Obey the Cactus

If you aren't scared yet...let this be a warning to you all...

 Another wild day of drinking RedBull and Tequila (to get the Mexican vibe going), saw our Matador slowly starting to lose the plot...see him here in the corner of the backyard with his bottle of Tequila...its makes you happy... or crazy...

If you (or we) are under any impression that this is just a fun afternoon at the Waterfront, let the following video put that impression to rest. We are probably going to get hurt. Possibly quite badly. Check out some of these flights gone wrong. 

And then ask yourself the question....would you like to fly a Giant Chilli?

And if you're in the mood for some more crashes...you can check out this link...CLICK HERE

No Mexican would be complete without his own guitar, and so here is a our unique 5-string version...

Of course we first let the dogs do a taste test before our home-brewed tequila was used for human consumption. The dogs seem to be ok, although Jasper over here was later seen digging a hole underneath his kennel. What that means...I don't know...

We finally reached a point of posting the frame of our Giant Chilli, as well as some of the costumes, down to McGregor, for the next stages of construction in early December. We sent off 2 boxes...an 11kg box, and a 26kg box. Now all our trust is with the post office...although the lady at the counter said she has never posted a Giant Flying Chilli before, so she can't guarantee anything.

Anyone for a Capsicum annuum ?

Well peeps, we are getting closer to the big day...and the pieces are slowly coming together. We are getting our Mexican vibe on, we have moved up from Peri-Peri Medium sauce, to Peri-Peri HOT. (Next week we are aiming for Extra-Hot). Even our morning alarm tunes have been changed to the Mexican vibe. 

Yes ladies, here is a near-complete version of our sexy Matador. Please pay special attention to the ladies belt from the Little Eden Shop, and the stretched running socks pulled over his ankles. And no, in case you are wondering, that is not a black blouse that he is wearing. 

The following is an "artist's impression" of how the final Chilli Chilli Bang Bang might look.Of course, we have  a rubbish artist - the final Chilli is going to look way more awesome than this terrible impression! But at least the Matador seems to be enjoying himself....

Of course, Mrs Cactus has this expression stuck on her face permanently. "Mrs?" I hear you asking? With a moustache? Sadly...yes, Mrs Cactus has a very healthy moustache growing, and yes, it will remain well after Movember. 

Chilli Chilli! The trick when eating a chilli, is to open wide, and get it ALL in there. So open wide, show the whites of your eyes, get your tongue out of the way...and get it down! And then wait for the tears...

Speed Test...and Sinking Test

We thought you might like to see a short clip on the progress of our flying Chilli. The following clip should give you some sort of indication of the high performance levels of our flying vehicle. You will see by the speeds that we generate, that we are expecting some serious distance when the craft takes off. 

We were also concerned (as I'm sure you all are) that our Mexican Bull, might...well...might sink. We hope this clip puts your mind at rest.

And you should also remember...this video shows a 1-man-powered engine...for the final Flying Chilli, we will in fact, be installing a 2-man-powered engine! I know...INCREDIBLE POWER!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

So we thought that today we'd give you some sort of background on the "Inspiration" behind Chilli Chilli Bang Bang. Obviously, one of the main inspirations is Mexico and that wonderful fruit/veg - the CHILLI!

However, the other Inspiration behind our giant flying chilli is, of course, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!!

Based on the book by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, written for his son, the much loved 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang staring Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes was part of everyone’s childhood. A sensational score by the renowned Sherman Brothers included such unforgettable songs as Truly Scrumptious, Toot Sweets, Hushabye Mountain, and, of course, its Oscar-nominated title song Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The fantastic adventures of this out-of-the-ordinary car that flies through the air and sails the seas, are reaching a new generation through an enthralling and enchanting stage musical which burst onto the world famous London Palladium stage in 2002. 
(-John Peter, Sunday Times)

To leave you for today...here is a trip down memory lane...check out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!!

A Chilli a day makes you sweat all day...

To All our supporters out there...you will be happy to know that our main frame is complete! (Well...kind of). We have designed a frame made out of pvc pipes and joints, which all fit together quite snugly (not really, it falls apart unless we glue them into place). Because of difficulties in transporting a massive flying Chilli down to Cape Town, we have designed it so that the whole frame can be taken apart, and reassembled. As such, the frame is complete, however, we have taken it apart again, and will soon be posting it down to McGregor, for the next stages of construction. 

Check out this clip that Cliff put together...and no laughing at the amount of time we spend standing around "looking at it", or the number of times that the poles fall out of their joints!

This is the concept model, that the frame is based on. Initial concept models were a lot more complicated, and possibly a lot more stable...but we figured...this thing only needs to fly once!!

Of course, it does help if you get into the mood of things, if you wear your Matador outfit while building the Chilli!

Away with the sewing needles and fabric paints, and out with the Drills! 

(The two cars in the background have recently been wrecked by a hail-storm - so don't judge us by the number of dents in our cars!)

The base of the frame is made of a left-over wooden pallet that we found on the side of the street. It has been reconditioned to create this top of the range wooden base, perfect for anybody building a giant chilli. While we would have preferred some big bicycle wheels, the best we could find are these swivel trolley wheels! They work pretty well (are are really easy to just screw on, with no axles etc.)....all we have to worry about is pushing the thing in a straight line!

Of course, safety while building is very important to us. Hence the use of the safety gloves, goggles, and ear-plugs that are on display below:

You will notice the leftover bits of pvc pipe lying around on the grass - don't worry, these leftover bits were MEANT to be there....I think....hmmm...maybe....maybe not...??

A bird's eye view of the construction site (or more like a Go-Pro view of the construction site).

Check back soon for further updates...just over 3 weeks until the launch!

Sing like a Mexican

Time waits for no Mexican, and so we are "flying along" with our costumes for the big day. Our lounge table has been turned into Arts 'n Crafts Central, and the garden is strewn with fabric paints and weird looking people walking around with green foam on their heads. 

Cliff has put together a little video of the costumes and how they are coming along. 

(Feel free to sing along if you know the words...I know you do!)

Below are some pics of the fine craftsmanship going into our Mexican themed outfits. Note the use of the paintbrush...paint on...paint off..

The Matador is going to be one of our most stylish characters. Hence the awesome silver and gold tassels! This is one guy for the ladies to keep an eye out for!

Just look at the fine detailing!

A blank canvas for the bull...this is the kind of stuff that nightmares are made of!

One of the freaky green-foam-covered characters that can be spotted running around the back garden...

Zan has had lots of practice painting with her Grade 1 kids at school, so here she is putting her mad painting skills into action. This is going to be the Poncho for our Traditional Mexican...another one for the ladies!

Check back soon for a video compilation of the construction of the main frame of the Giant Chilli. And then soon after that...the SPEED TEST of our flying machine!!

RedBull Girls come to town!

Yesterday the RedBull Girls came to visit us, to check on our Flying Chilli, see how the craft was progressing, and give us a bit of support! And they also topped-up our supply of RedBull drinks!

We gave them a little bit of show, and showed off our costumes in their incomplete state. Here is Cliff in his "blinged out" waistcoat, with white socks tucked into his pants. 

I'm sure the Girls had a good laugh at how ridiculous we looked, but Jasper (the dog) got revenge, by jumping up at their legs, and covering them in mud! Nice one!

Not sure if the image of a hairy Mexican drinking a RedBull is the kind of image Redbull are looking for, but that's what they got! We are really just hoping that it does in fact help our flying Chilli - we really need it to give us wings!

Just a Prickly Cactus

Yesterday saw the beginnings of one of our most thorny characters...the Cactus! Last time the boys were able to play with their saws, drills, and hammers, but this time it was out with the needle and thread, and fabric paints! 

Initial plans were to make the whole costume out of foam. Zan then pointed out that the whole thing would act as a giant sponge, which wouldn't make swimming all that easy when she jumped into the harbour! So the design was changed to just foam arms and head. Here is Zan testing out the costume on Baby Addy and Mommy Ang...

We are starting to get towards a finished cactus product...just needing a few more flowers and thorns...and also some surprise finishing touches! (We don't want to give everything away just yet!)

Check back in a while for the progress on some of the other costumes...

The Chilli Starts Taking Shape...

Day 1 - The First Day of Construction

After hours and hours of planning, designing, replanning, redesigning, we finally had a blue-print for Chilli Chilli Bang Bang:

Measure Twice, Cut Once...the boys love any excuse to dust off their toolboxes, and play with their toys...

Hmm, something looks wrong...shouldn't these 2 pipes be joined?

Our pvc pipes cut into perfect profiles...aren't we just so clever!

Because of issues with getting the Giant Chilli down to Cape Town, we are designing something that can be completely dissembled, and then put back together again on site!

Cliff and Zan trying to put all the pieces together. (Is it a good or a bad thing when you have a few extra parts at the end?)

Like a hot drill bit through soft wood...

Ready, Aim... Drill!

The main structure of the craft taking shape. See how confident Cliff is. (He is imagining flying this wobbly structure off a 6m platform...hence the calm expression on his face)

Of course, even though our confidence levels are hight that the Chilli is gong to fly, we are still going to be wearing parachutes (just for safety). Here is Zan starting on the construction on these highly specialised parachutes...

From ZERO to HABANERO

Watch this space for the next instalment of the Progress of Chilli Chilli Bang Bang....

We are The Wrong Brothers

and we will be flying

Chilli Chilli Bang Bang

This is the first post for our RedBull Flugtag flying campaign! Please read it, comment on it, share it (on Facebook, Twitter, via email, whatever), and enjoy it! We will keep you updated on our progress! Keep checking back!