The Hacksmith: Building a Mandalorian Grappling Hook

2021-04-22 | By The Hacksmith

License: See Original Project

This project was created by Engineering Superheroes of Hackmith Industries.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to Re-Create

The Star Wars films introduce viewers to many different tools that help characters fight, travel faster, and ultimately defeat their enemy. Of those tools is a grappling hook, which is used to climb or ascend large objects.

The grappling hook made an appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope when Luke Skywalker used it to swing himself and Princess Leia across a chasm on the first Death Star. The grappling hook is also seen in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi when Boba Fett fights Luke Skywalker on Jabba the Hutt’s sand barge. Since its first appearance, the grappling hook is seen being used by several different Star Wars characters -- most frequently by The Mandalorian, who uses it to scale great heights and tangle up bounties.

Over the past month, Hacksmith Industries has been piecing together a complete set of Mandalorian armor and gadgets, with the grappling hook being one of the final pieces! Once every component of Mandalorian armor is complete, James will wear the full set of armor. Check out how the grappling hook was made in the video below!

To catch up on the Mandalorian Hacksmith series, check out past projects on Maker.io:

• Mandalorian Flamethrower Gauntlet
• Baby Yoda’s Flying Cradle
• Mandalorian Jetpack

How Does it Work?

The Hacksmith is no stranger to the grappling hook — the team recreated Batman’s grappling gun several years ago and later improved the design for Just Cause by shrinking its size and increasing its power. The Mandalorian grappling hook incorporates elements from both designs.

This version of the grappling hook includes five main components: the motor, speed controller, gearbox, launcher, and winch. The motor and speed controller work in tandem, supplying the gun with power. The motor has over 50 horsepower, so an industrial-grade speed controller is needed to prevent user injury.

The Hacksmith used the same gearbox as was used in the Just Cause grappling hook. However, The Mandalorian grappling hook is more powerful, putting the old gearbox to the test.

The launcher in this project is the same mechanism used in the Batman grapple gun and the Apex Legends Launcher.

The Hacksmith made a custom mechanism to feed the nylon rope through the grappling gun. This design allows the user to feed as much rope through the launcher as they want. The Just Cause grappler used a spool, which is a dependable design but has a limited rope length.

Miniaturizing the design to fit on the Mandalorian armor’s gauntlets was a major challenge. The gauntlets are made from stainless steel that was rolled to function as a bracer. The speed controller sits in the jetpack and is connected to the launcher with long wires. The user can control the winch and launcher with a thumbwheel that sits on a handle that the user holds for stability.

Learn how the grappling hook was made in the circuit design below!

Schematic and BOM

More Star Wars Projects on Maker.io

• Jedi Training Droid
• Lightsaber Version One: How to Power a Lightsaber
• Lightsaber Version Two: 2500 Degrees of Destruction!
• Lightsaber Version Three
• Lightsaber Version Four
• Lightsaber Version Five: Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber
• Lightsaber Version Six: Retractable Plasma Lightsaber

制造商零件编号 CW-A0GY1A00A0

SWITCH THUMBWHEEL HALL EFFECT

APEM Inc.

¥1,530.90

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