Build Your Own Plane Launcher

£19.99

I was excited to test out the Build Your Own Plane Launcher as it is such a fun concept that I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it and fly paper planes across the room! The kit is comprised of 47 press-out and cut-out parts which all fit together with the use of elastic bands to create your own paper plane launcher. Once assembled the box includes 10 different fold-n-fly paper planes to test your construction on and send planes flying across the room. It’s not a surprise this product was so much fun to test and had us seeing how far we could each launch a paper plane across the room.

I’m always impressed by the Build Your Own Kits, but this one sets itself apart as not only is it a mess-free construction, but it is designed to continue to challenge you to fly your plane the furthest. Once assembled the box contains 10 different paper planes with simple instructions to help you make your own personalized planes. This allows for the continued exploration into the nature of aerodynamics, leaving you competing with yourself and friends for hours to fly yours just that little bit further. No glue is required in the construction of the launcher, making it a great choice for parents that don’t want to be worried about the mess that comes with other craft projects.

I was particularly impressed by the sustainable aspects of the kit, as all pieces are made of sturdy cardboard with no plastic elements. This is evidently a top priority across the Build Your Own ranges, as they all focus keenly on ensuring that every part of their kit is environmentally responsible, whether that be from the easily recycled box or the sturdy but recyclable pieces. You might expect the pieces to be flimsy when sustainability is such a key focus, however, Build Your Own has ensured that durability is also central to its design.

Once you have built the launcher and had fun with the paper planes, the kit also includes distance targets, that turn the craft project itself into a whole new game that can be played with friends to see who can build the best plane, and then who can launch it to try and hit the targets. Therefore, the ‘build-your-own’ aspect of the kit may first appear as a craft project to spend some time on, but it then doubles as a functioning toy for twice as much fun! I would highly recommend this to people of all ages, especially early teens. However, I had just as much fun constructing and testing it out in an afternoon, so would make a great unique gift for people of all ages.

Pros:

- Mess-free construction

- Environmentally Responsible

- Variety in fold-n-fly planes

Cons:

- Not super powerful

-  Takes 45 mins to build

- Construction is a little fiddly