Machines of Motion and Message: The Da Vinci Helicopter & Morse Telegraph

ROKR has always aimed to reignite our passion and fascination for innovation, connection, and curiosity through its remarkable 3D puzzle kits. Now, it introduces a new collection of DIY mechanical models that celebrate inventions that reshaped the course of human history.

Enter the Industrial City Series, a lineup of 3D puzzle models inspired by the machines that laid the foundation for modern technology. Today, we highlight two exceptional DIY kits: the ROKR Da Vinci Helicopter CGL01 and the ROKR Morse Telegraph CGM02.

Dreams Without Boundaries

Before people traveled by planes or sent digital messages across oceans, there were visionaries who didn’t limit themselves to their era’s technology (or lack thereof).

The 15th century saw Leonardo Da Vinci sketching an “aerial screw” in his notebooks, banking on the concept of vertical lift where screw-like rotors sliced the air and lifted a mechanical platform off the ground. This contraption was powered by steam and human imagination, now fleshed out in ROKR’s Da Vinci Helicopter.

Then there was Samuel Morse, whose passion stemmed from personal, painful, delayed news. This drive for rapid communication and his fascination with electromagnetism led him to create the single-wire telegraph, a machine that transmits electrical pulses over long distances. These pulses were received as audible clicks that were decoded into messages. ROKR now has the Morse Telegraph, a miniature version that pulses with synchronized beeps and light to spell out messages through Morse code.

Inside the Machines

Each model displays the concepts the inventors intended.

The ROKR Da Vinci Helicopter has:

• A dual helix screw that spins like a spiral to simulate vertical lift
• A two-blade propeller that simulates lateral thrust
• A six-cylinder radial engine with pumping pistons situated around a crankshaft
• A steam-inspired pressure furnace generates power through steam energy
• An LED lamp tower that simulates a steam-breathing beacon with its fiery red-orange light
• A mini exploration radar for detecting objects along the flight path

On the other hand, the ROKR Morse Telegraph is designed with:

• The classic dot and dash design thatthe original telegraph is known for
• Synchronized beeps and LED flashes for authentic Morse code functionality
• A multi-stage bevel gear system that transfers kinetic energy evenly at a 90° vertical angle
• Customized reduction motor that supplies power for movement
• Spring-loaded telegraph keys for realistic feedback with that signature clicking sound

All Industrial City series models are equipped with a receiver that enables them to be controlled via a 2.4G wireless connection. Alternatively, they can also be sync-started through a 6-way power base hub for simultaneous operation with the touch of a single button.

Build Them Yourself

Both DIY puzzle kits are ROKR’s creative statement on human progress: one helped lay the foundation for air travel, and the other set the course for digital communication. Both technologies are indispensable in this era, and ROKR presents them to us so we can appreciate these “common” things we tend to take for granted.

Let the building process help you reconstruct the thought process of these famed inventors. Just like them, you can be inspired to think beyond the limits of current technology.

As 3D puzzles, there’s unmatched satisfaction when the work of your hands becomes alive in a spectacle of movement and light. Complete all models from the Industrial City series and create a desktop city of imagination and invention.

For The Curious and Creative

As air travel and communication is for everybody, these mechanical kits are made for everyone. They may be tiny replicas, but they are tangible trophies of man’s technological accomplishments.

STEAM learners, educators, and history buffs can easily use these models to demonstrate and study mechanical principles and engineering logic. They can point out details, understand how modules are interconnected, and apply the same principles to various aspects, such as robotics.

Collectors and hobbyists will appreciate those same details as they display these conversation starters. Let onlookers admire and ask questions, as curiosity sparks the engine of progress.

The Legacy

The ROKR Da Vinci Helicopter, the ROKR Morse Telegraph, and all the other models from the Industrial City series are reminders of man’s drive to explore, connect, invent, and innovate. Mankind is currently riding another wave of technological breakthroughs, but we must not forget to slow down, focus, and build with intention. That’s how we enable our power to create.

Product Specifications

Updated on Nov 1, 2025