Academy Leonardo da Vinci Flying Machine Kit Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2013 | Manufacturer | Academy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Da Vinci Flying Machine | Scale | N/A |
| Kit Number | 18146 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Fun project that highlights the engineering genius of Leonardo Da Vinci | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $19.95 |
Leonardo Da Vinci developed a number of designs that were well before their time. His vision of vertical flight with his spiral helicopter, paddle wheel-powered vessels, and the early armored car may have been laughable in his day, but were the stepping stones for today's MV-22 Osprey, turbine-powered Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and M1 Abrams tank (and their analogs from other nations of course).
With Da Vinci's flying machine, he developed a mechanical model to mimick the movements and structure of a bird. Like the bird, his machine uses movement (flapping) of the wings for propulsion. Of course man achieved powered flight though no designs to date have used flapping for propulsion (though you might think otherwise watching the wings in flight during turbulance!).
Academy has released this educational kit of Leonardo Da Vinci's flying machine design. Assembly of the is completely snap-together - no glue, paint, or batteries required. This project literally took a few minutes though a careful eye to the instructions is required to ensure that the various parts are properly oriented so that the wings will work as intended. The engineering of this kit is well done though and you can see the results to the right. I really do enjoy assembling and tinkering with Academy's Da Vinci kits!
This is a nice-looking model that is a snap (pun intended) to assemble and will be fun for your child to learn a little history or as a nice conversation piece on your desk at work or at home.
My sincere thanks to MRC for this review sample!