Hot Construction Toys How-Tos

How To: Modify your Nerf Iron Man Magstrike clip

See how to mod your Nerf Magstrike clip to make it shoot faster and farther then normal. All you need to do is cut the out the x-shaped air restrictors out of the clip to allow more air to shoot into the darts, making them fly faster than ever. Your Nerf gun will be the best on the block.

How To: Take apart a laser pointer

Have you ever had a combination of extreme boredom and an unrelenting curiosity? If so one thing you may have attempted to do is to take apart or "de-engineer" a common office laser pointer. In this online video we are shown how to take apart a cheap laser pointer. It should be noted if you are going to attempt to do this you should only try it on a laser pointer that is inexpensive so your loss will not be great if you should make an error.

How To: Make armor out or Sintra and Rub'n'Buff

Make your own armor with a weathered look out of Sintra (or expanded PVC foam). You'll need a heat gun, a padded cushion, paper towels, rub'n'buff in silver leaf, a knife, a marking pencil, water and a can of spray primer. Trace your piece onto the Sintra, then use the heat gun to shape it. Useful for costumes, Halloween or larps.

How To: Build spinning tops with everyday objects

In this tutorial, we learn how to build spinning tops with everyday objects. You will need: round recyclable plastic lids, skewers, hot glue gun, and washers or pennies. First, take your plastic lid and weight it with a penny, then poke a skewer through the middle of it. After this, you will have a top made out of homemade products! You can use anything that is laying around your home to make a top, no matter what it is. Just make sure you have something to place int he middle and the weight ...

How To: Make a Lego sword

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a LEGO sword. LEGO consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts. This video is very short and only lasts for 35 seconds. It is very basic and easy to follow. This LEGO construction is very simple, fast and easy to do. There are only 3 pieces required to make the LEGO sword. It does not matter what color the pieces are. This video will benefit those viewers who enjoy pl...

How To: Build a LEGO arm chair

Learn how to make a LEGO Armchair with this video tutorial. You will need 4 1x2 flats, 1 2x2 flat, 1 2x2 flat smooth, 2 1x3 chunkies, 1 1x4 flat, 2 2x3 flats, 1 1x2 chunky, 2 curved 2x1 angle bricks, and 3 1x2 flat smooths. Take the four dots and take 1 1x2 flat and place it on top of one of the studs. Take the other flat and do the same. With the 1x4 flat, place it on top of the remaining two black studs. Take your 2 2x3 flats and take the 1x4 with the studs on the top and put them together ...

How To: Make popsicle stick fences

If you've got a tiny farm, you're going to need some tiny fences. Don't shell out your whole allowance for a fancy store bought fence set. Instead make your own fences out of popsicle sticks. This video tutorial demonstrates how to create stalls and stables so your miniature farm animals won't escape.

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...

How To: Make a catapult out of office supplies

Looking for something fun to do with all those office supplies you've been stealing from work? Or maybe you just want to goof around in your cubicle? It's possible that you are an honest, dedicated, hard worker, but whatever the case may be- no judgement, just a video guide to making an office supply catapult.

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,...

How To: Make a fast and easy tennis ball trebuchet

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a fast and easy tennis ball trebuchet. This tool will throw tennis balls easily so you can hit them without having a partner around. This only needs a few pieces of wood and 2x4's along with dumbbells. There isn't a whole lot to this, it's very simple to build. Use two 10 lb dumbbells clamped with a hose clamp onto the top of a 2x4. Use a dowel to go through this, so it will help it rotate. Down at the bottom is the release mechanism and on the sides wil...

How To: Make a small, easy, functional telescope

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a small, easy, functional telescope. First, glue a lens in place with glue underneath a piece of cardboard with a circle cut in it. Then, cut this into a circle and tape it to a paper towel holder. Then, you can wrap this in some paper mache around the cardboard. Then, wait for this to dry and spray paint it with gold and black paint. When finished, you will have a functional telescope ready to go and use! This is cheap and a fun project to make with chi...

How To: Construct a mousetrap car

In this tutorial, we learn how to construct a mouse trap car. You will need: wood, string, wood glue, duct tape, scissors, markers, a mousetrap, wheels, and a drill to do this. To start, you will lift the mousetrap up and tape duct tape around it along with a long stick. Then, tape this to a piece of wood. From here, you will glue together two sticks and then put wheels on the top and bottom of it. Next, you will lay the mousetrap on top of this and then push it. Then it will roll away! You c...

How To: Build a simple mouse trap car

In this tutorial, we learn how to build a simple mouse trap car. To do this, you will need: a ruler, two records, a thin metal rod, and a mousetrap. First, you will lay the ruler down to measure out where you are going to place the records. Next, you will hold these into place by using the metal rod in between the two of them. If it's not secure, use washers and glue to keep it in the proper place. Then, attach the mousetrap to the middle of the rod in between the records. This is it! Now you...

Prev Page