Hasta La Gadget!

The modern LEGO brick was patented in 1958 – 54 years ago. I’ve only been around for 28 of those 54 years, and in my lifetime what creative minds and sheer ingenuity can do with LEGOs continues to amaze me. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve seen LEGO bricks join forces with iPods, our favorite Street Fighter II combatants LEGO-fied, a LEGO induction lamp, and much, much more. But astounding as all these are, they pale in comparison to the scope of the auditorium-sized reconstruction of Japan made entirely out of LEGOs.

Constructed during the “Build Up Japan” celebration in March and April, LEGO Japan was first started in six different regions of the country by over 5,000 children, their parents, and LEGO employees. The disparate sections were then moved to Tokyo, where the entire nation was constructed—skyscrapers, pagodas, docks, boats, the whole shabang. Children were even encouraged to construct their vision of a future Japan’s architecture. And as you can see in the photo above, the completed LEGO Japan is of such scale that the human builders look like Evangelions comparatively. The whole thing is just the very definition of breathtaking awe.

Do yourself a solid and check out the whole nest of pictures at the “Build Up Japan” Facebook page.

[via io9 via Spoon & Tamago via My Modern Met]

With over a billion dollars at the box office, The Avengers are having a banner year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted some Avengers themed collectibles for your desk, right? How about some awesome Avengers Matryoshka (Russian stacking dolls)?

This set of Avengers stacking dolls was made by Australian artist Irene Hwang of BoBo Babushka. Each one is hand painted, and the set includes eight stacking Avengers ranging from the 9″ tall Incredible Hulk to the 3/4″ Loki. I know, Loki is a bad guy, but she made him so tiny it’s almost like he’s not even there.

The set also includes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury – complete with tiny eyepatch. The full set is available over on Etsy for $200 (USD), and you can check out more detailed images over on BoBo BaBushka’s Blog. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop for all kinds of other cool Matryoshka, including Kiss, The Flight of the Conchords, The Big Bang Theory, and Reno 911.

If Spock had eight arms he could have done several jobs on the Enterprise bridge at once instead of just being Science officer. This seems like the next logical step in Vulcan evolution anyway. First you master emotions and the mind, then you grow several more arms so that you can work more efficiently.

This plush was made by Karen at SewMuch2Luv. She combined a cephalopod with Spock for a friend of hers. The result is affectionately known as Spocktopus – which was a logical choice. The other choice would obviously have been a cthulhu Sulu, which would have been alright, but not as neat as this one.

[via Neatorama]

Check out this 36″ tall plush Spock. It is a highly logical purchase, despite the fact that he looks awkward being so tall and skinny. So what would you do with a 3-foot-tall Vulcan? I have a few ideas.

If you have a large replica of the Enterprise, you could attach 3 wheels underneath and display this guy on it so that he looks like he is riding an Enterprise big wheel. That would be awesome. You could practice ventriloquism and take this guy to various coffee shops until you get banned from all of them.

It doesn’t matter how you use him. Just make him part of your crew. He’s tall and he’s a stuffed Vulcan. What more do you want? He’s only $65(USD) from Bear and Bird.

[via Nerd Approved]

Ever wanted to create your own glassware? Well, you could learn glassblowing and start from scratch, or you could just grab some old beer and soda bottles and create your own upcycled glasses that way. A recent Kickstarter project aims to make this easy for everyone – and it’s called the Kinkajou.

Named for a tiny South American mammal with big teeth, the Kinkajou is an easy-to-use, compact device which will allow you to make quick work of cutting through bottles of many sizes – turning them into drinking glasses, vases and other vessels.

Designed by Patrick Lehoux, the Kinkajou actually is designed to score bottles in a perfectly straight line, and then you can separate the two sections by pouring alternating hot and cold water over the freshly scored line. Then hit the rough edge that remains with a bit of silicon carbide or aluminum oxide sandpaper, and you have yourself a shiny new drinking glass.

The standard Kinkajou kit is available for ordering over on Kickstarter now, and includes the bottle cutter and a basic finishing kit for $50(USD). For a bit more, you can get into kits which include additional finishing materials or stencils and etching cream for customizing your glasses.