Toys and Games

NES Controller Interface for Etch A Sketch

YouTuber Alpinedelta32 created this simple but fun retro remix by combining a Nintendo Entertainment System controller with an Etch A Sketch. The drawing toy’s knobs are rotated by 12 volt stepper motors and they’re controlled with the d-pad of the NES controller. Behind the scenes he has an Arduino for motor control and a computer power supply to provide the 12 volts needed by the steppers. I’m guessing the next logical step is to rig the start button to flip the Etch A Sketch over and shake away the drawing.

Continue Reading November 26th, 2011 Matt Richardson6

Lighted Newton’s Cradle

Neat idea from Instructables user Random_Canadian, whose mini metal lathe and homemade plastics extruder we have recently featured. His take on the classic physics toy uses five glass marbles, each illuminated by an attached LED and suspended by the wires that power it.

Continue Reading November 17th, 2011 Sean Michael Ragan6

Generative Construction Toy

Brown University Engineering and Visual Arts lecturer Ian Gonsher’s Generative Construction Toy is a set of snap together shapes that you can cut out on a laser cutter and use as building blocks to design and build compound three dimensional objects. It’s like an evolving desktop fab version of tinker toys or LEGO, but more organic. What’s most interesting about the GCT is that you are encouraged to modify and create your own shapes through an iterative process of design and play.

Continue Reading November 16th, 2011 Adam Flaherty6

Wax Sculpting Tutorial

I’m out at MAKE HQ in Sebastopol (from Arlington, VA) with much of the MAKE team this week as we do our 2012 planning. I’ve been having fun geeking out with Jason Babler, our new senior art director, over garage figure modeler. He just showed me this amazing sculpt and resin cast he did of the Diablo III Unburied figure.

Continue Reading November 8th, 2011August 31st, 2015 Gareth Branwyn

Full Size Lego Halo Sniper Rifle

The Brothers Brick has technical details, and a brief interview with builder Nick Jensen about why and how. The “Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel” is Nick’s 10th full-size replica weapon, from the Halo universe, built entirely from Lego elements.

Continue Reading November 2nd, 2011 Sean Michael Ragan2

I Have a (Puzzling) Dream

Check out this amazing mural portrait of MLK rendered in thousands of Rubik’s Cubes

Continue Reading October 31st, 2011January 18th, 2016 Gareth Branwyn254

Top 10: Prop Weapons

I set out to write a generic “props” round-up, but quickly discovered that our props tag is pretty deep, and covers a wide range of subjects including haunt props and/or prop furniture, elaborate costumes, and display props. I narrowed my focus, then, to props a person might carry around as part of a costume, and found, even then, there was more cool stuff than I could fit into one roundup.

Continue Reading October 28th, 2011 Sean Michael Ragan