Sugru has just gone Supersonic!

Meet Dr Russ Strand, a.k.a Rocket Russ, the amateur rocketry enthusiast that just took Sugru (and Sindy) supersonic!

James May's Toy Stories is a programme out to prove why traditional, old fashioned toys are still relevant today, pushing them to the limit in spectacular, supersize challenges. For the Christmas special, Action Man at the Speed of Sound, they wanted to achieve something that no other toy had ever managed... to break the sound barrier and return safely to the earth!

So they called Russ to help... and it turns out Russ is a Sugru-er :)

Russ ended up going head-to-head with James May and Action Man in the show's final act, building a rival supersonic rocket attempt, using a Sindy doll! If you're in the UK you can watch the programme on iPlayer to find out what happened, if not check out some of the highlights.

One of the main requirements was to include a camera on the exterior of the rocket to capture a rocket-eye view of the launch for the show. To attach the camera, Russ needed something that could be moulded into an aerodynamic shape around the camera, maintaining it's rigidity under temperature and force while bonding well to the side of the rocket — Russ figured this was a job for Sugru!

He used 20g of black Sugru to create an aerodynamic strong, vibration free housing for a Mobius HD camera! And just look at the results he captured on the way up!

The rocket was launched a few miles South East of Largs on the west coast of Scotland and reached an altitude of 2.8 miles above mean sea level in just 28 seconds, achieving a top speed of 778 mph in 4.2 seconds — faster than the speed of sound, or supersonic!

...or as we like to say Sugrusonic ;)

Russ ended up going head-to-head with James May and Action Man in the show's final act, building the rival supersonic rocket attempt, using a Sindy doll! :) If you're in the UK you can watch it on iPlayer, if not check out the highlights here.

More about Rocket Russ

Russ has built and launched rockets from supersonic to super-sized for a wide variety of projects, including features for major TV programs in the UK and Europe. He has given numerous Rocketry talks for Schools, Universities, Professional Institutions and Businesses and he is also the current Chair of the United Kingdom Rocketry Association (UKRA).

To find out what he's up to next follow him @RussTheRktMan on Twitter or head over to his website.