4M Water Rocket Kit, DIY Science Space Stem Toys, For Boys & Girls Ages 8+

This is a pretty great kit, especially for the price. It was pretty easy to build, in fact I was able to let my daughters do most of the steps, and we had it together very quickly. The fins are pretty heavy-duty and haven't broken yet, even after many flights and landings; I've been careful to make sure that the fin assembly gets screwed on by the center fitting, though, rather than using the fins themselves as levers - I think that might break them. An extra fin was included. I was disappointed at first that there's no specific release mechanism - you just wedge the plug up into the mouth of the bottle, and pump until it lets go. However, this turns out to be part of the fun of the process, as you never know quite when it will take off; it also lets you change up how high it goes (and how hard it is to pump up) by how hard you jam in the plug. (That is, for my younger daughter, I could put it in relatively gently - or let her put it in - and it would let go at a lower pressure, which was within her ability to pump it up.) It can go quite high, probably 100 feet on a good shot - we have done most of our shooting from the middle of a golf fairway in order to have enough space. Now, if you're handy, you could build this from parts in a hardware store and an hour or two at your workbench - but the fitting on the plug is actually pretty clever in its design (so that the pressure tends to make the hose more secure rather than blowing it off), and the fin assembly is hardy but easy to disassemble and reassemble. All in all it's great fun and a worthwhile buy.

Very fun for all ages - adults liked playing with it as much as the kids. Works great. "A good time that was had by all". Comes with - 2 rubber cork plugs - 2 sets of 3 fins (and a spare fin for each set, tho they seem pretty durable, no breaks yet) - 2 plastic air tubes to connect tire pump to rubber cork in water bottle. - 4 small plastic connectors for connecting tire pump to the rubber cork via clear plastic tube (basically, one connector thru rubber cork, connect clear tube, another connector for bike pump; 2 sets) Minimal assembly: Insert tire pump connector thru the rubber cork provided so it sticks out thru wider part of rubber cork (only goes 1 way, cant mess it up) Connect clear plastic tube to connector on rubber cork, and insert other small connector into the other end of the clear tube to connect to tire pump (basically, 1 connector for each end of clear tube). Fill water bottle 1/3 full with water. Press the rubber cork into bottom of bottle. Press HARD. The harder you press it in, the more pressure is needed to pop it out and the higher it will go. Stand rocket up on fins as its launch pad. Start pumping the bike tire pump until the cork pops out and the rocket launches. (While reading about these bottle rockets, I could never figure out what the release mechanism was to actually launch the rocket - turns out its a function of how tightly you insert the rubber cork, thats it). We were launching 200-300 feet in the air once we figured out we just need to push the rubber cork in harder. While you can use any 1 liter bottle, I prefer the Seagrams Tonic 1 liter bottle - cuz then I have an excuse to make Gin & Tonics too! However, the Polar brand Tonic bottle is more streamlined, looks more like a rocket. And you can cut the top off another bottle to attach it on top of the main engine bottle for a bigger rocket, and a more streamlined look. (pointed nose vs flat bottom of main bottle on top) Google around and you will see examples.

I bought this to use with my 3 year old and she loves it. Very easy to put together and she had a blast every time it launched. It comes with the bottle, screw for the bottle, the fins, 2 adapters for the bike pump, the tubing, and the plug for the bottle. After a quick setup and a little water, we were good to go. You just put a little water in the bottle, plug the end, then pump the bicycle pump about 3-5 times. We used a pump that you can put both feet on while you are pumping. The launch requires 30-40psi depending on how much water you put in it. Once you get the right pressure, it launches and uses the water as its propulsion. Just like the box says, it does launch about 30 meters high (90+ feet). The instructions also included a couple paragraphs explaining the science behind the kit (action v reaction). I thought this was pretty neat. It never hurts to learn something while having fun. We had asphalt and concrete nearby so the bottle and fins did get scratched when they landed on either one of those. Otherwise, I think you can get hours and hours of fun from just the one bottle without it wearing out. We will probably be testing out some different bottles to see if there is much of a difference in the launch or flight. I'm also thinking the bottle needs some tape for weight at the top so the fins don't hit the ground first. I was worried it would use a bunch of water and the fun wouldn't last long. However, we filled up a gallon jug and that was good for about a dozen launches or more. Overall, I would highly recommend this product. Yes, you can probably make it yourself, but for a ready-made kit, this is well worth the cost. The kit is meant for kids 8+, but it is definitely a fun thing for younger than that if there is proper supervision. Unfortunately, my 3 year old could only pump a few times before the pressure was too high, but I don't see older kids having any trouble with it.

My son wanted a "rocket set" for his 5th birthday, but couldn't really explain what he meant, so research led me to this. I've got a few cautions about it and I'll get to those, but there's plenty of great stuff about this toy. 1) We can consistently launch this rocket about 4 stories high. It makes a great rocket sound and takes off like, well, a rocket. It's a blast, a huge performer. You know how you worry that things won't be as cool in practice as advertized? This is way cooler! Very exciting every time. 2) Scientific method. We've been forming hypothesizes about whether more or less water would make it go higher and then discussing how to measure and what environmental factors (wind) might impact the results. Got the brain working while we're having fun. 3) I can't imagine a toy being better at helping to make new friends. Every time we launch it up at our play ground, all of the kids and some of the parents get involved, ask questions, want to have a turn. We form launch teams, recovery teams, fueling teams, etc. Our boy has met some kids this way who are in his Kindergarten class that starts this week. He'll start school with a few friends in his class because of this toy. Can't really ask for more than that in a toy! Now a few tweaks and warnings: I am a road cyclist. Road bikes have smaller valve stems than regular bikes and things like wheelbarrows and cars. So, I happen to have pumps for both standards, but assumed that this was designed for the standard bike pump valve. The valve that comes with the rocket is too small to get a seal with the standard pump, but we get a better one with my road bike pump (Presta valve). The rocket launches by building up pressure from the pump and the water, so this is pretty important. With the presta pump, some air still leaks out. I have one kid hold the joint when we launch, but we still loose a little air that way. It's working for us, but this could be better implemented. I may work to modify ours at some point. I'm sure even with a standard pump, you could get this to work, but it might take some tweaking. All in all and amazing fun, safe and sneakly educational toy that has brought kids together and formed new friendships...all for $20. Can't beat it.

Completely worth the $15. The pieces are well made and fit together nicely. I liked that they included an extra fin and 3 different connectors for tube-to-pump attachment so that you can make pretty much any kind of pump you have work. The assembly and use directions are easy to follow. They say 8 years and up, but younger kids will have just as much fun with supervision. The toughest part for youngsters will be getting the bung in the bottle tightly enough. I bought this to use as part of the final portion of a super hero scavenger hunt for 8 four-year-olds and it worked out great. The kids had to find all the "stolen" parts as well as bottles of "fuel" (aka colored water). They helped assemble and then took turns pouring in water to make different colors (I suggest a funnel if you are using colored water or have young kids pouring, ha). Pump five times and then next kid's turn. Made a great finish to the scavenger hunt (Don't worry, they nixed the thieving villain when he tried to interfere with the first launch). We must have set the thing off more than 20 times. We have also just played with it (myself and my son and once with his grandfather) out in the field. My son likes to try putting things inside the bottle like clover and dandelion heads, small pebbles, colored sand, etc so he can check and see where it falls out. He is happy even if it is all right there at the blast site:) We've also used other bottles from around the house, with and without the fins if there weren't enough threads on the bottle neck to attach them. Build a little tripod with rocks or sticks to hold other bottles upright (or at other desired angles). As long as the bung fits in tightly enough, it will launch. I will take it to the next family reunion.

We bought this for a 7 year old friend of ours in Dallas, TX who loves video games in an attempt to get him outside and active. WOW. We headed out to the local park (with water supply) with the box, with several little boys, with some empty soda bottles and a bike pump. Turned out we did not need the extra bottles, but they did work just as well as what was in the kit. Set up took only a few minutes. It is rare that a boxed toy exceeds expectations. This one did! The online ad said 30 feet, but the box says 30 meters, and that was more like what we got. The kids could do the pumping, although it took some effort. The rocket flew into the sky at least a hundred feet. This toy rocked. By 30 minutes in we had every kid in that park gathered around. We experimented with amounts of water(a third to a half full got the best results) and how hard we pumped Kids were lined up to run the bottle back to refill it, and to pump it. The rocket was safe for all but the littlest kids. AS it fell back down the lightweight plastic bottle gently bounced along the ground. The kids quickly figured out that if it had a dent, a pump with the air tube before adding water fixed it. One mom leaned over to me and whispered "Nobody better tell them that they are learning!" I can not remember being as impressed with a toy before this. I was doubtful that it would be that great, I have been let down before. But, the rocket is still being asked for and played with more than a month later. It is a simple toy that engages imagination. We had close to 30 kids watching us play, and begging for their own. I wish it was not so hard to find out there, not a single toy store in town had one for sale. The simplicity and safety of this particular kit makes it a winner for kids of all ages. I am online to order several more for children we know, and my husband is getting one for his birthday.

It broke after only a few launches. It was fun until it broke. It does go very high. It can with an extra fin but the fin is not what breaks when it hits the ground so that didn’t do us any good.

Wonderful product. My grandsons loved it.

Nice product good for teaching students about water pressure and it's uses in science

El cohete funcionó a la perfección y voló muchísimo más de lo que indica, mucho mejor que las espectativas y por el precio, 5 estrellas

Works well for my STEM activities. Easy to assemble and works like a charm

Honnêtement je ne pensais pas trouver un article de cette qualité, mais cette fusée monte vraiment très haut ! 40-50 m de hauteur facilement. Très impressionnant pour mes enfants. J'en ai achetée une deuxième pour mon neveu.

Works as expected, decently built, easy to build and launch. Goes very high.