Laser-Cut Wood Guns Don’t Even Fire Wooden Bullets at Vampires

There’s always been a lot of debate about whether letting kids play with toy guns was a good thing or not. Everyone has their own opinion on the subject, and I say we keep it that way. But regardless of what you think about guns, these wooden guns are unlikely to do any harm.

lazer wood uzi

In fact, Cary Chleborad’s wooden weapons are likely to stimulate the minds of those who assemble them, as each one is a fairly complex puzzle you need to build yourself. Each gun is made from dozens of laser-cut parts, and can take several hours to fully assemble. Keep in mind while they’re called “puzzles,” you’ll be gluing them together, so don’t expect to disassemble your wooden weapon when it’s finished.

laser wood beretta

They’re available in Uzi, Beretta and revolver models, and sell for $19.95(USD) over on Laserist’s Etsy shop, where you can also buy a laser-cut Humvee to go along with your guns.

laser wood revolver


Projecteo Instagram Projector: Because Retro Filters Aren’t Hip Enough

You’ve shared your Instagram pictures on Twitter and Facebook. You’ve sent them as actual pictures, stickers and magnets. But that’s not enough. You’re a sharing monster that can’t be stopped. Because I love monsters, here’s something to feed your desire, a tiny projector that uses 35mm film to display and embiggen your pictures.

projecteo instagram projector

Before you can use the Projecteo, you have to use an app to pick pictures that will be “melted” in circular shape on a single frame of 35mm Kodak film. Each frame can hold up to 9 pictures. This will be inserted into a wheel, which you then feed into the Projecteo.

projecteo film

The device can then project the images to up to 2.5-feet-wide using its LED light source (in a darkened room, of course.)

projecteo projector 2

MintDigital, the company behind the Projecteo, have yet to say how much one wheel will cost, although each order of the projector comes with one free wheel. That folks, is the razor and blades business model made even better. Thanks to Kickstarter the inventors managed to convince their customers into paying them before they even buy the proverbial razor. Clever folks.

Obviously Instagram will soon be flooded with pictures of the Projecteo. You can reserve a Projecteo by pledging at least $25 (USD) on Kickstarter. You’ll need to up you pledge to $40 if you’d like the version that’s colored just like an old Rollei P35 slide projector – otherwise, your Projecteo will arrive in solid white.

[via CNET]


Mechanized Steerable Stroller: Baby’s First Mech

We’ve featured a couple of cool and geeky baby strollers, but Xandon Frogget’s creation trumps them all: a stroller that can drive itself around, or let an adult or toddler steer it themselves, but still avoid obstacles. Because your baby can’t argue his way out of a ticket.

mechanized stroller by xandon frogget

The mechanized stroller is equipped with two Kinect sensors, one facing forward and the other facing backwards. The sensors scan for surrounding obstacles and relay their scouting data to a computer, which then controls the wheelchair motors that drive the wheels. In the demo video below the computer in question is a Nook Color and the steering implement is a Wii controller on a steering wheel attachment.

You can order the other components or an entire mechanized stroller from Frogget’s website. Expect to pay $2,500-$3,500 (USD). It’s expensive, but according to Frogget the wheelchair motors can support up to 300lbs., so perhaps, when the baby – and the neighbors – are asleep, mommy or daddy can take a ride on it and imagine they’re piloting a mech.

[via Hack A Day]


Takara Tomy Robo Fish: Wall-E Meets Nemo

Halt, citizen! Put the goldfish down. You cannot take care of it, and it will not fill the hole in your heart that your ex punched through when she left. But if you already bought an aquarium, consider filling it with Robo Fish. Lifelike swimming is its prime directive.

takara tomy robo fish

Made by Takara Tomy, Robo Fish can move up and down randomly and at times even act like it’s foraging for food. It uses two LR44 watch batteries to power its waggling tail. Here’s a video uploaded by YouTuber Brandon Avery:

They’re not as lifelike as this one, but they’re good enough as toys. Or not. Some of the customer reviews on Amazon Japan – where Robo Fish can be ordered for¥2,980 (~$38 USD) each – say that the toy drains its batteries in just 2 hours. So maybe it really is looking for sustenance.

[via Boing Boing]


Great Leaders on Great Lizards [LEGO]

Horses are beautiful and majestic creatures. Armored limousines are stately and practical vehicles. But I think we can all agree that the only mode of transportation worthy of a great man is a dinosaur. Behold:

george washington on a t rex by andrew becraft

Yes, that is indeed George Washington riding a T.Rex while carrying a bazooka. The Brothers Brick’s Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft made these awesome LEGO creations, featuring some of the USA’s leaders riding dinosaurs. Here’s Abraham Lincoln on a velociraptor:

abraham lincoln on a velociraptor by andrew becraft

Now that’s a vampire hunter. Here’s Benjamin Franklin on a triceratops:

ben franklin on a triceratops by andrew becraft

I love the lightning bolts on his hand. Finally here’s Teddy Roosevelt on a pterodactyl.

teddy roosevelt on a pterodactyl

The Expendables have nothing on these badasses. Especially someone who’s on a missile-toting flying dinosaur. Check out Andrew’s Flickr page for the original images.

[via The Brothers Brick via Geeks Are Sexy]

 


Picade: iCade Pro

Now that arcade centers are mostly gone and their patrons have more gray hairs than time, some companies have capitalized by coming up with accessories that turn the iPad into a mini arcade cabinet. But if you’re skilled at building PCs or programming, you’ll be better off with the Picade, a mini arcade cabinet kit that’s meant to be powered by small PCs such as the Raspberry Pi.

picade mini arcade cabinet by pimoroni

The Picade was invented by Pimoroni, the some company who came up with the Pibow case for the Raspberry Pi. As I said, the Picade will be delivered to you as a kit that can be assembled in under an hour. It has all the components you need – an LCD, arcade joysticks, illuminated buttons, amplifier, speaker and of course the cabinet panels. You just have to supply its brains – a Raspberry Pi, a Pandaboard or any mini-ITX PC will do. You can also use the Picade as an additional monitor when you’re not gaming.

As mentioned in the video, the Picade also has a Mini version. Check the graphic below for the comparison:

picade mini arcade cabinet by pimoroni 2

You can reserve an early unit of the Picade Mini by pledging at least £120 (~$190 USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser, while a pledge of at least £192 (~$305 USD) gets you the full Picade. If you’re put off by the bare cabinet, then you’ll be happy to know that the final kit will come with various original artwork that can be applied to the panels.


Perfect 1:850 Scale Star Trek TNG Enterprise Replica Will Cost You 9,995 Federation Credits

If you are looking for a scale replica of the Starship Enterprise, why not go straight to one just like the Enterprise D studio miniature that was used in The Next Generation series. This 1:850 scale measures 29.5″ long x 22″ wide x 6″ high – or 11″ high when mounted on its base.
enterprise d
As you can see, the detail on this model from Quantum Mechnanix is amazing. It has over 100 LEDs including photon torpedos and phasers and even sound effects which can be operated with a four-channel remote.

enterprise d 1

The ship is tough too, since it is made with a welded steel armature and a body that is fiberglass, polyester resins, epoxies, acrylic and styrene. Four layers of hand-painted automotive paint are on top.

qmx enterprise d detail
The Enterprise D model also includes a 34″ long x 26″ wide x 1″ high mirrored base underneath that has plaques with the ship’s name and edition number. You can customize some of the features of the base, including the color as well as a custom inscription. Pre-orders start this month if you can afford the $9,995(USD) asking price. It is limited to only 100 pieces by the way. I need this ship now!

[via Nerd Approved]


Chalktrail Lets Kids Make Sidewalk Graffiti with Their Bikes

Kids love to draw and paint on things. Sometimes they make a mess of your walls, tables and floors, but one place that’s just fine for childhood creativity is the sidewalk – assuming they use chalk for their artwork, not spray paint. Now, kids can make drawings on the sidewalk while riding their bikes.

chalktrail 1

The Chalktrail is a nifty invention which connects securely onto the back wheel of a bicycle, lowering a fat piece of chalk over the ground, so each and every move of the bike is sketched out onto the sidewalk or street. The chalk holde actually fits bikes with wheels from 12 to 29 inches in diameter, so kids and adults can play with it.

chalktrail 3

A single piece of chalk will last for 1.5 miles of riding, and tight and repeating turns on the blacktop will result in some pretty cool Spirograph-like designs.

chalktrail 2

You can buy the Chalktrail over at Fat Brain Toys for $19.95(USD) including a single piece of non-toxic, washable chalk, or for $26.90 with a refill of 4 extra chalk pieces. In 2013, a special version of the Chalktrail is coming for scooters (as shown in the video below).

[via Icecream (Chinese)]


LEGO Big MaK Mech: I’m Lovin’ It

In the future, when the inevitable and literal fast food wars break out, we’ll all be too fat and unhealthy to fight for our chain of choice – which is why these fast food chains should start developing their own war machines. Here’s a free idea for McDonald’s, courtesy of Sean and Steph Mayo. Behold! The Big MaK!

lego big mak

The husband and wife LEGO enthusiasts made the Big MaK for Bricklink’s Creations for Charity (and it seems it’s already been bought). I hope the Mayos make more food-themed mechs. I imagine the Taco Bell mech will be able to combine with the Doritos mech to form a smaller but tougher robot, the KFC robot will be a robot sandwiched in between two other robots and the Pizza Hut robot will be stuffed with smaller robots.

lego big mak mech by sean and steph mayo

[via Obvious Winner]


Rosko Pom Pom Tank: Coolest Retro Toy Ever?

Most of us weren’t born yet back in the 1950s, but it was definitely a time long before modern remote-controlled electronic playthings. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some cool toys back in the day – like this awesome old-school metal tank I spotted over on Etsy.

rosko pom pom

It’s called the Rosko Pom Pom, and this cold war-era toy tank operates using a wired remote control, which allows it to move forward and backwards and rotate the turret.

rosko pom pom tank 2

The turret even raises and lowers and makes some awesome firing sounds when activated – though the projectiles don’t actually go anywhere. See it in action in the video clip below:

Heck, that’s cooler than some of the R/C toys you can buy today. This rare collectible toy is available over on Etsy for $249.99(USD), and it’s in good condition (though it’s missing a couple of cosmetic components, and the drive mechanism can be a bit finicky). If you buy it now, you’ll also get a set of retro D-cell batteries, though there’s not a chance in hell that they still have a charge.