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Written by Manostuff
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Sunday, 09 September 2007 |
Superhero Hour
Episode #85
Air Date: August 29, 2007
Superhero Hour
Myth: Is climbing a building using a handheld/portable grappling gun "superhero style" possible?
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Rob Lee: Jamie Hyneman is the Inchworm!
Experts: None
The Action/Results: To get an idea of what Adam and Jamie had to do for this myth, they both tried to climb a twenty foot building using existing grappling hook gear. Jamie used a grappling gun, used by the US Navy, which is quite bulky, whereas Adam went traditional, throwing a grappling hook up to the roof. Once they both had the hooks on the building, Jamie, using prussic knots, eventually made it up to the roof, climbing the 20 feet in about 10 minutes. Adam attempted to climb the building using his bare hands grasping the rope, but he ultimately fell down to earth. Now, in traditional Mythbusters fashion, Jamie and Adam returned to their shop to make their own compact superhero climbing gear. There they decide to build the rig together, but each of them doing different halves. Jamie built the handheld winch to lift the superhero up to the skies, and Adam built the firing mechanism for the gun. Once Jamie had his rig created (a modified angle drill gun), he successfully tested it by pulling Jess through the shop in a cardboard box. Adam's rig was a combination spear gun-concrete nail setter. Adam test fired it outside the shop, but it barely worked. To make-or-break this myth, Jamie and Adam traveled to Hamilton AFB. Here Jamie used his rig to attempt to "soar to success", except the cable snapped on the first attempt. On his second try, and with a thicker cable, his rig worked. Once the test worked, he found out that there was no reverse on the rig, so he had to cut himself down, accidentally cutting his nose in the process. For Adam, he had to shoot his gun into the concrete walls and zip down the line that it fired. After many tries, the rig worked, except when Adam tried to zip down it, the line gave way.
Portable Grappling Gun: Busted
Myth: Is it possible to hit someone hard enough to leave a scar from a ring?
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Tory: Pork Loinio
Experts: none
The Action/Results: In order to see if this myth was plausible, the build team decided to measure the strengths of their punches. After acquiring this data, Grant built an air-powered punching rig, Tory took care of the ballistics gel fist, and Kari took care of the ring that is supposed to leave the scar. Using a human analog (skull covered in pig flesh), the team tested what their punches would do using the punching rig. After failing so far, they tried "superhero strength", and ended up punching in the skull in the process.
Superhero Punch: Busted
Myth: Can you get changed into a superhero costume in a phone booth quickly?
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Rob Lee: Can Tory strip faster than a speeding bullet?
Experts: None
The Action/Results: For this myth the build team tested the myth by changing into their costumes. Kari changed in 0:33, Grant in 1:01, and Tory in 1:20.
Costume Change: Plausible
Myth: Batmobile 90 degree turn
Memorable Moment/Quote: (Tory) "Holy Air Cannon Grantman!"
Experts: None
The Actions/Result: The plan is to mount a pneumatic grappling hook gun in a car. Using one of the cars resting outside M5, they prepped it for this myth. Grant later determined, while planning the gun, that the cable that trailed it must withstand up to 7000 pounds of tension. To get added power for the gun, that they would use nitrogen instead of air. With nitrogen the rig would reach up to 3000 PSI. When the team tested it, the test was successful and the grappling hook launched itself through its target, but the cannon also fired itself backwards - the team forgot Newton's laws. When the team mounted the gun to the car and arrived at their testing grounds, they established a speed at which a 90 degree turn couldn’t be accomplished. Kari, who was the driver, was unable to pull off the turn at 30 MPH. On the first few tests with the air cannon, the line that the team was using snapped under the strain from the car. After that, they upgraded the line to a 3 inch steel cable. On the final test, the cable didn't snap in half, but it snapped off the car and the grappling hook.
Batmobile Grappling Hook: Busted
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Episode Descriptions 
