Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction: Build a Secret Agent Arsenal

by John Austin

If you’re a budding spy, what better way to conceal your clandestine activities than to miniaturize your secret agent arsenal? MiniWeapons of Mass Destruction 2 provides fully illustrated step-by-step instructions for building 30 different spy weapons and surveillance tools, * Paper Dart Watch * Pen Blowgun * Rubber Band Derringer * Mint Tin Catapult * Pushpin Dart * Cotton Swab .38 Special * Toothpaste Periscope * Paper Throwing Star * Bionic Ear * And more! Once you’ve assembled your weaponry, the author provides a number of ideas on how to hide your stash—inside a deck of cards, a false-bottom soda bottle, or a cereal box briefcase—and targets for practicing your spycraft, including a flip-down firing range, a fake security camera, and sharks with laser beams.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Science, Reference

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[JenniferJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a totally cool book full of brilliant gadgets made from regular household utensils from plastic spoons to paper clips! My neice and I had a ball with the Double Barreled Band Gun and I found myself indulging in making a few other "weapons" on my own like the Mini Tin Catapult which is made from a small mint container and a plastic spoon basically and I used it to play with my dogs with. I would launch their dog food treats into the living room and they would dash after them. Spent hours playing with them like that! I was starting to feel like a mini 007! They even cover concealment of your items!

It's just a fun cool book with very easy to follow directions and illustartions to follow. The weapons do really work when assembled properly so I don't recommend for small children.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book wish i could make some of the weapons

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

More miniweapon goodness. Much fun.

[Mariah Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend this book for very creative kids with destructive imagination!

[Santi Malve]

i really like these book. i have 14 years and i already made 3 weapons. and they worked so its great

[Hitesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously Detailed Fun Weapons :) Loved it !!!

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now you die… well hopefully not with these home built mini weapons. So much fun can be had with the various devices in here. This book pays more attention to aesthetics of the mini weapons and then also provides gadgets for your secret agent arsenal as well.

Overall, this mini weapons guide is a little more focused on design rather than unique mechanism of propulsion. Many weapons are very similar in make, just vary in look. All that said, I think this book’s gadget section stands out. Some of which are really cool. Give it a read and more importantly, a build.

[Matthew Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun for kids

This is a great activity book, but definitely more childish than the previous book in the series.

The first section is essentially the same "gun" but with a different look. Fun to show the different designs, but a little lacking in real variety.

It is excellent for an older child with ambitions to be a James Bond or a Nancy Drew

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

awsome

[Shala Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2: Build a Secret Agent Arsenal by John Austen is the sequel to Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction.

If you haven't read either of them, they contain instructions to build all sorts of neat weapons that are meant for "office warfare". I've never worked in an office with that kind of office warfare but I really like both books.

I really don't recommend this at all for kids or adults who are liable to shoot the weapons at each other.

I'm a fan because of interesting projects built out of easy to find office supplies. The emphasis is firmly on safety. You are reminded to wear safety glasses and given ideas for targets to fire at instead of firing the projectiles at people.

As a firm believer that fun examples make it easier to remember basic math and science principles, these books go hand in hand in my family with discussions about things like Newton's Laws of Motion, and how they apply to projectiles. We get to build things and compete with each other for accuracy shooting at targets.

In this sequel, the guns and weapons are powered by balloons and rubber bands. They are made to look like models of real guns. Not realistic looking enough to be scary, but realistic looking enough to make most young men and women who are interested in such things happy. Most of the projects call for hot glue and craft knife use, so supervision may be necessary.

The ammo for these is creative and inexpensive. Candy, mini-marshmallows, pennies and even cotton swabs.

In this book, other than the weapons, there are also projects for spy equipment like projects that can be used safely by kids or adults. A periscope made from CDs and toothpaste box, cipher wheel are some examples, lots of ideas for concealed storage. All of it built from inexpensive components. Those projects alone make this book well worth it to me.

Everything is well illustrated with good diagrams, and while you're building, you can see the principle behind how it works. Lots of the supplies can be garnered from things you'd ordinarily throw away.

It's a hit with my whole family. My daughter likes the Concealment chapter, my son thinks the whole book is wonderful and is already planning modifications of some of the designs in it. My husband and I appreciate how clever the designs are, and how much fun we have as a family with making them and competing with them.

The last chapter is full of wonderful target ideas like a laser shark, a fake security camera, some regular paper targets and a cute octopus target made from a balloon.
My favorite projects in the book are the soup can safe, the gift card coin launcher, and the code wheel.

[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the book I was looking for, but was fun to glance through while I waited for Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction: Build Implements of Spitball Warfare. While I was leery of the more gun-like projects (also known as the first half of the book), I think I might make a Gift Card Coin Launcher as a present and try the Paper Throwing Stars and Mint Tin Catapults as a teen craft. Mm, minty ammunition.

EDIT: Upon making the Paper Throwing Stars, I'd recommend using construction paper for a bit of a sturdier effect. They do fly rather well and we might've nearly hit a coworker in the head with them... The Mint Tin Catapults were also a quick craft and we managed to catapult wads of paper halfway across the room. I'd recommend slicing the spoon handles off beforehand, depending on the age ...

The instructions were straight forward and diagrams easy to follow.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think my expectations were a little too high for this book--most of the guns use the same firing mechanism (the end of a balloon) and only differ cosmetically. Nonetheless, it would be a fun book to do some projects out of with a kid (or nephew).

Pg 111 has a Q-pick blowgun that might be one of things I'd be most interested in making, even on my own. Pretty cool stuff.

Rating: PG, but only if you're going to actually be making things from it--you'll need a utility knife, and you don't want your kid playing with one of those things unattended.

[704 Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

My idea of this book is that, it's not REALLY a book for the city- I would not make anything in this book in the City, nether would I make anything that is in the first book (MiniWeapons of mass Destruction, READ IT D:<) but yeah, I think it would be a better idea to explain the book instead of explain one weapon from it (its a book about spy weapons that are home made) and explaining a weapon from the book would be weird, and if you want to know about the weapons in here then....
READ
THE
BOOK
YOU
DERP
D:<

[Jaguar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2: Build a Secret Agent Arsenal" by John Austin is a really cool book on making fun weapons from around the house items. Such as popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and a spoon, this book has easy step-by-steps with some pictures. Your boys (including girls) will have a blast with this book. There are so many neat and awesome things to make in here!

2015-Summer-Reading-Review

[Ms. Mielke's Class Make sure you post how your sheets tell you to!!!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2 is awesome. It covers some of the funnest secret weapons ever. It has the Golden Gun, Bowler Hat Launcher, and many more. John Austin is one of the best diy authors ever. I recommend this book to every age group. Just don't shoot your eye out!

[Sherri Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little torn about this book... You can erad my full review of it here:

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craf...