It's been nearly two decades since I've been involved with a Pinewood Derby, but since my son is a Tiger Cub this year, we're building him a car.
.....and one for me as well. (Unlimited class, of course!)
My son did all the design decisions on his car, and I helped him with building it. But that's not why I'm posting. I'm showing off *my* car here, which I'm using to show off my geekiness. I'm sure my son would have preferred it if I did an X-Wing, but I have very few carpentry skills, not to mention the fact that I don't have many tools. So I went with a fairly easy shape, as well as one that's easy to recognize: the Galileo shuttlecraft.
I had to simplify things a bit, but I think it looks good. It still needs a clear coat and the wheels, but otherwise it's just about finished. In order to maintain the correct proportions, I had to significantly shorten the wheelbase from a standard racer. It's not going to win any races, but it'll look good doing it! Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
That is slick, BJ.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Very nice! I still have my Pinewood Derby cars hanging around in the closet somewhere, along with the 2nd Place trophy my second one received... I think...
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Too bad you couldn't do an X-wing, maybe you could try an A-wing next year.
Posted by Paladin181 (Member # 833) on :
For one of my pinewood derby cars I did a shuttlecraft. My dad helped me put in a blinking red light on the top and the nacelles went over the wheels. She crashed the first race and was unsalvagable.
Posted by Austin Powers (Member # 250) on :
May I pose the ignorant question:
what exactly IS a Pinewood Derby?
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Funny thing - They had the track set up yesterday so people could come and make an early run to see if they needed any adjustments. I had finally put the wheels on mine, and brought it along too (this was mainly for my son). All the adults knew exactly what my "car" was. None of the kids did. My son (who's nearly 7) tried to explain it to the others as a picture I got off my computer. About the funniest comment I got from one of the kids was he thought it was a milk truck! Really don't know where the kid came up with that, because I don't think anyone's delivered milk around here since before I was born!
Posted by Pleiades10 (Member # 1958) on :
I think that would be cool as a landing craft, you know like a TOS or any sort of Argo veichle.
Oh BTW Hi. hahaha.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Um...it IS.
Posted by Pleiades10 (Member # 1958) on :
Oops, sorry, I'm prone to looking at only art, I have a distinct dislike of writes. I wasn't sure, I knew it was a 'car' but not for Planetary exploration. Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Um...yeah.
Nice work B.J., did you run it in the trails? How'd it do?
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
The derby is tonight. My son has been overly excited about it all week. I should have some pictures of it completed and racing by Monday.
Posted by Johnny (Member # 878) on :
That looks great! Sounds like a lot of fun, too. I wish we had that at school. You ought to put a pic of the Galileo on that wiki page(I hadn't heard of Pinewood Derbies either).
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Here's a shot of my completed Galileo next to my son's more conventional design: Unfortunately, neither of us did very well. He was 35th out of about 40, and I was 18th out of 19. In any case, we both learned a lot for next year. He did have fun building and racing it, though, and that was the important part.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
No, the most important part is that you entertained us.
Nice work though.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Well, it's been almost a year, so it's time to start preparing for this year's Pinewood Derby! I came up with a pretty nifty design this time, if I do say so myself. I drew it up in CATIA to make some plans from, and I was going to *try* to cut it myself using my meager tools, but one of my coworkers has a home-built CNC machine and offered to mill it out! Please note that since he had to use an oversized piece of wood and not the standard block, this is not a legal entry, and is really only for show. Besides, this one is for myself!
The only problem is, my son saw my design, and now he wants me to make him one, which means I'll have to do it (with his help, of course) using the provided block! Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
That's pretty sweet, duder.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Non-sense. Tell your son you'll make a Star Destroyer soap box car. Then he'll really be traveling in style.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
"I have a distinct dislike of writes"
Posted by bX (Member # 419) on :
Umm awesome on all counts.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
You know, I wish modern technology could make it so we could see it racing along..... Oh, wait....
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Well, we had the derby this past Friday. My car turned out looking pretty good, although I was scrounging around to get the details finished. That and the clear finish kind of blurred the drawn-on details. My son actually changed his mind and we did a design of his own - a pencil! Good thing too, since neither car did very well in speed (I haven't figured out that secret yet), but my son did win first place for looks! Now he gets to take his car to the district Pinewood Derby in March. Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Nice work there. How about a pen for next year?
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
It's weird for me to see this...I didn't know they did pinewood derbies anymore...granted, I was never in scouts (nor have I heard of anything but cub scout clubs in any of the small towns I've lived in around here) so maybe that's it...didn't they do most of the pinewood derby-type gatherings?
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Well, slap him on the back and tell him we said congrats and good luck in March B.J., let's hope no one has done a pencil sharpener.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
In that case, tell the judges it's a secret spy camera Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Daniel, if I understood you correctly, then yes, Pinewood Derbies are pretty much a Cub Scout thing.
quote:Originally posted by Ritten: Well, slap him on the back and tell him we said congrats and good luck in March B.J., let's hope no one has done a pencil sharpener.
*lol* And thanks!
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
The only time I ever participated in one of these was for grade 8 shop class... my Cub group was too cheap to have one.
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
My cub pack was in a different country so we didn't have one either.
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Really don't know where the kid came up with that, because I don't think anyone's delivered milk around here since before I was born!
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