Environmentally Friendly Model Car Ideas
- Self-made model cars rarely look as nice as store bought ones, but they allow children to be more creative.corner car image by easaab from Fotolia.com
One of the key phrases in the car industry at the moment is "environmentally friendly." Full-scale cars are being designed to have only a minimal impact on the environment, so it's only fitting that model cars follow suit. While they may not be as pristine and well put together as traditional model cars, these environmentally friendly ones make use of existing materials and employ features that people may one day find on all cars. - In 2009, Hong Kong's Polytechnic University played host to the Epson Green Carnival where students competed to create environmentally friendly mousetrap cars. The goal of this competition was to use only a mousetrap and recycled materials to build a working model car. The cars were required to propel themselves along but also had to be able to pull a smaller secondary car along a 10-meter track. Using the mousetrap's spring as a power source, the main components necessary to build a mousetrap car are string, axels, wheels and something to hold the axels steady yet still able to turn like eyehole screws.
- Houses are now being powered using solar energy and there's nothing to prevent model cars from following suit. By using solar power, not only will the car be energized in an environmentally friendly way, but it will also have a fair amount of speed for a toy car once it's powered up (solar power produces 1.1 horsepower per square yard). Small solar panels measuring 3.75 by 2.5 inches are readily available online and produce enough energy to power a small model car. In keeping with the environmentally friendly theme, try to use recycled materials such as scrap wood and leftover hardware pieces. This type of model car does require a bit of electrical knowledge. Research how to properly set up the solar power components before starting.
- Model cars can be built out of just about anything you find around the house. Not only is it more environmentally sound to use recycled materials to build a model car, but it also encourages creativity in children. For a large-scale project, you can use old cardboard boxes as the body and decorate them with non-toxic biodegradable paints. An old mint tin or even larger candy tin also make adequate car bodies. Using a metal body will require some drilling when it comes time to install the axels, but it also eliminates the need for a separate axel support system. Wooden barbecue skewers can be used for axels for small wheels. If you don't have any old building block set wheels then try using layers of cardboard or other sturdy materials to construct your own wheels.
