Active Construction Toys Posts
Star Wars: A New Hope LEGO Chess Set
WonderHowTo World LEGO People points us to an amazing chess set made with LEGO Star Wars characters.
News: Star Wars Foosball Table Made Entirely of LEGOs
An incredible LEGO feat: the Rebel vs. Empire Star Wars LEGO Foosball table. Built entirely, in and out, of LEGOs.
How To: Make a simple fully automatic rubber band gun
This is an instructional video showing how to build, load and fire the "Simple Fully Automatic Rubber Band Gun 2 (wooden)".
How To: Make a homemade stirling engine
Are you looking to build a cool home science experiement? Why not try out a Stirling engine? Wait, what IS a stirling engine? Well... a Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas, the working fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work. This project was made from parts around the house and you should be able to do the same. This is a great project to explain how gears work,...
On EBAY: Mario Mania + LEGOs = Ultimate Fanboy Idol
To Mario enthusiasts everywhere: Mario mania has been lovingly expressed all over the web for some time now (including How-To). The most recent accomplishment brings together two classic favorites: Mario plus LEGOs.
How To: Build a Lego motor car
You can build almost everything out of LEGOS. They are versatile and fun toys and great learning tools. In this video, learn how to build a motor car out of LEGOS.
How To: Turn 2 Disposable Lighters into a Lightercycle (English Instructions)
Here's the English language How-To for constructing a Lightercycle using 2 cigarette lighters. Original article courtesy of WonderHowTo user rmansur.
How To: Make a gas burner from a lighter
Check out this video to learn how to make a gas burner from a purple lighter. It's only 9 cents to make.
How To: Make your own slingshot from easy to find materials
Can you feel your inner Dennis the Menace trying to get out? Trying to recreate the early 90s bad boy Bart Simpson look? Watch these videos to learn how to make yourself a slingshot. This slingshot is made from materials that are probably laying around your house, but you will need some power tools.
How To: Make an easy switch blade knife
This is an easy to follow step by step video explaining how to make a switch blade out of easy to find objects. This is not a real knife but still has the function of a switchblade.
How To: Make an Internally Lit Ice Sculpture with LED Lights
Why not make the best of an icy cold winter day and make something even cooler? In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a natural ice sculpture in your yard and light it up with LED lights for a cool, nighttime effect. You will definitely have the best house on the block once you start lighting up your ice, so check this video out and get started! This project is super quick and cheap to create, too!
How To: Make a Vacuum Table to Create Fun Plastic Objects
In this tutorial, learn how to make a vacuum table that you can use to make plastic objects. You will learn how to build this type of surface and create anything you may need to replace - for example, if you lose the cover of your cell phone - don't spend a ton getting a new one- just make your own!
How To: Make a Bridge Out of Popsicle Sticks
Do you have free time? Then build your own bridge out of Popsicle sticks. Bre Pettis goes over the basics of building bridges. As a bonus, you get to watch other people stand on their own bridges and break them.
How To: Make LARP-safe werewolf claws or monster claws
This tutorial shows you how you create a boffer larp safe pair of werewolf claws. Start with some basic heavy gloves, like gardening gloves, then cut out your claws from foam (at least three inches long!), and then follow along with the tutorial to end up with your own awesome monster claws!
How To: Modify a Nerf Firefly toy gun
In this Hobbies & Toys video tutorial you will learn how to modify a Nerf Firefly toy gun by replacing the barrels with CPVC and adding a new spring. You start with the power blaster and open it up. Remove the turret by removing other parts as shown in the video. Remove the screws from the turret and pull it apart. Cut off one side of the front end of the turret. Now cut 8 x 3” CPVC barrels, wrap black tape around one end and ram them into the back of the turret. Then pull out the plunger, ...
How To: Hack a VHS tape into a toy pinball machine
For about a buck, you can make a fun Mini-Pinball machine out of a VHS, just follow the steps in this how-to video. This is a great toy for kids, or anyone that wants to make a cheap version of the arcade favorite. Bring the VHS pinball machine into the car to stay entertained during long car rides. Watch this video gaming tutorial and learn how to convert a VHS tape into a toy pinball machine.
How To: Build a hover board from scratch
Build a hover board (or hover craft) from scratch. Check out www.jasonbradbury.com, the creator's blog.
How To: Build a looping rolling marble machine with magnetic elevator
Wow! No longer do you have to buy those huge marble machine roller coaster toys — you can DIY one! This video covers the materials, tools and techniques used to make a homemade rolling ball marble machine. If you haven't seen this rolling ball marble machine toy in action yet, WATCH IT. It's a looping rolling marble machine made with wood, rebar tie wire and polyurethane tubing, featuring a magnetic elevator.
News: How to Make Tinfoil Cars
In this video, I show you how to build tinfoil cars for crushing with toy Monster Trucks. My son Eston and I love monster trucks. One of the most exciting things when you go to see monster trucks live, is when they crush cars. Problem is, when you use your hot wheels or matchbox cars with your monster trucks, they don’t get smashed. So the realism isn’t there.
How To: Make a high-powered Nerf Rifle
This is a pretty brief tutorial on how to make your own Nerf Gun. This gun is air-powered and can shoot almost 200 feet. So, why buy manufactured Nerf Guns when you can build your own?
How To: Create a ship in a bottle
The ship in a bottle is an age old puzzle. The key to its mystery is pre-assembly, attention to detail and patience. Learn from a master craftsman and bottle ship builder the ins & outs of this art. Follow these step by step instructions on how to put a ship inside of a bottle.
How To: Make a paperclip bow
Want to make bows and arrows with paperclips, tape, a rubber band, and some Q-Tips?
How To: Make an automatic Lego crossbow
This video tutorial shows how to assemble an automatic Lego crossbow. Learn how to build and operate an automatic toy crossbow made out of Lego bricks.
How To: Make your own copy of the Necronomicon
If you're a fan of either H.P. Lovecract or Sam Raimi, you'll appreciate this tutorial which shows you how to construct your own prop copy of the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead which features quite prominently in stories of eldritch horror.
How To: Build a Hovercraft with Plywood and a Leaf Blower
This tutorial video will show you how to build a hovercraft using plywood, a leaf blower, and various other materials. This hovercraft works best on a smooth, flat surface.
News: Magnets, Sticks, and Sugru Combine to Make an Awesome DIY Construction Toy
With just sticks, some magnets, and a bit of Sugru, you too can be the proud owner of an awesome set of magnetic construction toys! The idea is very straightforward. Simply bond magnets onto the tips of thin sticks using Sugru, but the results look like a whole lot of fun.
How To: The Dark Knight's Bat and Tumbler Vehicles Come to Life with LEGOs
If you've finished building your Curiosity rover and are wondering, now what? Perhaps it's time to move onto something a bit more... mobile?
How To: NASA Engineer Shows You How to Build a Mini Curiosity Mars Rover Out of LEGOs
You might have seen our post on this last week: It's a working reproduction of the Mars Curiosity Rover made with LEGOs, but it's a bit complicated for anyone without a decent amount of robotics knowledge. Plus, you need to have some Mindstorms NXT and TECHNIC parts lying around. If you want something a little simpler than programming a working LEGO rover, you could always build a scaled model of the MSL out of regular LEGOs. Not only is this easy to build and looks great, but the step-by-ste...
News: This LEGO Mindstorms Submersible Can Be Piloted by Your Xbox Controller
Making little robots with a LEGO Mindstorms NXT set is already cool, but putting one underwater? Now that's just crazy. That didn't stop this engineer, who built a LEGO submarine that can not only maneuver around his fish tank, but can also be remotely controlled with his Xbox controller. The craft has a sealed battery compartment, exposed Power Functions motors, and features real-time communication between it and a laptop using a NXTbee wireless module.
News: NASA's Curiosity Just Got Bricked! Working LEGO Mars Rover Ready for Exploration
Using a LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit, a pair of awesome engineers put together this fully functional replica of the Curiosity Mars rover. Not only is it built completely out of LEGOs, it's motorized, programmable, and ready to explore the far reaches of your living room. The rover was built for the Build the Future in Space event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Four of the six wheels are powered, allowing it to make 360 degree turns, and the arm and mast are both fully controllable. The entire con...
News: Full-Sized Mechanical Skeeball Machine Built Entirely Out of K'Nex—And It Works!
If you played with K'Nex as a kid (or still do), you know that it can take a lot of those tiny little pieces to build something. Just imagine how many it must have taken to make this full-sized, fully functional, coin-operated skeeball machine with a mechanical score counter. Instructables user Shadowman39 (aka Kyle) spent an entire year building this masterpiece. It's the same size as the ones you see in arcades, and it's coin operated, too. But don't try to feed it your pennies, it knows th...
News: 3 Million Brick Lego House - Demolished
With many internet/Lego nerds anxiously awaiting the completion of the world's first full size Lego House, Barnaby Gunning Architects and British TV personality, James May, finally unveiled the finished product this past Friday. The house (was) 100% Lego, "including a working toilet, hot shower and a very uncomfortable bed".
How To: Make a thin core boffer sword out of latex
An online class on how to build your own boffer sword! Every combat group is different, so make sure this sword is safe by the rules of your boffer larp. This method goes beyond the simple foam and PVC method and teaches you how to use latex to make an awesome looking sword.
How To: Make a duct tape backpack
Are you a regular backpack user? Do you tire of that generic Jansport look that seems to be all your low backpack-budget will buy you? Do you want to rock something a bit more distinctive without breaking the bank? Do you like duct tape? Then look no further! This 2-part video provides wonderfully detailed instructions for making a full-sized backpack out of only 45 yards of duct tape! A must for the DIY-happy student-about-town.
News: LEGO 1858 Remington .45
Meticulously crafted LEGO replica of a Remington .45, circa the Wild Wild West, 1858. Created by Flickr user Arkov.
How To: Make a rubber band powered car with CD wheels
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a toy car with CD wheels. The materials required for this task are: 2 thread spools, long piece of thing wood, 4 CD's, 2 screws, 2 washers and 2 bolts. Begin by drilling a hole in the spools and 2 holes in the wood. Then place a washer on the screw. Now place the CD on the washer. Then add another washer and secure it by screwing on a bolt. Now put the wheel through the first board of wood. Then put it through the spool and other wood board. N...
News: LEGO x Angry Birds
Kickass collection of Angry Birds LEGO art by Tsang Yiu Keung. Note: Catapult them and they will assuredly shatter into a pile of tiny LEGO bricks, just like the fate of the pigs they're aiming for.
How To: Make a paper crossbow
Learn how to make a paper crossbow with this instructional video. All you need is a couple sheets of paper, tape, large paper clip, scissors and a rubber band. Follow this simple visual demonstration to learn how to make your own. Basically you start off with paper tubes and construct them into your crossbow.
How To: Make a clock with a recylced watch and old CDs
Recycle old CDs into a cool clock. This needs a recycled watch as well. You can salvage the parts to create a working and quite interesting looking clock.
How To: Make a motor from a plastic cup
This is an amazing experiment! Make a motor from a plastic cup. What is needed? Use two empty cola cans, a plastic (paper) cup, a ball-point pen, and more!