If you had a little red wagon — also known by its brand name, Radio Flyer — as a kid, then you know how delightful they are.
If you're old school, you probably had a metal one painted a bright, shiny red like a ladybug, and if you're a bit younger, you might have had the plastic version, which was also a trademark red.
And if you're the son of one crafty dad, you have one that looks like it's flying through space.
Using some simple wooden beams and a lot of salvaged cardboard, Reddit user and dad aparis1983 created a perfect little replica of a NASA shuttle for his son, who loves watching rockets lift off on YouTube. It was also a great Halloween costume!
Wagons are the perfect childhood toy because they're not only practical for hauling toys, tea-party sets, and sports equipment for the day's adventure, but they can also become anything a kid — or an adult — sets their mind to.
They can become something fun and whimsical like this rocket, or something adorable but practical like the one that became a storage bench with a little tweaking.
See how aparis1983 put his son's shuttle together using very simple materials and a whole lot of skill below. You just might want one for yourself!
[H/T: Reddit]
It all started with this Radio Flyer wagon, which aparis1983 used as the base for his project. He also purchased $10 of wood.
The shape of the shuttle was drafted out on paper, which gave him a general guideline while building.
First, he had to make a frame in the proper shape, which meant cutting and screwing the wood together.
The frames were built to fit snugly over the wagon, but not to attach. That way, the rocket can be lifted on and off without damaging the wagon or making it a permanent look.
The side wings and the back fin, which is technically called an aleron, were all pieced together. Then it was time to build out the body.
Luckily, a new family had just moved in next door, so there was a ton of big cardboard boxes for aparis1983 to use.
The curved areas, like the nose and back boosters, were easy to create using cardboard.
And because the cardboard was totally free, he spent only $10, plus some spray paint, on the whole project!
For the actual rockets, he stacked three plastic flowerpots of varying size and spray-painted them black.
The shuttle, meanwhile, got a white paint job. This took three cans of spray paint in total.
When spray painting, it's best to do multiple thin coats rather than a few thick ones, to get things even and prevent dripping.
He then added some trim using black duct tape, which gives an instantly straight, even line with no trouble.
The rest of the decorations, like the U.S. flag and the NASA logo, were simply printed out and glued on.
After that, the whole thing was lifted up and lowered down on the wagon.
Then it was time for liftoff!
The lightweight materials meant that pushing the wagon around, even with the rocket and a pilot, wouldn't be too difficult.
And naturally, the pilot himself was outfitted in only the most cutting-edge of spacefaring garments. The rest of the kids out on Halloween were duly impressed.
And aparis1983's son even got to do a little surface exploration.
If you love turning humble materials into something incredible, or just have fond memories of your own red wagon, SHARE this great DIY!
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
