Pacific Rim LEGO Knifehead: LEGOKAIJU

Of all the movies I watched this summer one of the most surprising was Pacific Rim. I went to see this movie mostly because my son wanted to go check it out, and it turned out to be a fantastic movie. The first creature we see the giant robots in the movie fighting is something called a Knifehead.

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It looks like a cross between a swordfish and shark with four arms and legs to me. Now, an enterprising geek has taken a bunch of LEGO bricks to construct his own LEGO Kaiju – and the result is quite impressive. I’m always amazed by the high-quality LEGO recreations that builders are able to make without any sort of instructions.

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The builder of this awesome creature is OliveSeon, who unfortunately gives no details on exactly how this massive work of geek art was created. It’s hard to tell exactly how large this LEGO beast is, but I’m betting some glue was used to hold the finished creation together. How else could it stand up to a beatdown by a Jaeger?

[via Brothers-Brick]

Star Wars Skinny Ties: The Hipsters Strike Back

I must confess something. One of the reasons I work for myself is so I never have to wear a tie to work again. Even if ties can be hip, I just can’t stand having that noose tied around my neck all day. But if I’m ever forced to wear one at a fancy dinner or meeting, I choose these.

star wars ties

What’s cool about these Star Wars-inspired skinny ties is that they’re really quite stylish. Some of the ties offer subtle embellishments of R2-D2 or C-3PO, while others replace polkadots with the Death Star, the Imperial seal, and an exploding Alderaan. I also like the little stormtroopers hidden in the Madras plaid.

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Perhaps the most obviously geeky design is the black tie with Darth Vader on it. This tie means business. Wear it the next time you have serious negotiating to do, and the other party will relent immediately for fear you will use the Force Choke on them.

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There’s no word on when you’ll be able to purchase these ties stateside, but they’re already available in Japan from Kotobukiya for ¥5,040 (~$51 USD) each. I only have one question: why no TIE fighter? That seems like an obvious choice.

R2-D2 Multi-Console Game System Surfaces on Etsy: MOD2-D2

Sure, the PS4 and Xbox One (or “XBone” as we like to call it around here) are coming out in just two months, so the idea of buying an Xbox 360 or PS3 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to someone like me. I always have to be on the bleeding edge, even if there are no games at launch. Still if someone told me that my Xbox 360 and PS3 would be packaged inside of R2-D2, I might make an exception.

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There’s not a whole lot of detail posted about this awesome looking gaming system, except that it’s got both an Xbox 360 and PS3 built in, 500 GB of storage (not sure if that’s per console), a single power supply for both consoles, and internal cooling to make sure they don’t overheat.

This R2-unit also has a 13-inch display built into its flip-up head, and four USB ports in front for connecting controllers – though I only see two. It’s possible that it could be this system, but that one build had a projector built in. Or it’s also possible that Etsy seller Ohhshiney is building these based on Mark Bongo’s Instructable. Either way, it’s a pretty nifty game system for Star Wars junkies.

Best of all, you can actually own this system – if you’ve got about $800(USD) to spare. It’s available over on Etsy now, though it says that they are being made to order, so I’m not sure how quickly the system will be in your hands. I suppose if you wait long enough, somebody will build an R2 unit with a PS4 and an XBone built in. Or maybe a C-3PO with an Fairchild Channel F and a Magnavox Odyssey built in.

Star Trek Transporter Beams Patrons Across the Mall

Star Trek Into Darkness is now available on Blinkbox’s UK-based video streaming service. How did they announce it? In an awesome way of course. They hired illusionist Scott Penrose to fool a crowd in a mall into believing they were seeing a working transporter, straight from the Starship Enterprise.
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The trick made it look like random people were being beamed straight across the room. Some of the bystanders were truly stunned by the illusion. It’s amazing what some people will believe. Everyone knows that you need a pad full of circles to teleport. That and a Scottish engineer. That’s the only way you can really transport stuff. Seriously, it’s a fun illusion, even if it is very obvious how they pulled it off.

They do some pretty great marketing at BlinkBox, don’t you think?

Life-sized Stormtrooper Action Figure: TK-42-Want

Check out this awesome Star Wars toy for rich kids. This life-sized Stormtrooper is coming soon from Gentle Giant. It stands nearly six-feet-tall and is a replica of the original Kenner Stormtrooper toy. It even has the same articulation, so you can pose this thing just like the original.
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It was scanned from a mint-condition 3 3/4″ figure and enlarged to life size. This Stormtrooper also comes with an authentic re-scaled blaster. I only wish that I had room for this amazing figure in my home.

You can pre-order it now for $2,300(USD) and it will ship around Q3 2014. This guy is NOT a little short for a Stormtrooper. He’s just the right size.

[via Nerd Approved]

Disney to Release One Star Wars Film Each Year Starting in 2015: Geeks Rejoice!

As I said before, I’m a big fan of Star Wars – particularly the original three films. I’ve seen the prequels several times too, but they’re not nearly as good as the originals in my opinion. Still, I’m rather excited and anxious at the same time that Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise and will be producing new movies.

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I’m excited because I can’t wait to see the new films but I’m also anxious that Disney could really screw them up. The good news is that the first new film will hit theaters in 2015. The company also promises a new movie set in the Star Wars universe each year from 2015 on.

Disney plans to release a new film trilogy as a follow-up to the original trilogy picking up after the events of Return of the Jedi, with the first film to be directed by J.J. Abrams. There are also plans for a string of original films looking at some of the major characters’ back stories. I’m really looking forward to these – I sure hope the movies turn out good. Though nothing could possibly be as bad as Midichlorians and Jar-Jar Binks.

[via ContactMusic]

Star Trek the Previous Generation: Steampunk Tricorder and Phaser

Given all of the times that the Star Trek crew has traveled to the past in the Holodeck, I’m really surprised that we didn’t see a phaser and tricorder like these ones on the show.
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Flo Svensson’s steampunk Starfleet away team gear is nicely detailed and are gadgets of an age to come that just happen to look like weapons from an age gone by.

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I can already see Data and Picard wearing top hats and monocles, blending in with the locals, in search of an alien who altered the timeline. It’s a good thing LaForge gave them some time-accurate gear so they won’t stand out.

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Maybe Mark Twain will show up. Props to these props.

[via Neatorama]

Chewbacca Actor Gets New Knees and Hopes to Walk Again

I’ll readily admit to liking the Star Wars saga, they are some of my favorite movies (at least the first three).  Though I’m not such a hardcore Star Wars geek that I know all the actors that were in the original trilogy. Specifically, this may be the first time I’ve ever heard the name of the man who actually played Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew.

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As it turns out, the 69-year-old Mayhew lives only a short distance from me in the Fort Worth suburb of Boyd, Texas.

One of things that landed Mayhew the part of playing the Wookiee was the fact that he is 7’3″ tall. Mayhew, who was born in England, suffers from gigantism. In his younger days he was able to play the part of Chewbacca, but as he aged he began to have problems associated with his condition. Reports indicate that the actor recently underwent surgery to have a double knee replacement after having to use a wheelchair for the last two years. He also reportedly had a tendon stretching procedure to help stabilize his legs.

Here’s hoping Peter a speedy and full recovery. Chewie won’t be the same without you!

[via Key103]

Pacific Rim Cake: Jaeger Baker

This awesome Pacific Rim cake has some super nice detail, and features Gipsy Danger outside the Shatterdome and even the Hong Kong skyline in the background.
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This geeky cake was made by The Bunny Baker. The husband and wife team are from the Philippines and have some pretty amazing cakes to their credit. How did they make such a great cake? As they say on their Facebook page, it helps that they thought the movie was freaking awesome. Though I’m betting it has something to do with pastry skills too.

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Which part would you eat first? I think I would pop the head off and eat it first, just because you have to act like a Kaiju when confronted with a Jaeger, right?

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[via When Geeks Wed]

Star Wars Rebel Alliance & Galactic Empire Lollipops: The Sweet Side of the Force

Suck it Rebel Alliance. Suck it Imperial Empire. I mean that in the nicest way possible. As in, each group can now suck on these awesome lollipops. These intergalactic suckers were created by Priscilla Briggs of Designer Lollipop. The Star Wars universe just got sweeter.

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Priscilla has created this neat set of Star Wars-themed Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire insignia lollipops that look too good to eat. You can purchase them from her Etsy store at the link above for $16(USD) for a set of six lollies.

It’s worth looking around in her shop, she has other many great looking lollipops. Even Death Stars, R2-D2s and Stormtroopers. They really look great. I’m not sure how she gets such nice detail. Of course, that’s why she is making candy and I am not.

[via Laughing Squid]