The Reliant Space Shuttle

[Iain]

Youtube link

This is the final part of Sunday's Top Gear episode. In short they decided to try and turn a Robin Reliant -



- into a space shuttle.

[Cromlech]

It was a very good show indeed.

[Manedwolf]

The only sad thing is that even though the UK is positively draconian when it comes to gun laws and such, you can still do THAT kind of thing there.

If someone tried to do that in the US, the FBI, FAA, and Homeland Security would be on top of them, declaring it was a POSSIBLE WMD in seconds, and they'd likely be arrested. 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Top Gear is a fantastic show.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

That was pretty cool.

 

[cordex]

Very cool.

And I'm sure if you went through the trouble getting the authorization you could do that here too.

Don't think that just because they didn't show British government officials on film that they weren't on hand.

[Iain]

I'd imagine that they had to get all kinds of permission. It wasn't exactly a WMD, more a not-so-(radio)-controlled flying bomb.

The Mythbusters cement truck explosion was probably nearly as big. They were made to stand a long long way from the explosion.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

The Mythbusters cement truck explosion was so freakin' cool.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ynZxVErTovg

[Perd Hapley]

What myth were they busting with the cement truck? 

[Iain]

The idea that you can use explosives to remove cement that has set inside a cement truck.

If I recall they decided that it might sort of work, and then they decided to get a lot of explosives and do what you saw in the video.

[cordex]

The Mythbusters cement truck explosion was probably nearly as big. They were made to stand a long long way from the explosion.

Nearly as big?  When I saw it, it sure looked to me like the cement truck explosion took the cake in the size competition.  Not that the exploding carshuttlebomb wasn't dead cool itself.

[Matthew Carberry]

The Mythbusters are big fans of the "test to destruction" theory.

I was surprised how much exploding was being done on that UK "Brainiacs" show.

[Manedwolf]

I think the Mythbusters "exploding wooden cannon" was even more spectacular, though? What was it they used, like five pounds of real black powder in a sealed log?

[280plus]

Too funny!

As far as the Mythbusters, I thought the salami rocket explosion was pretty cool too. "There's meat EVERYWHERE!" 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

The episode where they tried to paint a room using dynamite in a paint bucket was also entertaining.

[mtnbkr]

I love Mythbusters.  I have the DVR set to catch all new episodes. 

Chris

[Iain]

The Mythbusters cement truck explosion was probably nearly as big. They were made to stand a long long way from the explosion.

Nearly as big?  When I saw it, it sure looked to me like the cement truck explosion took the cake in the size competition.  Not that the exploding carshuttlebomb wasn't dead cool itself.

I was a little confused as to who you were quoting there for a second.

Looking at the mythbusters vid again, I think you're right. The Top Gear explosion was more flamey, and I grew up watching the A Team, so I'm partial to a nice flamey explosion. The mythbusters cement truck was completely obliterated so it was bigger. Remember watching it and thinking about certain events in Iraq and Oklahoma City.

I saw the newspaper crossbow episode of mythbusters last night. They got me thinking about what could be done with laminating paper with something more like superglue.

[crt360]

The salami rocket was more like a salami pipe bomb.    The cement truck blow-up was impressive.  I always seem to miss Top Gear when they do something really cool.