Solar Powered Dragonflys By Tamiya

The Solar Powered Dragonflys made by Tamiya allow you to see realistic movements of dragonfly wings up close. They come as a model kit to be constructed, to help educate about solar power through the fun of construction.

The model comprises of two dragonfly models with textured wing details that flap their wings in a way that imitates how actual dragonflys' move their wings. A motor that is powered by a solar battery (0.5V-1200mA) creates the motion in the models by using a cam and crank mechanism to produce the motion in the dragonflys wings. The solar panel on the model can be adjusted to different angles. This allows more freedom in placing the model and it can be positioned with more thought going to the aesthetics. Lighting though is very important as without direct light on the panel the dragonflys' wings will move sluggishly or not move at all.

The dragonfly models and the base are made out of plastic, these parts come on sprues to be carefully snapped off and screwed together.  For better results it would be best to use a hobby knife to cut the parts off. A Philips screwdriver is required to screw the parts of the model together, no glue should be required. Due to really requiring the parts to be cut away it is best that any child constructing this model has adult supervision.

The Solar Powered Dragonflys are available for just under $35 USD (at the time of writing).