Toys and Games

Massive Stargate props auction

Massive Stargate props auction

The news of this impending giant auction of original props and costumes from Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis both thrills and saddens my inner fanboy: Thrills, because the prospect of owning, say, the original “travel” stargate, the “Thor” puppet, Daniel Jackson’s glasses, Teal’c’s forehead tattoo, Ronon Dex’s blaster, a mature larval Goa’uld, Apophis’s “serpent” helmet, a Zero Point Module, the original MALP robot probe, a bucket of Replicator blocks, an Iratus bug, a Jaffa staff weapon, a Zat’nikatel, a ring transporter platform, and/or the original SGC conference room briefing table is pretty awesome (even though all will likely sell for well more than I could afford); and saddens, because it means beyond any doubt that there will be no more SG-1 or SG-Atlantis. And, so far, I have to say, I’m not enjoying the more humorless, post-Battlestar Galactica approach of Stargate Universe quite as much.

Collapsing “swoon” chair

Collapsing “swoon” chair

It’s a full-size chair version of one of those little wooden toys with segmented legs that collapses when you release the internal tension. I’ve heard them called “swoon toys.” This furniture-scale version called Lazy Chair, by UK designers Fresh West, stands back up rather more slowly than the toys; it takes about 45 seconds in the video above. There’s also a click-to-collapse Flash version at the designer’s website. [via NOTCOT]

Twelve-person tire swings

Twelve-person tire swings

Awesome party toy for dirt cheap, provided you’ve got the necessary outdoor space (and the, ah, secure 40-foot overhang). Made from used tires, wooden poles, and “a whole lot of metal bolts and cables” by Jan Köaut;rbes, these swings are suspended from the superstructure of the Mmabatho Sports Stadium in South Africa. [via Recyclart]

Dustin Wallace’s latest work-in-progress

Dustin Wallace’s latest work-in-progress

Sculptor Dustin Wallace, whose intricately machined Transformers for grown-ups and sheet metal origami robots I have been raving about for some months, now, is at it again. These are a selection of choice work-in-progress shots from his latest build, called Sentry. Besides the arm blades, when finished, it will have hoses and canisters containing liquid on its back and a glowing LED in the eye.