford "kiteman" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just bought this, based on experience of Gurstelle's other books ("Art of the Catapult" and "Backyard Ballistics").

I wasn't disappointed at the content, though anybody who has spent time on the internet (especially sites like Instructables or Howtoons) will have seen versions of most of the projects before. The only project that was wholly-new to me was the Mechanical Toe.

What did disappoint was the quality of the book - nice shiny covers enclose dull, yellowing pages. The paper used does not promise long life, and I do not think it would survive if I kept it with the rest of my Making library (in my shed).

So, buy it if you like Gurstelle's style, or if you don't want to spend some time filtering the dross from the Web, but don't buy it if you plan to keep it for several years.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Gurstelle Great!, April 24, 2007

By	Christopher Wilder (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just received this book in the mail and was so excited that I did a quick scan to see what I could "put together" NOW! There were so many fun things to do in this book. Very inventive. I love the way Gurstelle gives praise to the past by creating a steam cannon designed by DaVinci (which was inspired by Archimedes). I can't wait to build even more!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whoosh, Boom, Splat Away!, December 23, 2007

By	Figlia della Penna "ReaderWriter" (California) - See all my reviews

Fantastic little book! Full of historical little tidbits and notes, mixed in with common sense instructions about a lot of fun "guy" projects that even girls could have fun doing! Loved it. Bought one for a grandson, then bought one for a friend. Might buy another one, too.