1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Please don't try what you're about to see at home. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Where would you call experts? 3 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Yeah. 4 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Whoo. 5 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,000 On this episode of Mythbusters, 6 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Adam and Jamie are gunning for two dual dilemmas. 7 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Right in the belly. 8 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,000 First, is it true that you should never bring a knife to a gunfight? 9 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,000 Dude, that was just so terrifying. 10 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,000 Then, in a samurai showdown, 11 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,000 does the fighter who moves first actually lose? 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Ow. I got a headache. 13 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Meanwhile, Kari, Tori and Grant go ballistic. 14 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Raining death from above. 15 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,000 As they fire up an epic retro rocket. 16 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,000 I got a bullet to shoot an arrow. 17 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Whaa-wee! 18 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Was the ancient Chinese fire dragon... 19 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:52,000 This is ten live rocket arrows inside Fire Dragon. 20 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Really the world's first two-stage mythical missile. 21 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,000 In three, two, one, fire. 22 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Aaaaaaah! 23 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Who are the Mythbusters? 24 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Adam Savage. 25 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000 I reject the reality and substitute my own. 26 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:12,000 And Jamie Heineman. 27 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,000 We're gonna have an adventure. 28 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience, 29 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,000 together with Tori Belachie, 30 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,000 come along for the journey, 31 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Brent Imahara, 32 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:24,000 Nothing can take me! 33 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,000 And Kari Byron. 34 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Let's do it. 35 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,000 They don't just tell the Myths, 36 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,000 they put them to the test. 37 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,000 What's with all the weaponry? 38 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Well, we've got some dueling Myths on the roster today. 39 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,000 Dueling. 40 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Dueling. You know, two guys facing off against each other. 41 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,000 You were in a duel once, weren't you? 42 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:55,000 I don't want to talk about it. 43 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Fair enough. 44 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,000 The first one we've got to test is an old West saying, 45 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,000 don't bring a knife to a gunfight. 46 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Meaning that one of those always beats one of these. 47 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Yeah. 48 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,000 The second one is a samurai saying that in a battle between two swordsmen, 49 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000 the first one to move will lose. 50 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Aaaaaah! 51 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,000 So it's a dueling double bill. 52 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000 And first up, the guys are gunning for a classic cliche. 53 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,000 So Cowboys' advice is to never bring a knife to a gunfight. 54 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,000 Exactly. 55 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,000 And honestly, that seems patently obvious. 56 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,000 I mean, if I'm holding this gun and you're holding that knife 57 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,000 and we're like 20 feet apart, 58 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,000 I am going to shoot you before you can get to me and stab me. 59 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,000 Yeah, but what if I was to throw the knife? 60 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Like Magnificent Seven. 61 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,000 That's the one. 62 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,000 And it might even the odds a little bit. 63 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Boy, it might. 64 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,000 I tell you what, why don't you be the shooter 65 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,000 and I'll go get some expert knife-throwing advice. 66 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,000 And then we'll meet at the corral. 67 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:51,000 You're on. 68 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,000 See you there. 69 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,000 If I'm going to go up against a gun with a throwing knife, 70 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Draw! 71 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000 I'm going to need a little practice. 72 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,000 And so with that in mind, we've brought in knife-throwing expert, 73 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,000 John Labush, who's going to tell me everything I need to know, 74 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 including how to do the famous throw from Magnificent Seven. 75 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,000 So John, let's have a look at the overhand throw. 76 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:17,000 What's the trick? 77 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,000 Your basic grip is you take your pinky, 78 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,000 put it on the radius at a handle, 79 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,000 hold the handle like you would a hammer. 80 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Okay, got it. 81 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:25,000 And then what? 82 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,000 Your stance is sideways to the target, 83 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 bring the knife back over your head, 84 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:30,000 go forward, and when you get to here, 85 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,000 let the knife slide out of your hand. 86 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,000 John makes it sound so easy. 87 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,000 And with ten years of knife-throwing experience, 88 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,000 it is. 89 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,000 But for a don't try this at home novice, 90 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,000 thumb on the side, pinky on the radius. 91 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 There's no catching to the spin. 92 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 But Jamie tries, tries, and tries again. 93 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,000 Until. 94 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,000 Look at that. 95 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Despite hitting the bullseye, 96 00:03:58,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Not bad. 97 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,000 It's not all good news. 98 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Because this overhand throw is too slow to beat a gunslinger. 99 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,000 The Magnificent Seven here went under the knife. 100 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:15,000 And this lower blow is a much tougher throw. 101 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 So, let's cut to our shooter. 102 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,000 It's knife versus gun, 103 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,000 and I'm the one holding the gun against Jamie's throwing knife. 104 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Now we couldn't find an old West gun that shoots paintballs, 105 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 so we went with a more modern version. 106 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:30,000 This one here. 107 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 But I'm still going to wear an old West style holster for it. 108 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 They don't make those, so I'm going to make one. 109 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,000 Firing real bullets at Jamie is too dangerous, 110 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,000 even for the Mythbusters. 111 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Soaking a leather makes it nice and pliable. 112 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,000 So a paintball pistol, 113 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 complete with freshly fabricated holster, 114 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,000 yeah, will be their weapon of choice. 115 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,000 I'm pretty pleased with that. 116 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:57,000 This is not a real gun. 117 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,000 I wouldn't point a real gun at my cameraman. 118 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:00,000 You got that? 119 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,000 And while Adam practices his quick draw, 120 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,000 right in the belly, 121 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,000 Jamie's finally perfected his pitch. 122 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,000 There we go. 123 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:13,000 I made this throw. 124 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 I actually hit the bullseye from 20 feet. 125 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 So it's clear that with some practice, 126 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,000 you can get pretty good at this. 127 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,000 But having a successful knife throw 128 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,000 is all about precisely knowing 129 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,000 what kind of power you have to put in 130 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,000 at a specific distance to hit the target. 131 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,000 Now, that puts it into an entirely different way. 132 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,000 So, I'm going to go with a straight shot. 133 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,000 Now, that puts it into an entirely different league 134 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 than using a pistol, 135 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,000 where all you have to do is point the darn thing 136 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,000 and pull the trigger. 137 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Yep, there's no doubt about it. 138 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 Firing a gun is easier. 139 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,000 But does that mean you should never bring a knife 140 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,000 to a gunfight? 141 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,000 Next, it's out of the frying pan into the Fire Dragon. 142 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,000 All right, this is going to be fun, 143 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,000 because we have an ancient weapon myth 144 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,000 that I think is awesome. 145 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,000 All right, what is it? 146 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,000 It's called the Fire Dragon. 147 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,000 Now, this is from 14th century China 148 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,000 and rumored to be the very first two-stage rocket. 149 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,000 All right, I know this one. 150 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,000 It's supposedly a fairly long tube 151 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000 with a dragon head on the end. 152 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,000 And according to legend, it had rockets on the outside 153 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,000 that propelled it up into the air halfway through the flight. 154 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,000 The second weapon stage activates, 155 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,000 and rocket arrows come shooting out of the mouth. 156 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,000 All right, so then the kicker is nobody knows 157 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,000 for sure if this thing worked? 158 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,000 Exactly. 159 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,000 The evidence is really, really poor, 160 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,000 so it's up to us to test it. 161 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,000 Roaring to life in 14th century China, 162 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,000 the Fire Dragon was supposedly the world's first 163 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,000 two-stage rocket missile. 164 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,000 Stage one used four rockets to get airborne. 165 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Stage two would then fire off ten rocket arrows 166 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,000 directly towards its target. 167 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 But is this ancient anecdote accurate, 168 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,000 or is this myth going down? 169 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,000 All right, so since this rocket is two-stage rocket, 170 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,000 I say we test it in two stages. 171 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Go on. 172 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 All right, first stage, we got to see 173 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,000 if this rocket design is aerodynamic enough 174 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,000 to actually fly straight. 175 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Look, I got to say right off the bat, 176 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,000 I highly doubt that this thing is going to fly straight. 177 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,000 If you look at the drawing, 178 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,000 it doesn't look aerodynamic at all. 179 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Okay, well then why don't we make a miniature version, 180 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 take it to NASA and see if it is aerodynamic. 181 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,000 And then we'll move on to see if we get 182 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,000 rocket-powered arrows to fly out of its mouth mid-flight. 183 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,000 I love it. 184 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,000 I've been doing a little bit of research on the Fire Dragon weapon, 185 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,000 and all the historical drawings look pretty consistent. 186 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,000 There's four booster rockets on the outside 187 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,000 and an open-mouth dragon head 188 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,000 that spits out the arrows inside. 189 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,000 And then there's sort of a tail that makes the fins. 190 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,000 So I'm going to make the Fire Dragon rocket in small scale. 191 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Take it to the NASA wind tunnel 192 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 and see if it even has a chance of flying straight. 193 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,000 And if it doesn't, 194 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,000 then we'll make a couple modifications until it does. 195 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Because historical pictures can be more propaganda than precision... 196 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Not a dragon yet. 197 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,000 ...carry starting by sculpting the ancient drawings in scale. 198 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Ah, Ritchie, they have a Fire Dragon. 199 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,000 She'll then use this model to see if the mythical missile 200 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,000 could ever get off the ground in the first place. 201 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,000 One arrow-breathing Fire Dragon. 202 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,000 And in case not, she's also built a backup. 203 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,000 I made an arrow-breathing Fire Dragon based on the historical drawings, 204 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 but because it's not the most aerodynamic shape, 205 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,000 I also modified a head and made it a little more simple 206 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,000 so that when we take this to NASA, 207 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,000 if this isn't going to fly straight, we have some alternatives. 208 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 With the two creations carved out, 209 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,000 let the rocket science commence. 210 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,000 Ready to go back into the wind tunnel? 211 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000 NASA and Dragon seems like an odd mix, doesn't it? 212 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Oh, you'll see. 213 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,000 So we have here Carrie's traditional Fire Dragon, 214 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,000 exactly as depicted in all the diagrams. 215 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,000 We've got it set up here in the wind tunnel. 216 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,000 It's been in the wind tunnel to 25 miles per hour, 217 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,000 and if it starts to turn and does not self-correct back to straight, 218 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,000 then we'll know we're not stable. 219 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 This is Test 1, lateral stability of the arrow-breathing Fire Dragon. 220 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,000 Go ahead, turn on the wind. 221 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Under the watchful eye of senior scientist Steve Smith, 222 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000 the wind winds up, and then... 223 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 Okay, so if I poke at it, we'll see how it diverges, whoa. 224 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Well, that's really not stable. 225 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000 Yep, a stable rocket won't budge when given a notch. 226 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,000 By flipping full circle, 227 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:38,000 the ancient Fire Dragon design is an aerodynamic disaster. 228 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,000 So it's on to Carrie's plan B. 229 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,000 New head, new head. 230 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Where, thanks to some simple aerodynamic encouragement... 231 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 ...the eternal motor. 232 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,000 The mythical missile can still get fired up yet. 233 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000 All right, round two. 234 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000 This is more aerodynamic, hopefully, 235 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,000 aerobreeding Fire Dragon with fins and modified head. 236 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Go ahead, start up the wind. 237 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,000 With the wind at speed, Steve knocks her up. 238 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Yeah, that's really stable. 239 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 That's great. 240 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 And this time, the rocket immediately bounces back. 241 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,000 A clear sign that this Dragon is durable. 242 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,000 I think we have a design. 243 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,000 So we've had great success in the wind tunnel. 244 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,000 We have a stable design. 245 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,000 Now, yeah, I know it doesn't look exactly like the drawings, 246 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,000 but believe you me, if you saw this flying over the horizon, 247 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:28,000 spinning arrows at you, 248 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,000 you would call this an aerobreeding Dragon. 249 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,000 Still to come, the Fire Dragon breathes again. 250 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 Ah! 251 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,000 But next, who will rule the duel? 252 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000 Oh! 253 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,000 Did I get hit? 254 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,000 You nicked my shoulder. 255 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,000 Make it fast, Libre. 256 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,000 This is your last draw. 257 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,000 It's a classic cowboy conundrum. 258 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:04,000 But should you really never bring a knife to a gunfight? 259 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,000 What a great space. 260 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Nice space for a shootout. 261 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,000 Let's have a showdown. 262 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,000 First up for this showdown comes some mutual target practice. 263 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Adam with his paintball pistol and Jamie with a water balloon. 264 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 So I wanted to throw my hunting knife at Adam, 265 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 but for some reason nobody else thought this was a good idea. 266 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,000 So I've come up with a safe knife analog, and it's these water balloons. 267 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,000 They're filled up such that they've got the same mass as the knife, 268 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,000 and if I throw them at the same speed, they're basically identical, 269 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,000 except that they're non-lethal. 270 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,000 Feeling ready? 271 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Ready as I'll ever be. 272 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,000 Let's do it. 273 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,000 So here's our experimental setup for replicating 274 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,000 the knife versus gun showdown from the Magnificent Seven. 275 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,000 Jamie is the knife. I am the gun. 276 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,000 We stand 16 feet apart, and our signal to move 277 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,000 is when Mike fires the starter pistol. 278 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Now the minute I hear that bang, 279 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,000 I've got to get to Adam with my knife substitute 280 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,000 before he gets to me with his pistol. 281 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,000 I'm ready. 282 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Let's do it. 283 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Oh! 284 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Are you all right? 285 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,000 You got me in the crotch. 286 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,000 You got me right here. 287 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:20,000 I got you around there. 288 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,000 I shot you in the crotch. I'm sorry about that. 289 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000 And I think I got the shot off before you got the knife in. 290 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,000 However, it still means I'm dead. 291 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000 Yeah, and I'd be very unhappy. 292 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,000 This is a very interesting result. 293 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,000 I got my shot off long before the knife got to me, 294 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 but the knife still got to me. 295 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,000 So the fact is that Jamie got his groin shot off, 296 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,000 and I have a knife in my chest. 297 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,000 In that one, I'd say knife wins. 298 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,000 But we're going to run this a few more times just to make sure. 299 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 So Q-Test 2. 300 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,000 That was it. 301 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,000 You hit me, and I got you. 302 00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Knife! 303 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:00,000 Good. 304 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,000 We've only had a couple of tries at this, 305 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,000 and we're already getting some really interesting data. 306 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:08,000 You can see on the high-speed camera that my knife is halfway to Adam 307 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 before he's pulled the trigger of his gun, 308 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,000 which means that unless he dodges, 309 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,000 he's going to die from the knife. 310 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,000 So for test 3, the plan is exactly that. 311 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Can Adam shoot straight, then dodge the knife? 312 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,000 You dodged my knife. 313 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Did I get hit? 314 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:30,000 I missed you. 315 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 Well, in a word, no. 316 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,000 While he did duck, doing so meant his aim was lame, 317 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,000 and Jamie survives as well. 318 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,000 Let's do it again. 319 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,000 In test 4, Adam is accurate, 320 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,000 but this time gets hit himself. 321 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 You nicked my shoulder. 322 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:53,000 But in test 5, it all comes together in slow motion. 323 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,000 Mike fires the gun. 324 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,000 Jamie launches the knife. 325 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,000 Adam shoots Jamie, square in the chest, 326 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:05,000 before he then ducks from death. 327 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,000 I hit him right in the chest. 328 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 And in a whole bunch of subsequent tests. 329 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,000 Hey, guys, shot your leg off. 330 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 It's the same old story. 331 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,000 You keep ducking. 332 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,000 Bringing a knife to a gunfight won't let you rule the duel. 333 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,000 I'm like spot on every time that you keep moving. 334 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,000 After our extensive testing of the Magnificent 7, 335 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000 knife vs. gun showdown, here's how it shakes out. 336 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:38,000 Gun wins. 337 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,000 And for a couple of reasons. 338 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,000 One, I was always able to squeeze a shot off 339 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,000 before the knife got to me. 340 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Two, most of the time I had enough time 341 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:51,000 after squeezing off the round to actually dodge the knife. 342 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,000 You can't dodge a bullet. 343 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,000 I think we've proven that one before. 344 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,000 So is that it for knife vs. gun? 345 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,000 Does gun just win? 346 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 Not by a long shot. 347 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,000 I'm not done with you yet. 348 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:01,000 Excellent. 349 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:02,000 Let's go. 350 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000 Coming right up, will the Fire Dragon go ballistic? 351 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:11,000 Fire Dragon is no joke. 352 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,000 The ancient Fire Dragon had a wind tunnel wipeout. 353 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,000 That's really not stable. 354 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,000 But their modified missile was a streamlined sensation. 355 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,000 I think we have a design. 356 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,000 So what's next? 357 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,000 Alright, so now it's time to focus on this mythical second stage of the Fire Dragon. 358 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,000 Yeah, supposedly mid-flight. 359 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,000 Ten rocket arrows started shooting out of the Dragon's mouth. 360 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,000 Yeah, well there's three things we have to figure out. 361 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:42,000 One, design. 362 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,000 How do we grip the arrows inside of the body 363 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,000 to make sure they can still fire out accurately? 364 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,000 Two, timing. 365 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,000 How do we get all ten arrows to fire on Q? 366 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:51,000 And three, size. 367 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,000 How big is this thing going to be? 368 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,000 Alright, well I have an idea for an arrow containment unit 369 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,000 and a timed fuse system, 370 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,000 but I'm not really sure about the size. 371 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,000 I think they have to be pretty big 372 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,000 because we have to accommodate a three-foot arrow 373 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,000 plus fuses and the first stage of the rocket. 374 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:10,000 So I think we're actually talking about a six-foot Fire Dragon rocket. 375 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,000 We're going to have to go out to the desert to fire these off. 376 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,000 Sounds good to me. 377 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,000 With the history books no help for the mythical second stage, 378 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,000 the guys have to tackle this part from scratch 379 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:26,000 as they redesign and retime their ancient wartime weapon, Full Scale. 380 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,000 Or at least Tori does. 381 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,000 I'm going to be working on the ignition system. 382 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Now this isn't going to be an easy task. 383 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,000 What I need to do is get all ten rocket-powered arrows to fire out 384 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:41,000 right as the shuttle is coming down upon the approaching army. 385 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:46,000 Tori's first step for this second stage is to turn the arrows into rocket arrows. 386 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,000 Alright. 387 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Then he comes over all a quiver. 388 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:55,000 What I'm working on right now is the quiver that's going to hold the rocket-powered arrows. 389 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,000 There's going to be ten of them and they're going to slip inside the Fire Dragon. 390 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,000 We don't want all ten arrows just bouncing around as it's going on its flight. 391 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,000 Although it looks more a gaffling gun than an arrow holder, 392 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,000 instead of bullet to shoot an arrow, 393 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,000 it's going to slip. 394 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:16,000 It's this clever quiver that should give the arrows a degree of accuracy, 395 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,000 provided that they even ignite. 396 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:24,000 Alright, you ready? This is second stage of Fire Dragon test. 397 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,000 Here we go in three, two, one. 398 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,000 It may not look like it, but this test could not have gone better. 399 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:37,000 The fuse system was a blast, igniting all arrows on cue. 400 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,000 The quiver support let those arrows fly straight and true. 401 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,000 The ignition system for the second stage of the Fire Dragon worked perfectly. 402 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:53,000 The best part is the arrows embedded themselves in the plywood behind us. 403 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,000 So that means we have some lethal rocket-powered arrows. 404 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:01,000 I think all we have to do now is get the timing from the first stage to the second stage perfect, 405 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,000 and it's time to go to the desert. 406 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Tori's right, with the second stage firing on all cylinders. 407 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,000 Next, the guys need to up the ante. 408 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000 I love it out here. 409 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:16,000 Here comes the Mongolian army. Let's hit them at the Fire Dragon. 410 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,000 We've come out to the Mojave Desert to test our Fire Dragon in. 411 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:26,000 Now, I've taken my small-scale Fire Dragon, which worked great in NASA and flew straight, 412 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:31,000 and brought it to full scale. 413 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,000 Yep, it's now six feet of pure rocket power. 414 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,000 Alright, that's complete. 415 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,000 But before any missile may hem, there's some timer testing to be done. 416 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:47,000 Now, one challenge that we're faced with is figuring out when the second stage is going to happen. 417 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,000 So, what we're going to do is fire one of these without a second stage. 418 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:57,000 See how long it goes? Once we know that, then we can cut our fuse so that our second stage happens halfway through the flight. 419 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 Correct timing of the second stage is crucial. 420 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,000 To short a fuse, the arrows will go nowhere fast. 421 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,000 To long a fuse, and they'll be just as inept. 422 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,000 The butter zone is the middle. 423 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:16,000 When the missile has reached its apex, the second stage can deliver its payload at full potential. 424 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,000 But how long to reach apex? 425 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:24,000 Alright, so this is Fire Dragon test fire to see how long it flies for. 426 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,000 Here we go in three, two, one, fire. 427 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,000 Fire Dragon is no joke. 428 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,000 Little pit stop. 429 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Stop the timer. 430 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,000 12 seconds. 431 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:37,000 That's perfect. 432 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,000 So the first stage of the Fire Dragon flew for 12 seconds, and it flew straight. 433 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000 Now it's time to work on the second stage. 434 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,000 And we want that to happen in the middle of its flight. 435 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:50,000 So six seconds after it launches, the fire arrows need to start shooting out of its mouth. 436 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:54,000 I need to cut a fuse, so that happens at exactly six seconds. 437 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,000 This is going to be awesome fire. 438 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:03,000 Yet now they know the first time the guys can at last put the second stage to a proof of concept test. 439 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:10,000 So with a new dragon, a 10 rocket arrow warhead, and a six second fuse, Fire Dragon. 440 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,000 It's all set for the stage two showdown. 441 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:21,000 Alright now listen, I need you to fly into the air, and at six seconds I need you to start shooting your fire arrows out of your mouth. 442 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Alright, you got that? 443 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,000 Don't make me look stupid. 444 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,000 Okay, this is rocket test fully loaded with arrows. 445 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,000 In three, two, one. 446 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,000 Wow! 447 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,000 Oh, fins blew off. 448 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,000 Oh! 449 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,000 Oh my god! 450 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 Woohoo! 451 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 I don't know about that distance, but it looked like the rig worked. 452 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,000 Yeah, no the fuses worked perfectly man. 453 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,000 It was a test, but it was mission accomplished. 454 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:02,000 Moments after launch, the stabilizing fins fell off, sending the rocket spinning. 455 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:08,000 But in spite of this, the second stage ignited on cue, and the rocket arrows fired. 456 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,000 And that's enough to take this myth into battle. 457 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:36,000 Next is the world of Kendo or Samurai. 458 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,000 He who moves first loses. 459 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,000 So reaction is faster than action. 460 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:47,000 Right, perhaps adrenaline helps your brain react to something faster than you could actually initiate it in the first place. 461 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,000 Well, it looks like we need to get some Kendo training. 462 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Let's do it. 463 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:57,000 It should be noted here, neither Jamie nor I are a very good friend of the Kendo. 464 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:04,000 Mr. David Nakanishi is a fourth Dan Kendo practitioner, and he is going to instruct us in the basics enough to properly conduct this test without, you know, hurting each other. 465 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,000 And once kitted up, the Kendo class begins. 466 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,000 Full steam ahead. 467 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,000 You want to swing all the way over your head and come down. 468 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 You want to swing all the way over your head and come down. 469 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,000 You want to swing all the way over your head and come down. 470 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,000 You want to swing all the way over your head and come down. 471 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,000 You want to swing all the way over your head and come down. 472 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,000 All right. 473 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,000 And after three hours of being hit. 474 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,000 Wow, that hurt. 475 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000 Again, again, and again. 476 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,000 This isn't very pleasant. 477 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000 The guys have apparently mastered the basics. 478 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,000 Okay, so now we've learned different striking techniques. 479 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:53,000 And because while we like bashing each other on the head best, we're going to test that technique and see whether in fact he who attacks first strikes last. 480 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:59,000 But before the reaction versus action battle commences, Adam's got a rig to rig. 481 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:04,000 So when Jamie and I go head to head, we need an automated system that does two things. 482 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:11,000 First, it's got to randomly allocate who makes the first move, which is what this circuit box controls. 483 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:12,000 Nice. 484 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,000 And second, it's got to determine who wins. 485 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:23,000 For that, I've coated our helmets and our swords with a conductive mesh so that when you get hit, your helmet lights up. 486 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,000 If this works, then my sword should light up Jamie's helmet. 487 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,000 It does. 488 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000 And Jamie's sword should light up my helmet. 489 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 It does. 490 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,000 We are totally ready. 491 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:44,000 Well, in that case, it's back to the dojo, which has had a makeover for both aesthetics and science. 492 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,000 Our setup here is pretty straightforward. 493 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,000 Who attacks first will be determined by a little signal light. 494 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,000 There's one over Jamie's shoulder that only I can see and the same over my shoulder for him. 495 00:23:53,000 --> 00:24:00,000 If I see my signal light go on, I take a deep breath and sometime between five and 10 seconds later, I attack. 496 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,000 If I hit Jamie correctly, his lights go on. 497 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,000 If he hits me correctly, so do mine. 498 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,000 The high-speed camera tells us who got there first. 499 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:13,000 We should make do note here that this isn't about wailing away at each other until somebody gives. 500 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:17,000 This is one strike at a time and we're recording the results. 501 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,000 All right, Mr. Heidemann, are you ready? 502 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,000 I'm ready. 503 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,000 Here we go. 504 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,000 Begin test one. 505 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:31,000 On cue, the randomizer selects that it's Adam who has to move first. 506 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,000 But who won? 507 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,000 So check this first shot out. 508 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Classic Jamie, you give him a contest and he only pays attention to the ultimate parameter of the contest. 509 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,000 But just, I got to light up the lights on Adam's head. 510 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:50,000 You can see, I'm actually going for a full hit and Jamie's just reaching out poking with his stick. 511 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,000 And what that means is test one's tie is invalid. 512 00:24:54,000 --> 00:25:01,000 For test two, where the randomizer again selects Adam, it's go big or go home. 513 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Ow, I'm getting hit with a two by four. 514 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Yeah, it doesn't feel good. 515 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:14,000 This time with two sizable swings, Adam's the clear winner, which is not good news for the myth. 516 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,000 For test three, Jamie selected to lead. 517 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:23,000 And like test two, he who moved first actually won. 518 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:32,000 But the guys aren't giving up on this myth without a fight as they break through the pain barrier in 20 separate bouts. 519 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:38,000 Jamie and I spent all day in that armor smacking each other in the heads with those Sheen Eye. 520 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:44,000 And you should note a couple of things as we're going one, you can see clearly that we get faster as we go. 521 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:49,000 Which means that it doesn't hurt less, it actually hurts more as we progress. 522 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,000 And secondly, the Sheen Eye that we're using, they're wrapped in screen. 523 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:59,000 They're about half a pound heavier each, which means we're taking more force on our head than the armor's been designed for. 524 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,000 And both of us can feel it the next day. 525 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,000 Oh, I'm sorry, Jamie. 526 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,000 Yeah, I didn't know when I signed up for this job that it required impacts to the head. 527 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,000 I got a headache. 528 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:13,000 So do I. Let's go crunch our data and nurse our wounds. 529 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,000 Back at the shop with medication taken. 530 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,000 First mover, first hit. 531 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,000 That was you. 532 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,000 The guys review all 20 high speeds. 533 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,000 That was a tie. 534 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,000 And a pattern emerges fast. 535 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,000 Well, Jamie and I have reviewed many, many high-speed shots of us whacking each other in the head. 536 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:35,000 And it would seem that our injuries are not for naught because the results are pretty consistent. 537 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:41,000 We could not find a single case where the second person to move achieved the first hit. 538 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,000 And keep in mind, this is not about skill at Kendo. 539 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,000 We broke this down to simple reaction time. 540 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,000 And first mover always won in our testing. 541 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,000 That's pretty definitive. 542 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 So definitive that this myth is busted. 543 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,000 In the middle of the Mojave Desert, the Mythbusters missile has delivered its payload. 544 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,000 Whoa! 545 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:12,000 So the proof of concept work, all 10 rock arrows came out of the missile mid-launch. 546 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:13,000 Now what? 547 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:14,000 We ramp it up. 548 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:20,000 We build 10 fire dragons, take them back out to the desert and have a real-world ballistics battle. 549 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:25,000 Alright, but before we have an all-out launch, let's fire one rocket arrow from the ground and see how far it flies. 550 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:30,000 Yeah, that's a great idea because a rocket arrow would have been the most advanced technology of its time. 551 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,000 So in order to move on to the next weapon, you would have to beat the old technology. 552 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,000 Sounds great. 553 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,000 Sounds like we have a lot of building to do. 554 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:44,000 Yep, with a dozen dragons to deliver, the guys divide and conquer as Grant preps the arrows. 555 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,000 Burning death from above. 556 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Tori the Fuses. 557 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,000 This is going to be so awesome. 558 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,000 And Carrie the Dragon Heads. 559 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:57,000 Now back in the day of the Fire Dragon, they probably had lots of artisans to make these heads. 560 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:58,000 We just got made. 561 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:02,000 So I'm going to vacuum form these because we need 10. 562 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,000 And once all the parts are assembled, the production line can begin. 563 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:11,000 Alright, so to execute this experiment, we've got a veritable fire dragon factory happening here. 564 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,000 We've got to get all of our fire dragon bodies built. 565 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,000 We've got to glue 100 rockets to 100 arrows. 566 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,000 We've got to get those put into our rocket holding tubes. 567 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,000 And get those tubes glued into the fire dragon bodies. 568 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,000 And then at the very end, we've got to decorate everything. 569 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,000 We've got a big job ahead of us. 570 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,000 Dude, I think we're done. These look great. 571 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,000 Let's go to the desert. 572 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,000 Alright, let's go launch the fire dragon. 573 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:45,000 Back in the middle of nowhere, the guys start by building a firing range. 574 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:50,000 Okay, that is 100 yards. 575 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,000 Because first up are the distance tests. 576 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,000 You pack enough water? 577 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,000 Comparing a regular rocket arrow with a fire dragon warhead. 578 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 This is weird. It's like we're the last couple on earth. 579 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,000 Add with the range maxed out. 580 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,000 750 yards. 581 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000 The guys retreat to the launch pad. 582 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,000 Alright, so this is a single rocket arrow. 583 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Alright, let's see how far this goes by itself. 584 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,000 Oh wow, those bees. 585 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:28,000 Sky writing a little bit and now it's falling to the earth. 586 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,000 Yes, what goes up must come down. 587 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,000 650 yards away. 588 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,000 And that means it's time to unleash the beast. 589 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:41,000 So what we're looking for here is to have the first stage of this two stage rocket 590 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,000 fire off straight and stable. 591 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000 And then here about midway through its flight, 592 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,000 it's placed in second stage in the form of 10 fire arrows. 593 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,000 The rocket arrows have to land at least here 750 yards away from the start. 594 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:01,000 Thus extending the range of the arrows for this to be a viable weapon in battle. 595 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:06,000 Grants right, if its arrows don't better the control, then this missile will bomb. 596 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000 Alright, the rocket is loaded. 597 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,000 In three, two, one. 598 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:19,000 Just as hoped the launch works perfectly and then mid-flight, oof, the arrows are released. 599 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:23,000 But the key question here is how far did they go? 600 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,000 For this test we have some good news and bad news. 601 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000 The bad news is we haven't been able to find all 10 arrows, 602 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:32,000 which suggests that accuracy is going to be an issue. 603 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:37,000 Now the good news is that minimum distance they went was 800 yards. 604 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,000 That's well beyond the rocket arrow alone. 605 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,000 And that means the battle can commence. 606 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:54,000 In dual dilemma, it's Mythbusters 2. 607 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,000 Fight fables zero. 608 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,000 I hit it right in the chest. 609 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Or is it? 610 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,000 Something's been bugging me about the don't bring a knife to a gunfight test we've done. 611 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,000 What's that? 612 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:13,000 Well, we tested it in a quick draw scenario where both parties know exactly what's about to happen. 613 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,000 Suppose it wasn't a quick draw scenario. 614 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:22,000 If I was running for you, I could cover a heck of a lot of ground by the time you got that gun out and fired. 615 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 Exactly what I'm thinking. 616 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,000 So you're the shooter again and I'm just running straight at you? 617 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,000 Actually, you're going to start by running away from me. 618 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,000 How do you figure? 619 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:30,000 You'll find out. 620 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,000 Okay. 621 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:38,000 So it's knife versus gun part two and back at bout HQ, Adam's readying to run rings around Jamie. 622 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,000 The myth is that it is foolish to bring a knife to a gunfight. 623 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:47,000 But if you were standing in front of me with a knife in your hand and I got a gun in my holster, I think I'm in danger. 624 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:52,000 What we want to know is what is the minimum distance at which a knife is in fact dangerous to a person with a gun. 625 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,000 This circle is how we're going to figure that out. 626 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,000 Jamie and I will stand back to back on this dot. 627 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,000 When he feels the muse, Jamie will start to run towards the outside of the circle. 628 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:07,000 The moment I feel him move, I pull out my gun, cock it, pull the safety off and fire around. 629 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:11,000 The moment Jamie hears me fire around, he stops running. 630 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:19,000 The distance at which he's standing when he stops running should be the minimum distance at which a knife is dangerous to a gun. 631 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Are you ready to do this? 632 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,000 Absolutely. 633 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,000 Alright, here we go. 634 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,000 Now how are you going to tell when I'm moving? 635 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,000 We go back to back like this. We have to touch unfortunately. 636 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,000 Okay. 637 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:36,000 With the boys in there, just good friends, starting positions, the waiting game begins. 638 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:42,000 Until... 639 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,000 ... 640 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,000 ... 641 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,000 ... 642 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,000 I was a little slow on that one. 643 00:32:56,000 --> 00:33:04,000 Not only was Adam slow, but Jamie was fast, passing beyond the 24 foot perimeter before Adam got his shot off. 644 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:14,000 I am totally blown away by what this test suggests, which is that bringing a knife to a gun fight might actually be the smart move 645 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:19,000 The distance separating the knife-wielder from the gunslinger is 24 feet or less, 646 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,000 which is a heck of a lot more distance than I ever thought it would be. 647 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:28,000 Now of course we don't know this for sure until we reverse engineer it and have Jamie run at me from that distance. 648 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,000 We'll see who gets the first kill. 649 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:38,000 And to do just that, Adam adds a foam knife to his Samurai switchbox, so it'll make for some safe stabbing. 650 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:39,000 Here's how this goes. 651 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:43,000 I wear the hat, I wear the shirt. 652 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,000 Jamie runs at me with a knife. 653 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,000 If he successfully stabs me, I die. 654 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,000 The lights tell you that I'm dead. 655 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:59,000 With both duelers dressed for success, I feel conductive. 656 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:00,000 It's go time. 657 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:03,000 Now this time I'm not shooting at any cardboard cowboy. 658 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:08,000 I'm staring right at the face of death because Heinemann is running straight towards me. 659 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:15,000 Just like the time before, I'm going to be starting at Will, running like crazy for Adam and trying to stab him before he shoots me. 660 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:21,000 Perhaps now is a good time to say, don't try what you're about to see at home. 661 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:24,000 You ready? I'm ready when you are. 662 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,000 Bosh! 663 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:36,000 Are you okay? 664 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,000 It had to happen sooner or later. 665 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:44,000 It's a spectacular result, if a little unexpected. 666 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,000 Less true grit, more blazing saddles. 667 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:54,000 And unfortunately for Jamie, the high speed caught every last frame. 668 00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Coming right up, Jamie takes aim at revenge. 669 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,000 I've never heard you make that noise ever. 670 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,000 And the Fire Dragons finale. 671 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,000 In three, two, one. 672 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:25,000 Once upon a time in the West, cowboys were coached to never bring a knife to a gunfight. 673 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:32,000 And after test one, that seems like good advice. 674 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,000 I'm ready when you are. 675 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:42,000 But with Jamie reset at the 24 foot mark, it's kill or be killed, take two. 676 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:52,000 I nailed you right in the chest, but man, that is terrifying, totally terrifying. 677 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:58,000 Yep, a sprinting, screaming Heinemann is what nightmares are made of. 678 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,000 But at this distance, it was Adam who won the duel. 679 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,000 Just barely. 680 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,000 So Jamie ships the start line to 20 feet. 681 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:12,000 Alright, my safety's on, gun is loaded. 682 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,000 Dude, I've never heard you make that noise ever. 683 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,000 In these face to face tests, I've been able to shoot Jamie at both 24 and 20 feet. 684 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,000 Although 20 feet was quite close. 685 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,000 But the fact that I'm able to make that distance shorter than I was for the other test makes sense to me. 686 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:40,000 Because watching him run at me while screaming is a fantastic adrenaline rush. 687 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:47,000 It is absolutely an incredible motivation to get things in order to shoot him before I die. 688 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:51,000 But will it be motivation enough for a 16 foot showdown? 689 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,000 I'm dead. 690 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,000 I touched you with a gun, but I wasn't able to fire and you had the knife deep in my chest. 691 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:58,000 You're dead. 692 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,000 I'm dead. I'm dead. 693 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:04,000 Yep, at last, the Heinemann's the hero. 694 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:09,000 From 16 feet, Adam could draw and cock, but not fire. 695 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,000 A pattern repeated on subsequent tests, 696 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,000 I'm dead. I'm dead. It's official. 697 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,000 I'm totally dead. 698 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,000 So what does that mean for the myth? 699 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:25,000 When you hear the phrase, don't bring a knife to a gunfight, it implies that if you're the one holding the gun, 700 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,000 you should feel completely relaxed in your superior firepower. 701 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,000 You're not going to be able to shoot a gun. 702 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:35,000 You're going to be able to shoot a gun. 703 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,000 You're going to be able to shoot a gun. 704 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,000 It implies that if you're the one holding the gun, 705 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:44,000 you should feel completely relaxed in your superior firepower against your opponents' stone age tool. 706 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000 And I think we've totally busted that. 707 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:54,000 Here, we have demonstrated that at close quarters, a knife is a very respectable and to be feared opponent. 708 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:05,000 Well, that is pretty definitive. You're able to get to me between 16 and 18 feet. 709 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,160 Yeah, let's call 18 feet a guaranteed death zone by knife. 710 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:10,080 That is shocking. 711 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,040 I would not have called it being that far. 712 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:12,540 Me neither. 713 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,600 Two stage missiles have been used in warfare for decades. 714 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,640 But could they have a far longer history than that 715 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:32,920 to find out, view the Fire Dragon finale? 716 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:35,800 Now it's time to put our Fire Dragon myth to the ultimate test. 717 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,200 We're going to fire 10 rockets into the air. 718 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:41,280 And we're going to see how it does in a battle situation. 719 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,680 We have our Chinese army and a castle. 720 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,280 We're going to put them out at 800 yards. 721 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,760 If attacking a distant enemy wasn't hard enough. 722 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,240 Good luck, man. 723 00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:54,520 The wind is blowing again. 724 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:56,560 Come on, bring it on. 725 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:00,880 Making this test the ultimate trial by Fire Dragon. 726 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,040 All right, man. 727 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,120 We are going into battle. 728 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:05,560 Ready? 729 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:07,120 Charge. 730 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:08,800 Come on, charge. 731 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:09,720 Come on, you guys. 732 00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:10,280 Charge. 733 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:13,160 What are you waiting for? 734 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:15,880 With the targets ready to stand and deliver, 735 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:17,880 at mission control. 736 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:18,960 We've failed the arsenal. 737 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,160 It's time to ready the rockets. 738 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:28,480 So we've got 10 Fire Dragons, each with 10 rocket arrows inside. 739 00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:32,000 And we're going to call this whole myth based on two things. 740 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,720 Death from the skies. 741 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,880 First, will all second stages fire off? 742 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,360 In other words, will the weapon be reliable? 743 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:41,600 Leave the charge. 744 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,240 Back Golden Dragon. 745 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:48,320 And second, will it take out a significant number of soldiers? 746 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:51,840 In other words, does it have any degree of accuracy? 747 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,280 It's so awesome. 748 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:56,160 Now for this myth to be confirmed, 749 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:58,320 both those answers need to be yes. 750 00:39:58,320 --> 00:39:59,440 All right, here we go. 751 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,040 This is for real. 752 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:05,440 In three, two, one, fire. 753 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:06,440 Wow. 754 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:07,440 Whoa. 755 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:09,440 Whoa. 756 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:10,720 Wow. 757 00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:13,760 Wow is right as all 10 take off. 758 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:14,600 And then. 759 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:16,320 Wow. 760 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:18,720 It's raining down. 761 00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:20,200 Wow. 762 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:21,200 It's just raining now. 763 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,280 It's here, it's raining everywhere. 764 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:26,040 All right, let's go check it out. 765 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,480 From the bunker, the guys know that seven out of 10 second 766 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:33,280 stages fire, meaning 70 arrows deploy. 767 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:35,400 But did any hit the target? 768 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:37,280 Well, no. 769 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:39,160 So we found maybe 40 arrows. 770 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:40,480 But here's the thing. 771 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,720 Less than 10 are in the target zone. 772 00:40:42,720 --> 00:40:45,400 Some fell early at around the 400 yard mark. 773 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:50,640 But others sailed way beyond the castle to like 1,100 yards. 774 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:52,440 Clearly, the wind didn't help. 775 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,880 But as far as accuracy goes, this was a fail. 776 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,160 Ain't that the truth? 777 00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,840 With not a single soldier struck down, 778 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:01,440 the fire dragons proved fickle. 779 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,520 All right, so where are we with the fire dragon myth? 780 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:05,560 Did it fulfill all the requirements? 781 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:07,280 Well, yes and no. 782 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:11,040 For one, the first stage fired off straight and stable. 783 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:14,560 Two, the second stage deployed, thus increasing 784 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:15,680 the range of the arrows. 785 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,200 The problem is that it's not reliable. 786 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,760 We had 10 fire dragons out there. 787 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:22,760 Not all of them deployed all their arrows. 788 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:25,640 That were the case in C, 100 arrows in this region. 789 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:27,680 But we only see five or 10. 790 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,640 So yes, it's plausible that it might have existed. 791 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:32,680 But is it a practical weapon? 792 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:33,180 No. 793 00:41:37,180 --> 00:41:39,040 All right, what do you guys think? 794 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:40,600 Well, we got them in the vicinity. 795 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,680 Yeah, but they're not accurate or completely reliable. 796 00:41:43,680 --> 00:41:46,880 I mean, you might still fear your enemy, but it's not 797 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:47,880 practical. 798 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,240 All right, so not really effective or efficient 799 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:51,640 and overly complicated. 800 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:53,160 But definitely plausible. 801 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:54,840 All right, plausible it is. 802 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:56,520 That was awesome. 803 00:41:56,520 --> 00:42:01,920 So awesome, let's see that plausible launch one more time.