When you send a diecast car down the track, there are several things that affect the speed: The weight of the car, free-spinning wheels, and friction between the wheels and track. But what about aerodynamics? The coefficient of drag doesn’t seem to be much of a factor, but surely it has some effect.
Funtech Lab has a way to find out, the Windsible desktop wind tunnel. It comes in three sizes, suitable for 1/64, 1/25, and 1/18 models. Stick one of those cars in the wind tunnel, and you can see for yourself!
In comic book ads, Kenner used to claim their SSP gyro-powered cars were wind-tunnel tested. Like many ads from those comics, the message may have played fast and loose with fact. But a kid can dream.
There have been a few attempts at adding wind-activated features to model cars, such as the Hot Wheels Whip Creamer and the SSP Flair Pair seen above. The result is… who can tell if they work as the car whizzes by at a scale 500 miles per hour? Sure you can blow on those parts, but what’s the fun in that?
Windsible tunnels operate with a fan blowing oil smoke over the vehicle. In addition to the top/side viewing portal, there is interior lighting and digital readout. There is a lot more info on their website along with cool videos.
C’mon, you know you want to see if your 1:18 Red bull F1 model stacks up to the real thing. Or if the spoilers on your model actually, y’know, spoil the airflow as intended.
These things don’t come cheap, with the smallest version selling for $219. You can preorder them at Funtech’s website. Don’t blow this opportunity!
