By making a homemade arsenal, of spring loaded stick bombs and throwing stars, that explode on impact.

Start this project with a handful of popsicle sticks, or craft sticks like these. I found

mine in packs of 100 at a local dollar store, and one pack is usually enough to make over

20 exploding stick bombs.

Now let’s get down on the carpet, because the sponginess of the rug will make it much

easier to mass produce our mini weapons. And to start, let’s kick off production with

the Boomerang Bomb. It only uses 4 sticks, and it’s one of the easiest throwing stars to make.

Start by overlapping two sticks on one end so they form an arrow pointing to the left,

with the yellow stick on the top side. Now place the red stick on top of these two, so

the bottom lines up with the green stick, and the top intersects with the middle of

the yellow. To bind them together, hold the sticks firmly together where the yellow and

red sticks meet the green, then push the tip of the orange stick under the middle of the

green one, and lock the the other end under the yellow stick. That’s how quick and easy

it is to make the Boomerang Bomb. And now if you throw it at a hard surface like a wall

or refrigerator, the sticks will explode on impact.

Now check this out. With a fairly simple transformation, and one extra stick, we can easily convert

the Boomerang Bomb into a 5 point throwing star. Hold the Boomerang with both hands at

the bottom, and carefully push the points together, in a way that makes the orange and

blue sticks jut out on either side. Now you should be able to take the red stick and push

one end under the orange piece, then bend it over and lock it underneath the blue. With

a bit of careful tweaking you’ll have a great looking 5 point throwing star, that’ll

give a satisfying, spring-loaded burst of energy when it connects with your target.

Next up is the Butterfly Bomb, and for this one we need 5 sticks. Start by crossing two

yellow sticks to form an “X”, then drop a green stick in the center so it crosses

through the middle horizontally. Use your thumb to hold them down, so you can slide

the end of a red stick under one of the yellow ones, bending it over the green stick, and

locking it into place under the yellow stick on the other side. Now use your thumb and

finger to hold this side together so it doesn’t spring apart, then take the other red stick

and lock it in place on the other side, the same way you did before. The tension will

hold it together, and that’s how you make the Butterfly Bomb.

The Hand Grenade, also uses 5 sticks, but in a completely different way. Place the yellow

stick in the center and overlap the two purple sticks so they diverge away from each other,

but meet together at the top. Hold all the sticks together with your thumb, so you can

wedge one of the red sticks so it’s under the yellow, but on top of the two purple sticks.

Then grab the other red stick and weave it the opposite way, so it goes under the purple

sticks and over the yellow. This will lock it together, and the Hand Grenade is done.

These are one of my favorite stick bombs to make because they hold together really well,

and are one of the most volatile when they go off.

The Four Square is another quick and easy build, and uses 6 sticks. Set the two blue

sticks side by side so they’re parallel to each other, then set two green sticks perpendicular

to the ends so the whole thing makes a square. The orange stick goes on top so it overlaps

the center of the green ones, and now the yellow stick needs to slide under the middle

portion of the blue one on the side. Hold the yellow stick firmly in place so you can

pull the other blue stick to the side, and carefully weave it over the tip of the yellow

stick, locking it back into place under the green. The Four Square is done, and despite

it’s humble look, it’ll still blow to pieces just like all the others.

Now a quick and cool variation of the Four Square is the Flying Fish. Simply slide two

of the edges on the square toward each other, then turn it 90º and do the same thing with

the other two edges. To finish up, gently push two opposite corners together, and it’ll

compress the square into a flat diamond shape. Now it has the look of an exotic fish, and

should make a nice addition to your collection.

The hardest stick bomb to make is a six pointed throwing star, and you’ll need 6 sticks,

if you’re up for the challenge. Lay the blue stick down first, then place the red

and yellow sticks in a “V” pattern overlapping it in the middle by about an inch, and with

the yellow stick on top. Now take the orange stick and push one end under the blue tip,

then angle it toward the center. Do the same thing on the other side with the green stick,

and place the tip so it’s overlapping the orange one at the top. Now grab the purple

stick and hold everything in place with one hand, while pushing the purple stick under

the tip of the red one. Bend it over the green and orange tips, then lock it together underneath

the yellow stick. It probably won’t look very pretty at first, but if you carefully

tweak the sticks, so the tips line up, you’ll end up with a really cool looking, 6 pointed

throwing star like this. These are the hardest ones to make, so if you’re able to build

these, you’ll be a master, on the stick bomb battlefield.

Well now you know how to use a handful of popsicle sticks to create an arsenal of exploding

throwing stars. Whether it’s just for fun, or for defending your empire in popsicle stick

warfare.

By the way, I used 6 sticks to build a bonus bomb, but I won’t show you how to make it.

Instead, let’s see if you can figure out how to do it on your own.

And if you find that regular popsicle sticks are too hard to work with, try using jumbo

craft sticks, or tongue depressors instead. They’re actually a lot easier to use, and

might be more intimidating to your enemies, as well.

Well that’s it for now. If you like this project perhaps you’ll like some of my others.

Check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com