Liquid operated Trans Am toy?
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- LightForceKittFan
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Liquid operated Trans Am toy?
A month ago I found a big (20 cm long) Trans Am toy (Lewis Galoob Toys 1988) from a flea market. It took me some time to figure out how it worked, but after searching the patent number at the bottom of the car with Google, I found that it needed some conducting liquid to work.
There's a hatch at the rear end of the car and you can put a 9V battery there. On top of the rear is a hole and a button. I put salty water in the hole and wow! the car started to move.
I've never seen these kind of toys before, have you? It's in a good shape (it's missing the spoiler) after I removed all ugly stickers from it.
Here's some pictures. Sorry about the small size, but I took them with my webcam because I don't currently have a digital camera.
Sideview:
Top view:
Front:
Back:
There's a hatch at the rear end of the car and you can put a 9V battery there. On top of the rear is a hole and a button. I put salty water in the hole and wow! the car started to move.
I've never seen these kind of toys before, have you? It's in a good shape (it's missing the spoiler) after I removed all ugly stickers from it.
Here's some pictures. Sorry about the small size, but I took them with my webcam because I don't currently have a digital camera.
Sideview:
Top view:
Front:
Back:
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- KRO Podcaster (retired)
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Salt water is conductive to electricity. Funny that it won't go on just a 9V battery though. The water really is a moot point when you think about it. Or just designed that way as a novelty.
Or, is it that it can run on either/or? Have you tried running it on just liquid?
Or maybe they figure it's a toy that kids can "gas up" the car using a conductive liquid, part of how to play with the toy, making it closer to a 'real' car.
Pretty neat, though. And probably a very rare toy.
Or, is it that it can run on either/or? Have you tried running it on just liquid?
Or maybe they figure it's a toy that kids can "gas up" the car using a conductive liquid, part of how to play with the toy, making it closer to a 'real' car.
Pretty neat, though. And probably a very rare toy.
- Lost Knight
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- LightForceKittFan
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The 9V battery is required, because the liquid only closes the circuit and the car can't run without it. The big button on top of the car releases the liquid when pressed, and the car's engine stops. The car also makes quite horrible noise as it goes on.
I have heard about toy cars that produce steam from the water, but this doesn't, the water is just like piece of electric wire to complete the circuit.
When I saw this car and heard the price, I almost left it there (because I don't like wasting too much money) but then I thought it would be the last time I'll ever see one of these. It was part of the fun to figure out how it worked.
Some new pictures:
Battery hatch open and closed:
Bottom:
"Fuel tank" and water release button:
There's some kind of mechanism at the bottom of the car, you can see a switch that goes back and forth and it locks in the rear position and a white piece of plastic rises next to the left back wheel. I haven't yet figured out how that works or what it does. There might be some kind of a "launcher" for this car and that thing may have something to do with that.
I have heard about toy cars that produce steam from the water, but this doesn't, the water is just like piece of electric wire to complete the circuit.
When I saw this car and heard the price, I almost left it there (because I don't like wasting too much money) but then I thought it would be the last time I'll ever see one of these. It was part of the fun to figure out how it worked.
Some new pictures:
Battery hatch open and closed:
Bottom:
"Fuel tank" and water release button:
There's some kind of mechanism at the bottom of the car, you can see a switch that goes back and forth and it locks in the rear position and a white piece of plastic rises next to the left back wheel. I haven't yet figured out how that works or what it does. There might be some kind of a "launcher" for this car and that thing may have something to do with that.
- PBH
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Not sure why I think this, but I THINK I've seen something like that before. I believe it's only function is to have the car do "spinouts". I could be wrong.LightForceKittFan wrote:
Bottom:
There's some kind of mechanism at the bottom of the car, you can see a switch that goes back and forth and it locks in the rear position and a white piece of plastic rises next to the left back wheel. I haven't yet figured out how that works or what it does. There might be some kind of a "launcher" for this car and that thing may have something to do with that.
- rhdaussiekitt
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