05x17 - Superhero Hour

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode
of "mythbusters"...

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?
Ughh!

Narrator: no, it's a
"mythbusters" superhero special.

Let's go.

Narrator: the team puts some
classic caped capers to the test

And blow the lid off
some superhero gadgets.

Oh, my god!

Narrator: find out can
a belt-buckle grappling hook

Help you rise to the occasion?

Then it's "fight club,"
superhero style.

Can a single superhero punch
really leave a ring-shaped scar?

Ohh!

Narrator: and we reveal
the mythmobile

And try some high-speed
comic-book corners.

[ Tires screeching ]

Ugh! What happened?

Who are the mythbusters?

Adam savage...

Wake up!
Time for science!

And jamie hyneman.
Mush.

Is that beautiful or what?

Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.

That was totally amazing.

Joining them --
grant imahara...

[ Singsong voice ]
now the crocodile!

Tory belleci...

No telling what might happen
this time!

And kari byron.

That seems really, really,
really dangerous.

They don't just
tell the myths,

They put them to the test.

Hi, tory.
Hi, guys.

How are you doing?
Good.

Don't tell me.
Exactly.

We're about to do
an entire episode

Of nothing
but superhero myths.

Superhero myths?

Isn't that gonna be kind of
impossible to test?

Technically, yes.

Most superhero powers
are totally mythical.

No one can run at the speed of
light, no one can spin webs,

No one turns green when they get
angry and has super strength.

But there is an aspect
that we can test empirically,

And it mostly
involves gadgets.

A mythical
superhero gadget.

Kari: if we're gonna do this
in true superhero fashion,

I think all of you
need to put your underwear

On the outside
of your pants.

You're right.
Let's do it.

Narrator:
when disaster strikes...

Fire! Fire!

Narrator: ...superheroes...

Man: he is starman...

...and their gadgets
come to save the day.

But now these torpedoes
in tights

Are also getting put under
the mythbusters' microscope.

You look all excited.
What's going on?

We are doing
a superhero device

That I've always wanted
to build.

It's a key component
on the belt of...

Nocturnal echolocating
flying-mammal man.

Batman?

Yes. Shh.

Anyway, he's always
got this on his belt,

And when he's in danger,

He'll fire it at a wall
and go "boom," "pshink"...

Stick it in the wall
and use either a zipline

Or mechanical ascender
to get himself away.

It's the grappling g*n.

We can do that.

In a never-ending
fight against crime,

Superheroes often have to
leap tall buildings.

And if they can't do it in
a single bound, like superman,

They can always rely
on their trusty grappling g*ns

To give them that extra lift.

But is climbing a building
like this really possible?

How are we going to
test this one?

I think that's actually
pretty easy.

We've just got to get some real
off-the-shelf grappling hooks

And use them
to climb some walls.

And we're going to have to
do this one for real, man.

We can't fake it
this time.

No.

And so, a short time later...

I think it's perfect, right?

Yeah, this area
ought to be good.

...the mythbusters have a wall
and adam a grappling hook.

No superhero technology here,

Just a regular
off-the-shelf grappler.

But will this device be enough
to let him climb the walls?

This is grappling hook
number one.

It's actually collapsible, so I
guess it fits in your bag well,

And you set it up like this
and thread it down

And, there, it's ready to go.

Narrator: the batelle tactical
air-initiated launch system --

"Tails" for short --

Was developed for the u.s. Navy
to aid ship-to-ship rescue.

It's a little bigger
than batman's and has a tank,

It's got a piston, and it just
lets the piston go,

And it shoots
the grappling hook.

It'll go 100 feet straight up.

Narrator:
and that's a prospect

That's got jamie cackling
like a super villain.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
before they crawl the wall,

They rig a safety system.

Jamie: this setup right here
is our safety backup.

This is a belay system,

And so if there's anything
that goes wrong

With the grappling hook,
this will kick in

And keep one of us from falling
and hitting the ground.

Jess will be on the ground
paying out rope

As one of us tries to climb up.

So, if that person slips,
jess will catch them.

Narrator: "jess will catch
them." Hah, that's the theory.

So will these regular
grappling hooks

Enable adam and jamie
to walk the wall

Like the caped crusader?

You know, I'm not in really
great shape like batman is,

But we're gonna try.

[ Scottish accent ]
oh, caught a big one!

Look at that.

That will feed me family
for a month.

Narrator: while adam struggles
with the mojo of the throw,

Jamie's off like a shot.

Three, two, one.

Wow!

Well, you cleared
the whole building, jamie.

Nice work.

Hey!

Narrator: finally, adam's
grappling hook also grabs hold.

Is that purchase?

You've got purchase.

Narrator: so that just leaves
the climbing.

You all set, batman?

I'm all set, boy wonder.

Adam attacks the wall head-on.

Oh! [ Laughs ]

This is not gonna happen
at all.

Narrator: don't remember
batman having this much trouble.

With adam floundering
like a fish out of water,

Jamie's decided to try
a different climbing technique.

Jamie: what I'm tying here
is known as a prusik knot.

Basically, it's a one-way knot.

When you push on it,
it slides up.

But when you bear down on it,
it won't go the other way.

Narrator: thanks to his knots,
jamie's soon up, up...

And, uh, away.

Oh, yeah.
He's cruising now.

Narrator: ladies and gentlemen,

There's a new superhero
on the block.

Jamie hyneman is the inchworm,

Able to leap tall buildings...

Given plenty of notice.

But at least
he's gaining altitude.

His fellow hero is not scaling.

He's abseiling.

[ Grunting ]

Aah!

[ Laughs ]

If you guys don't mind,

I'm just gonna lie here
for a little while.

Narrator: jamie eventually
makes it to the top,

But not at a great rate
of knots.

Jamie:
my little knot trick worked,

But it took me probably just
under 10 minutes

To make it up this 20-foot wall,

And if you're a superhero trying
to save the little old lady,

You need to do it
quicker than that.

Narrator: while both
grappling hooks held firm,

It was the boys' ascent
that failed.

To get this myth
off the ground,

They're gonna need to build
something

That can take
the climb out of the equation --

Superhero style.

I think we need
to go back to the shop

And build our own solution.

Okay, let's go.

Narrator: it's the
"mythbusters" superhero special,

And superheroes big and small
are getting put to the test.

And next up, a superhero myth
with a very familiar ring.

Are you ready for a fun,
violent myth?

It involves punching...

Sparring...and none other
than the phantom.

He's a superhero that left
that nasty calling card

On all of his evildoers.

Yeah, he's that guy
that could punch people so hard

That he'd leave a scar in the
shape of a skull from his ring.

Narrator: the bling's the thing
in this comic-book classic.

A superhero swings and adds
imprint to injury

By branding the baddy
with an indelible ring scar.

But is that possible
even for a superhero?

So, how are we gonna
do this one?

Well, kari, I really don't
think we should test this

On each other,
'cause personally,

I don't want to risk
a permanent scar on my face.

If we can't punch each other,
who are we going to punch?

Sounds like we're gonna need
a human analog,

So it looks like
it's pig time.

Perfect.

I think we should use
human force as a control,

And then I'll build a machine

To punch with the force
of a heavyweight prizefighter.

That will give us
the maximum strength

That a person
can punch with.

And if that doesn't work,
we'll go superhuman.

You deal with the pig,
and you build the robot.

That means I get to build a
"mythbuster" phantom skull ring.

Narrator: the guys won't be
pulling any punches.

They'll make a fake fist
complete with skull ring

And attach it to
an air-powered punching rig.

The rig has to hit like a human,

So grant sets up
the force plate.

Grant: we're gonna see
what we can punch.

Then we're going to
calibrate our robot,

Punch the same amount,
and we'll see what we get.

Narrator:
soon the fists are flying.

Oww.

Narrator: but none of these
guys have super strength.

The best of the three
was tory's,

Which peaked at a rather feeble


Grant: our research says
that the upper range,

Which is a heavyweight boxer,
is about 4,000 newtons.

Wow.
Yeah, we're not even close.

Narrator: as we know,
grant was raised by robots,

And given that special affinity,

He soon got a punching machine
ready to swing.

Grant: okay, so this is our
superhero punching rig.

Now, our air cylinder
is right here,

And the fist goes
on the end of this.

And when we're ready...

You go...

That gives you a punch.

Narrator: tory is making a
good fist of, uh, making a fist.

What I'm doing right now

Is I'm casting my hand
in a fist shape

Because we're gonna be needing
to punch a bunch of times

At superhero strength,

And we want a hand that's not
gonna break like mine may have.

Narrator: that's the theory.

And by using a combination
of ballistics gel

And urethane hardener,

Tory should get a fist
that can roll with the punches.

All right,
so the fist looks great.

It's really, really hard,
but it's still rubber,

So it shouldn't shatter
when we start punching

With superhero strength.

Narrator:
meanwhile, kari's designed
some superhero-style rings

And carved them in wax.

To keep with the phantom
theme, I've got a skull --

Also incorporated the "mb"
for "mythbusters"

To make it
a little bit more ours.

Next step is to take all of
these rings that I've carved

Down to the crucible,
get them cast up in metal.

I need these two in adamantium
and these two in kryptonite.

We don't have either of those,
but we do have sterling silver.

Narrator:
sterling silver will do nicely.

But, uh, talking
of kryptonite...

How can we even go near
an episode about superheroes

Without talking about
superman --

The caped wonder himself?

But we do know superman's fatal
weakness, don't we? Yes!

Kryptonite!

And last year in serbia,

A mineral was found that matched
the properties of kryptonite.

It's called sodium lithium boron
silicate hydroxide.

Unfortunately,
they can't call it kryptonite

'Cause it doesn't have
anything to do with krypton --

An actual element
on the periodic table --

And it's not green.

Maybe it's got a negative effect
on superman,

But we haven't found him yet.

Faster than a speeding b*llet,
kari's rings are ready.

Criminals beware the mark
of the mythbuster.

Grant: whoa. Cool!
[ Laughs ]

Let me see, let me see.

Dude,
you look like a rapper.

That is cool.

Narrator: tory glues one of
the rings on his dummy fist.

Tory: the phantom, he always
has his punching ring

On his middle finger.

Now we can start fighting crime.

Narrator: what will happen

When pig and air-powered
pugilist clash?

Will the mark of the mythbusters
be buried in bacon?

This pig won't know
what hit him.

[ Both laugh ]

Or maybe he will!

[ Both laugh ]

We'll go three, two, one.

The rig matched tory's
knuckle-busting punch --



Remember, this is what happens
in the comics.

Just one punch and the villain's
got a permanent skull scar.

But how about in real life?

No devastating scars.

I see the edge
of something there.

Yeah, but there's no, like,
indentation of the skull.

That means tory's punch isn't
enough to do it,

So we need to ramp this up

To the most powerful punch
we know to human,

Which would be
the prizefighter.

Not jamie hyneman?

All right, here we go
in three, two, one.

[ Laughter ]

Dude, that was
a great, solid punch.

That was a good hit.

You knocked him out!

[ Laughing ] yeah.

And...

No scar.

So now what we're gonna do

Is we're gonna ramp it up
to superhero strength,

Punch it again.

Hopefully we'll get a scar,
but if we don't,

We're gonna have to think
of something else.

Narrator: they max out
the air pressure -- 120 psi.

Grant's robot takes
a superhuman swing.

Wow. That knocked the pig
off the forklift!

Narrator: but still no mark
of the mythbuster.

They're not making
much of an impression

On this superhero myth.

Well, we're not getting any
scarring on the pig rump so far.

This is looking busted.

Yeah, I know.

This doesn't look like it's
gonna work at all.

Well, if I were gonna leave
my gruesome calling card

On an evil-doer,

I wouldn't be hitting the soft,
fleshy parts.

I'd be hitting him in the face.

You know what? That would
actually work to our advantage.

If you were to punch somebody
in the forehead,

That's thin skin
and thin muscle

Stretched over
a hard surface.

That might actually
leave a scar.

Narrator: old yorick here,
who we all knew well,

Was last seen being turned into
a lock pick kebab

As the guys burst
a car air-bag myth.

And now he's back
for some superhero science.

First up, tory gives the skull
a little pigskin

For the ring to ram.

So, you named your guy there?
Yes.

What did you name him?
Pork-loinio.

You did not.

He is an evil pig man.

Narrator: okay, pork-loinio.
You asked for it.

Prepare to feel the sting
of the ring.

First at tory's force.

Three, two, one.

Ohh!
[ Laughter ]

Nice punch.

He clobbered him!

Oh, good hit.

It's definitely a good punch
to the head,

And it would hurt a lot,

But I don't see a scar
in the shape of a skull,

Just a mild contusion.

Narrator: tory failed to land
the knockout blow

To confirm
this superhero classic.

How about a heavyweight?

Here we go.

This is heavyweight-fighter
strength in three, two, one.

Ohh. Whoo!

No, I don't see any skull
in the flesh.

Narrator: it sure was ugly,

But 4,000 newtons wasn't enough
to put the sign of the skull

On old pork-loinio...

Even in this best-case
taut-skin scenario.

Superhero strength?

Yeah. Yeah.

Narrator: okay.
The gloves are off.

The fist flashes at 120 psi.

Three, two, one.

Ohh!
[ Laughter ]

That was a shot!

Narrator: and pork-loinio
is feeling a little crushed.

Tory: you might not leave
the print of the ring,

But you're definitely gonna
rip through the scalp.

Narrator:
there's no way to leave
a perfect skull-shaped scar

Without doing
more permanent damage.

This superhero myth,
like our comic-book criminal,

Is out for the count.

I guess we can call this one
right here here.

We don't need
to go any further.

We're feeling it's busted?

Just like his skull, busted.

Busted.

Narrator: put on your cape,

Dust off your tights,
and take to the skies

Because the mythbusters are
seeing if superhero gadgets

Are nothing more
than a flash in the pan.

Adam and jamie are first
trying to find out

If the minuscule handheld
grappling hooks

That hoist up superheroes
can really work.

So far, their efforts have been
more comical than comic book,

But now they've hatched
an evil plan.

Whoa!

I think our course
is pretty clear.

I think we're gonna have to
build this device ourselves.

Yeah.

But it seems to me

That there are actually
two distinct elements

To this cable-g*n-winch
thing.

Okay, what are they?

Well, you've got the winch,
and you've got the g*n.

So, why don't
we treat them separately

And one of us build one
and one build the other?

So, why don't you take
the mechanical ascending rig,

And I'll take the g*n that fires
the thing into the wall

That sticks in the wall?

Okay.

And then we'll finish off
with a final climb-off.

Great.
All right.

Narrator: our superheroes
go head-to-head.

Jamie's task is to build
a super lightweight winch

To ascend buildings
at the push of a button.

Adam's making a device

That can sh**t a cable
into a concrete wall.

I got the nail in there.
Look at that.

Narrator: there's just one rule.

Both gadgets have to be
as small as possible

So they can fit
on a superhero's belt.

Jamie: the challenge
in this particular case

Is how small can we get it?

It's got to be really powerful
and really small.

Narrator: jamie's device
straps to his forearm

And is powered by a battery
on his belt.

The motor is the smallest
and fastest he could find.

It puts out 30,000 rpm,
but by itself,

It's not powerful enough
to hoist hyneman up a high rise.

These gear reductions actually
translate the power

That this engine puts out
into something I can use.

Instead of 30,000 rpm,

They're reducing the speed
and increasing the torque,

So I end up with something that
is 750 rpm, but very powerful.

Narrator: it's sure got
a flashy superhero feel,

But will it work?

Jamie's going to test it
on his sidekick.

What I'm gonna do instead
of trying to pull myself up

Is actually pull jess
along the floor.

She's gonna go skiing
in the shop.

All right, jamie.
I'm ready.

Narrator: does jamie's rig
have the pulling power

To make jess
do the shop-floor shimmy?

[ Laughs ]

Aah!

It worked.
It worked.

Looks like superhero gadget
number one is ready to roll.

Meanwhile, on the other side
of the myth cave...

...adam's getting the drop
on his cable-firing device.

Batman's grappling g*n
can do a bunch of things,

But the one I'm concerned with

Is that it can sh**t over into
a brick or concrete masonry wall

And stay there and actually
string a cable

That can support
batman's weight.

Narrator: the centerpiece
of his design

Is a .22-caliber nail g*n.

It takes a rimfire
.22-caliber shell here.

Sticks in there.

Put your nail in the tip.

Bring it up to it -- bang --
hit it.

Crack!

.22-caliber shell fires a nail
right into the concrete.

Narrator: his cunning plan --

Attach the cable
to the nail g*n,

Then fire that
from a diver's speargun.

When the nail g*n hits the wall,

The blank round fires the nail
into the concrete,

And the cable's
ready to cross...

Like this.

In three...
[ Gasps ]

Two...
[ Gasps ]

One.

Narrator: well, sort of.

Batman probably didn't get it
on his first try, either.

No.
It's gonna take time.

Three, two, one.

Oh. sh**t.

You got to work out
that hitting-the-wall part.

Adam's little firing mechanism
here is totally superhero-esque.

And it's dangerous,
so that's mythbusteresque.

Obviously, I'm gonna go back
to the other shop

And play around with aiming and
adding some air power to this

To get a better throw.

Narrator: once he's done that,

The scene is set for a superhero
grappling gadget showdown.

You all set with that thing?

I am.
Yours is working?

Works like a charm.

Let's go be batman.
Okay.

Narrator: all superheroes
have costumes --

Some better than others.

But can you really
get changed in a phone booth

In time to save the day?

What's in the bag?

Superhero costumes.

There's one more myth
that we want to test.

It's not really a myth,
but we want to see how fast

We can change into a super
outfit before we go fight crime.

All right,
who wants to go first?

I'll go.
All right.

Narrator: when kari byron
gets the call for help,

She doesn't waste a second...

Look, she does
the hair flip.

She wins my vote.

...emerging mere moments later
as the one and only myth girl.

Stopping the time.
You did it in 33 seconds.

So kari could get
changed in the cramped space,

But hardly at superhero speed.

Can grant do any better?

Will he have to phone for help
to get out?

Come on. Get out.

And...time. Stop.

Myth girl has beaten you.

Your time was 1:01.

It's the last chance
for this crew.

Can tory strip faster
than a speeding b*llet?

[ Laughing ] he's got
too many accessories.

Kari: 1:20.

Narrator: tory was the slowest,
but villains can never rest,

Not whenever the spasm's
on their trail.

Wait a minute -- the spasm?

He has muscle spasms,

So the bad guys never know
when he's gonna attack.

It could be here or here.

Sometimes I don't even know.

Well, I may have had 33 seconds,
which was the quickest time,

But I need that extra time so
that I can catch up to the boys

In these spike stiletto heels.

Grant: you know, you can't be
grantman all the time.

Sometimes you just have to
be grant.

Should we go fight crime?

Yeah, let's.
Let's go.

Narrator: we're flying high
in a superhero special,

And the next myth combines cars
and comic-book craziness.

Tory: next up,
batmobile 90-degree turn.

Batman, to get away
from the bad guys,

Screaming down the street,
and to escape,

All he has to do
is push a button

That deploys a grappling hook,

Grabs onto a steel structure,

And it whirls him
around the corner,

And the crooks can't get him.

Dude,
that sounds awesome.

Narrator:
holy awesomeness, grantman.

Let's see how this myth works.

During our comic-strip car
chase, our hero hits a button,

And a grappling hook
fires from the car,

Wraps itself
around a steel structure,

And swings our superheroes

Through a high-speed


We have to build a cannon

Capable of firing
a grappling hook,

A grappling hook strong enough
to hold the force of a car,

And if all that works,

Hope that the structure
doesn't crumble.

Here's the plan --

The guys will mount
an air-powered cannon in a car,

Fire a grappling hook at speed,

And see if the cable
can swing the car

Around a right-angle bend.

First thing's first, though.

This myth needs wheels.

Obviously, we're gonna
need a car for all this,

And I have the perfect one
in mind.

Jamie and adam just did
a "knight rider" myth,

And they have a car just rusting
out in the parking lot.

The mythmobile.

Did you just
come up with that?

[ Laughing ] yeah, I did.

Narrator: the joker aside,

This car is perfect
for this myth

Because it's already been
fitted with a roll cage

And safety harnesses,

Which means all kari and tory
have to do

Is transform the transport

Into something more befitting
a superhero.

Oh, this is gonna be
the coolest batmobile ever!

Narrator: meanwhile,

Grant's finding out more about
the serious physics facing them

In this myth.

One thing we have to consider
with this myth

Is that we're
going from a straight path,

Once we hook on
to that structure,

Into a circular one.

Now, this induces a force
that points inwards

Towards the center
called centripetal force.

And you can calculate that
based on the weight of the car,

The distance from the center,

And the speed that you're going.

I've run the numbers,

And we should be experiencing
about 7,000 pounds,

And that's gonna be
the tension on the cable.

So we're going to select our
cable to be more than adequate

To handle that amount of force.

[ Engine turns over ]

Narrator: will the mythmobile be
able to cope

With that kind of hard-core
cornering?

One thing it can turn is heads.

What do you think of the car?
It's cool.

Okay, the mythmobile is ready.

That's stage one.

Stage two,
they need a grappling hook.

The comic-book hook
opens on hinges.

Tory's built
an identical version,

But something about it
just doesn't grab him.

Tory: my feeling is there's
no way this is strong enough

To hold the force of a car.

You know,
you have these pivot points.

Those are probably
going to break.

The way I look at it

Is it would have to be
a solid piece of steel

And a lot beefier
to hold the force of a car.

Narrator: to test his theory,

Tory connects the bat hook
to the bat forklift

And ties the bat cable
to the bat truck.

My feeling is it's probably

Going to rip this hook
to shreds,

Which is okay
'cause I like breaking things.

Narrator: kari backs up.

And just as tory predicted,
the hook can't hold.

Grant: there's no way that's
going to hold a car.

[ Imitates whip ]

They call me the cougar!

[ Imitates whip ]

All right, it looks like
the hinge grappling hook

Is just way too weak.

I don't think it's
going to work.

Well, that's myth busted
right there, isn't it?

I kind of want to keep going.

I think if we use a solid-steel
grappling hook,

That might work.

Well, I've got an idea
for an air cannon

To launch the grappling hook,

But if you're going to use
solid steel,

We're going to have to make it
a lot more powerful.

And I have the answer.

I'm going to use nitrogen,

Which will give us up to 3,000
psi of working pressure.

Oh, my god!

Dude,
that sounds superhero-y.

Narrator: 3,000 psi?

To put that into perspective,

Grant's cannon will be


Than adam and jamie's
famous chicken g*n.

Owww!

But because it has to fit
into a superhero's car,

It will be much more compact.

Holy air cannon, grantman.

How long have you been
waiting to unleash that one?

All day.

I've been waiting
for that one.

This is actually the most
dangerous thing I've built

In a long line
of dangerous things.

Narrator:
and to show just how dangerous

Grant does some test fires
with a steel tube.

Grant: [ english accent ]
I like to call this impact art.

It represents man's inhumanity
to man.

Narrator: although it's aim is a
little inconsistent,

Grant can't help but dial
the pressure up to the max.

And there's a problem.

Grant: the projectile missed
my target board,

Missed the mattress,

And lodged itself in the wall.

I can see daylight
through there.

I might have to go
have a chat with them.

Hi, I just wanted
to let you know

I had a little accident
in the shop.

I punched a small hole
through the wall.

Narrator: while grant apologizes
the the neighbors,

Tory's bending
steel like superman,

Except superman doesn't have to
heat his up first.

Tory: all right,
so the grappling hook is done.

We weighed it.
It weighs 10 1/2 pounds.

Now we're gonna put it
in the air cannon

And see how far it goes.

Narrator: this time the
cannon's at two-thirds power.

Will that be enough to send


Through the air
comic-book style?

All right,
are you ready?

Oh, so ready.



In three, two, one!

Oh, my god!

Narrator: the cannon launched
the hook all right.

It also launched itself
clean off the table.

Where's the camera?

Where's the high-speed
camera?

The phrase "loose cannon"
comes to mind.

You know what?

We didn't take
into consideration

The mass of the hook.

Oh, newton's laws!

We forgot the newton's laws.

Oh, you mean the one that says
for every action,

There's an equal and opposite
reaction?

Look at that.

We've done a lot of
experiments on the show,

Things have gone wrong,

But that's the first time that
I've ever felt that much danger.

Narrator: so for test two,
they lock the cannon in place...

In three, two, one!

Narrator:
...and get a perfect result.

Wow.
Nice.

Narrator: the grappling hook
flew straight as an arrow,

So bring on the mythmobile.

Narrator: it's the
"mythbusters" superhero special.

If you're a cape-clad hero,

It's not good for the image
to be seen taking the elevator.

You get much more cred if you
fire your trusty grappling hook

And quickly ascend
to the city skyline.

Adam and jamie have devised
their own miniature

Superhero-style
grappling devices

And are looking for the same
uplifting experience.

You want to go first
or should i?

Sure, I'll go first.
How about right over here?

Adam: today we've come north
of the "mythbusters" shop

To the hamilton air force base
in novato.

And while it may look like
an abandoned aircraft hangar,

In fact, it is a super-modern,
superhero-training facility.

Narrator: jamie prepares to go
from mild-mannered mythbuster

To sky-bound superhero.

Adam's impressed.

That's awesome.

Awesome it may be,

But does it fit
the size criteria?

Remember, superhero devices
are unfeasibly small.

Adam: I think it qualifies
in the size criteria.

The motor he's chosen

Is absolutely
the highest powered tiny motor

That is out there
that's declassified.

Narrator: jamie's rig doesn't
have to sh**t the cable.

We just want to know if it can
lift him like a superhero.

God, I hate these things.

Give me a ladder
any day of the week.

Narrator: adam attaches
jamie's cable to a beam.

Adam:
so, jamie's climb is going to be
a straight vertical ascent.

There's gonna be
nothing around him.

He is using only the tiny line
that's high-test

To get him to the rafters, which
are about 27 feet off the floor.

Just in case it's not clear,
this line is a safety.

This isn't helping in any way
to pull me up.

This is only in case
this breaks,

Then adam and jess will stop me.

Narrator: can jamie's grappling
gadget get him off the ground?

Jamie:
I've had no time to test it.

No time to do anything
other than assemble it

And come out and then
put my life on the end of it.

I just have this sinking feeling

That I'm going to hear
this little tink!

And it's going to be all over.

Okay.

In three, two, one.

Narrator:
jamie's soaring towards success

When the cable suddenly snaps.

And like superman
after a brush with kryptonite,

Our hero comes back down
to earth.

I think I should maybe pick
the slightly heavier line.

Did the line snap?
Uh-huh.

Narrator:
thanks to adam and jess,

Jamie was spared
a painful fall from grace.

Jamie: it's a little scary,
actually, but, you know,

The motor actually didn't even
know I was there, you know.

So, there's plenty of power.

Narrator: the heavier line's
wound on and once again...

Yeah, it's good!

Narrator:
...jamie's all up in the air.

All the way.

Oh, come on.

Oh!

You can do it!

[ Laughing ] oh...yeah.

I made it.

That's a surefire
superhero success,

Just like the comic strip.

He made it from the floor
to the rafters in 20 seconds.

That's 27 feet.

That's superhero speed.

Narrator: but how's
he going to get back down?

[ Chuckling ]

Um...

Oh, sh**t.

The rig's got no reverse gear.

With the device
strapped to his arm,

Jamie has no choice
but to sever the line

And hope adam and jess
can give him a soft landing.

He makes the cut.

And that's when things
come crashing down.

I just whacked myself
in the nose really hard.

Yeah, I cut the line,
and it was like, snap, whack.

Just not the kind of thing

You want to hit yourself
in the face with.

[ Australian accent ]
this right here is the blood
of the hyneman.

Revered by the chinese

For its healing
and restorative properties,

In a few hours,

It will begin to eat through
the floor of this building,

And then it will replicate.

I tell you what --
this thing has ba*ls.

It's totally capable
of pulling me up and more.

We just built it
in a couple of days,

So it's got some bugs,
so sue me.

But with a little --
with another day, maybe,

I can make this really sweet,
and it's just fantastic.

It works like a charm.

Narrator: so jamie passed
with flying colors.

A miniature motorized ascender
is really possible.

Which means next up,

It's adam and his
concrete-piercing grappler.

Adam: I haven't come up
with a name for it.

Nocturnal echolocating
flying-mammal man's

Cable sh**ter?

How's that?

Narrator:
stunt-driving superheroes

Only have to fire
a grappling hook

At a convenient roadside
structure,

And their car squeals through
a 90-degree turn at super speed.

The mythbusters want to see

What the laws of physics
have to say about that.

Our intrepid trio have
test-fired their grappling hook

At 2,000 psi.

Oh, my god!

So now we have
a working cannon,

A working grappling hook,
and a mythmobile.

It's time to marry the three
together.

Narrator: the cannon is
mounted on a heavy-duty bracket

Directly behind
the passenger's seat,

And a hole cut
to make room for the barrel.

Ugh.

Cool. It fits.

[ Laughs ]

So the cannon's working.
The hook is strong.

I think we're ready to go.

But we're gonna have to
find something

That's gonna be strong enough
that once we grapple onto it,

The weight of the car isn't
just going to rip it down.

Well, we've been looking at
railway supports, radio towers,

And lampposts,
and funnily enough,

No one is willing
to let us wreck

Their structures
for our experiment.

We're gonna have to build
something, aren't we?

Uh, yeah.

Narrator: at an old,
abandoned naval base nearby,

The time lapse kicks in,

And the team
has its steel structure

Complete with nooks and crannies
for a hook to hook into.

They mark out
their 90-degree turn

And make a mini mytham city
out of boxes.

Kari: the next thing we have to
do is establish a speed

At which you cannot
make that 90-degree turn

Without the grappling hook.

That will be our starting speed.

Narrator: so, first up,
with the hook under wraps,

They go to find out the speed
at which turning the corner

Without a grappler
is impossible,

Starting with 20 miles an hour.

Tory: all right, kari.

You're going to go


Trying to make
that 90 degree turn.

And...go.

Reached 20 miles an hour.

They've reached


And they're still conscious.

These speeds are terrifying!

[ Laughs ]

And she made it.
No crashing into mytham city.

All right.
Back to the start.

Narrator: so at 20, taking
the turn was straightforward.

But at 30,
it's a different story.

[ Tires screeching ]

Ugh!

Kari, what happened?

Turned the wheel, it locked,
skid completely into it.

It went...

Narrator: kari lost control
at 30 miles per hour,

So that will be the speed for
our first grappling-hook test.

Kari: this is all
a little frightening.

We've seen what
this grappling hook can do,

And now we're going to drive
and fire it.

Narrator: in the
"mythbusters" superhero special,

Jamie just leaped a tall
building with a single motor.

But can adam fire a line
into a wall?

This is an underwater
speargun firing this weight

Behind a .22-caliber rimfire
concrete nail round,

Which will activate this piston,

Driving this nail into the wall.

Also on its way, we'll be
dragging this cable, going...

Into the wall, hopefully leaving
it in the wall

With enough force that I can tie
it off at the other end,

Hook a pulley up to it,
and "bzzz" down to the wall.

Narrator: it's not as small
as something batman would use,

But will it work?

Adam takes his position
on his make-believe rooftop

And takes aim
at the villain's lair.

Three, two, one.

All right, reset.

Narrator: he reloads.

Again.

And again.

The nail g*n's firing
when it hits the wall,

But for some reason the nails
aren't penetrating.

Seems those dastardly crooks
have built their hideout

From some sort
of super tough material.

This is definitely
harder concrete

Than anything
I've dealt with before,

'Cause I've never seen
that kind of thing.

It is a military base.

It is a military base.

But a superhero never gives up.

Jamie: unfortunately, the way
it works in "batman" movies

Doesn't involve him sh**ting at
something, and it bouncing off

And falling on the ground.

However, that's probably the
reality of this type of device.

Narrator: but perseverant savage
finally finds

A ch*nk in the armor.

I think I'm in.

You're in.

Dude, I'm trying it.

Go for it.

Here we go.

The nail's not in deep, but our
hero's gonna swing into action.

Adam clips into a safety harness

And prepares to put his
superhero status on the line...

Literally.

I'm clipping into the line,
boy wonder.

I'm batman.
You're boy wonder.

If you make it across,
then you can be batman.

[ Laughs ]
oh, really?

I made it
all the way up.

Can adam swing
to superhero glory

Or will he plummet
to sidekick status?

In three, two, one.

Ohh!

[ Laughs ]

Well, looks like
you're boy wonder.

Oh.

Narrator: the line couldn't
hold adam's weight.

The nail pulled
straight out of the wall,

Leaving him just hanging around.

Personally I think the idea
of a belt-sized sh**ter

That will get you into any kind
of wall is totally busted.

Can someone let me down now?

I would say that your device
was exceptional.

It really did, I think,

Make a plausible case
for a belt-wearable,

Superhero-like
mechanical ascending rig.

Well, thank you.

And your cable-sh**ting rig

Actually seemed like
it worked quite well,

But it just didn't quite make it
into this hardened concrete.

I'm not so sure that I'm ready
to give that one up,

But for now,
we have to call it busted.

Yeah, totally busted.

Let's get out of here.
All right.

Narrator: our superhero special

Is accelerating
towards its cl*max.

Kari, tory, and grant
are all set to discover

If their grappling-hook cannon

Can let them make a
superhero-style 90-degree turn

Without slowing down.

Every precaution has been taken.

Kari and grant
are in full safety gear.

There's a ballistics panel
between them and the cannon.

The car has been fitted
with roll bars,

And the grappling-hook rope
is on a quick release.

Kari:
there's a quick release,

Which is going to be
remote-controlled by tory.

If he doesn't let that quick
release go at the right time,

We could flip around and careen
into this building,

So now is when this experiment
starts to get scary.

Narrator:
the key to success is the rope.

Once the hook grabs hold,

The line will have to withstand


Of centripetal force.

Grant:
this is the highest performance
material you can buy these days.

It's used by the military,
and strength-to-weight ratio --

It's stronger than steel.

All right, this is the plan --

Kari's gonna
drive down this road,

She's gonna get up
to 30 miles an hour.

At this point, grant's gonna
fire the cannon. Bang.

The hook is going to grapple
onto our structure.

As soon as the rope gets taut,

She's gonna make the turn
around the 90-degree turn.

As soon as they get
to this point,

I'm gonna
quick-release the rope,

And they'll be able to
drive off.

all right, you guys.
here we go.

Narrator: is this comic-strip
stunt possible?

If so, will it take
superhero strength

To keep the mythmobile
under control?

Kari hits 30 miles per hour.

Grant triggers the cannon.

The hook hits the target
but disaster strikes.

Tory: whoa.

Kari: we did not complete
our superhero mission.

We did not make a 90 degree turn
with a grappling hook.

But there is good news.

It was not due to human factors.

As you can see
from the skidmarks,

My driving was right on course.

You can see from the footage,
grants aim was perfect.

The grappling hook looked

Like it would have gotten
into the perfect place,

But the rope broke.

Now, luckily we have
a thicker rope.

So we're not beat yet.

Narrator:
the new, thicker rope's made

From the same
high-tech material.

And, like its predecessor,
it's strong,

But also flexible enough
to wrap the pole --

Just what this myth needs.

You guys ready?

Standing by.

In three, two, one.

Go.

Narrator:
once again, our dynamic duo

Put the pedal to the metal
and their lives on the line

As they try to make
the hair-raising hairpin bend.

[ Snaps ]

[ Tires screeching ]

[ Laughs ]

We hit it!

She made it.

Did my eyes deceive me
or did she just make that turn?

Narrator: actually, tory,
your eyes did deceive you.

The firing was spot-on.

The car started
to make the turn,

But just when the g-force
maxed out,

The rope snapped again,

And the car plowed into
the buildings.

Grant:
I thought we had it.

I know.
It was too good to be true.

That's all right.

Mythtropolis wasn't built
in a day.

Let me remind you
what the situation is here.

I'm trying to hit a target
this big

From the side of a car
moving at 30 miles an hour

With a nitrogen-powered cannon.

Not exactly the easiest thing
to do in the world.

Narrator:
despite grant's difficulties,

Everything's working.

Kari's maintaining correct
course and speed.

Grant's right on the money,
firing the cannon.

The only weak link is the one
connecting mythmobile

To grappling hook.

But they've got one last chance.

We're gonna replace
the high-strength,

High-tech fiber rope
with 3/8th-inch steel cable.

Narrator: the steel cable
has a breaking strength

Of almost 15,000 pounds,
but it comes at a price.

It's so heavy and inflexible

That it may not be able
to wrap around the structure.

This is the final
throw of the dice.

All right,
release the hound.

Narrator: grant buckles up,

Kari revs up,
and they both get fired up.

It's now or never for this myth.

This is the one.

[ Tires screeching ]

Ugh! What happened?

I think we have a result
here, you guys.

Ughh!

Narrator: curses!
Foiled again.

The mythmobile still couldn't
make the turn.

It left the road and careened
into peak-hour pedestrians.

Not a good look for a superhero.

The entire car just jerked

Really, really hard
to the left and then let go.

Narrator: as the steel cable
jerked tight,

It broke not once,
but twice --

At the hook and the car.

Despite its immense
breaking strength,

It snapped as if
it were cotton twine.

This is where the hook
was connected to the cable,

And it totally shredded.

It's like -- it's just
not strong enough.

This cable is not strong enough.

This one is looking busted.

Narrator: this myth needs a
cable that just doesn't exist --

One that's lightweight
so it can be fired,

Flexible so that it can wrap,

Yet immensely strong
to withstand the massive force.

Looks like this superhero myth
will be confined to the comics.

Okay, team mythbusters,

How did we do
on the superhero myths?

The phantom's ring?

Busted --

We actually crushed the skull
before we could leave a mark.

[ Laughing ] ouch!

The grappling g*n, jamie?

The cable sh**ter
didn't work so well,

But the ascender
worked pretty good,

Even if it was
a little big for the belt.

And finally the mythmobile
mounted grappling cannon?

I think we really
nailed this one.

Our cannon
worked perfectly,

We hooked our target, but we
broke every cable we could find.

Yep, this one's busted.

Sounds like we did some good
work out there, mythbusters.

Now let's get out
and fight some crime!

I loved doing superhero myths.
That was fun.

Yeah, it was,

Even if I almost broke my hand
on that force meter.

Are you still swollen?

Yeah,
it's a little messed up.

And we found out it only
takes you 30 seconds

To change into your super suit
to save the world.

I think I need
all the extra time I can get,

Considering I'm saving the world
in 4-inch heels.

Those superhero myths
were a great idea,

And if you have any ideas,
go to discovery.com/mythbusters

And give us your suggestions.