Cargo mini moped

Cargo side trailer for a mini-moped: design

I have been a long-time reader of the magazine “Modelist-Konstruktor” and subscribed to it for many years in a row. Then, due to financial difficulties, I had to give it up. But since last year I have started subscribing again. I am glad that, as before, I find a lot of useful material in the Read more…

All-season helper

Homemade tractoromobile: 4WD chassis, PTO and hitch

For fifteen years I have subscribed to the magazine “Modelist-Constructor” and in every issue I find many interesting and useful articles for myself. I am a mechanical engineer by training, and I am especially interested in the creative developments of amateur designers. I myself, back in 1989, practically from scrap metal (units and assemblies of Read more…

Autogyro — glider

Autogyro fuselage: construction, assembly and controls

FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION. In recent issues of our magazine, a series of articles by a group of autogyro designers was published about the features of building these rotary-wing machines, about how to build autogyros, and how to fly them when towed by a boat or an automobile. In this issue we describe the fuselage construction and Read more…

Mini tractor made in the Far East

Mini-tractor Amurchonok: design and components

Our magazine has already written more than once about Krasnodar, Stavropol, and Ural tractors, motor plows, rotary rippers, and electric mowers created in clubs by young designers. These machines are a good help both on the school plot, on the experimental plot, and in the field. The mini-tractor “Amurchonok,” described on these pages, was built Read more…

Homemade sprayer

DIY electric garden sprayer from a sewing machine motor

I made it for treating plants in the fight against garden and vegetable pests. I assembled it from available materials, mainly an electric motor from a sewing machine and a gear oil pump from a Ural motorcycle. I mounted them on a common base and connected them with a long drive shaft. The sprayer is Read more…

“Butterfly” on the waves

Moth dinghy build: hull, mast, rigging and sail

The ultra-light international Moth class dinghy — the “Moth” (fig. 1, 2) is simple in design, easy to build, and possesses all the most important qualities of a racing boat — it is fast, maneuverable, and responsive to the helm. All this makes it worth recommending as a first racing sailboat for those who dream Read more…

Teen buggy

Buggy-350: school microcar based on a motor tricycle

On the roads and cross-country tracks of Latvia, new sports microcars — buggies built at the republic’s Central Station for Young Technicians — have recently appeared. One of them, the school “Buggy-350”, was displayed at NTTM-74. These nimble, agile machines move with equal success on dirt roads, highways, and heavily rugged terrain. They are also Read more…

Pneumatic all-terrain vehicle

Single-seat pneumatic ATV for winter ice fishing

A familiar winter TV story is the rescue of ice-fishing enthusiasts from a drifting ice floe. Almost every year we are shown how emergency services specialists on helicopters, boats, or all-terrain vehicles save unlucky anglers. Such incidents are not uncommon on the country’s freezing bodies of water. Moreover, anglers often drive out onto the ice Read more…