I had a gas powered one 205 years ago. It was great. It launched me 3-5 feet in the air. I got it taken away from me when I decided to aerate all the neighbors lawns. You could see my track of 4 inch holes every 3 feet all the way down the block.
They payed $1.465.00 for it...holy chit. I wish I had some of those in my attic to sell on Flea- bay. That definitley sounds like a toy that was discountinued for good reason. We would have broken all our bones in a week as kids with one of those:w00t: