How To: Build a LEGO pick up truck
In this video, we learn how to build a LEGO pickup truck. First, you will need to lay out all the parts that you need to build the truck. This includes small and large parts that are in gray and white colors, as well as wheels. Start off by building the middle of the car, making room for the wheels to fit in. After this, start to add on the blocks that go on the back and the front to make the headlights and different features on the truck. Add on the block for the windshield, then add on the ...
How To: Construct a basic boffer longsword using a foam noodle
This tutorial shows you a very basic method to create an effective boffer sword using PVC pipe, a foam noodle, duct tape and some open-cell foam for a stabbing-safe tip. You're also shown a good method for constructing the hilt. This is a great tutorial for anyone looking to make a foam sword for their favorite boffer larp!
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.
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...
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: Make a prop sword out of an aluminum bar
This will still hurt if you swing too hard! If you need a realistic looking prop sword, you can follow along with this tutorial to make the prop out of an aluminum bar. You'll need a couple power tools as well, so be careful around them!
How To: Make a quiver full of larp safe foam tipped arrows
This tutorial is a great guide on how you can make a set of safe, foam-tipped arrows. You'll need to start with some hobby arrows, metal washers, wall anchors, a small NERF football, a hot glue gun, glue sticks, measuring tape and a foam golf ball or blue camping foam.
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.
How To: Make a really good paper airplane
This video shows you how to make a very good paper airplane, that will fly in the air for about 10 seconds before it falls. Start by folding your paper in half length-wise, and then at one end fold triangles from the corners into the middle. Then flip your paper over, and fold the same corners in again, so that your paper looks like a taller point. Take the last 3 inches of the point and bend it into the middle of the paper, creating an X out of the folds. Then fold it all in half so that you...
News: 16-Year-Old Builds Wicked LEGO Star Wars Diorama
Paul Yperman, you've got some competition (see previous entry, Star Wars LEGO Droid Ship). 15-year old Sven Junga's LEGO Stargate diorama (including a Daedalus from Stargate Atlantis) is nothing to shrug about. Incredibly impressive.
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 an air vortex cannon
You've seen what a vortex cannon can do, so now it's time to build your own! Okay, this air vortex cannon is not huge, but it's definitely a fun thing to construct if you have some junk plastic laying around, and it works really well for its size. Grab a cheap plastic container and follow along to the video instructions and build yourself a homemade vortex cannon!
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: 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: Make a Tesla vortex
Take a journey to the center of a vortex. A beautiful whirlpool is created by the magnetic coupler inside a tall CD cover, driven by the Tesla CD Turbine on faucet water pressure.
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...
How To: Convert 2D Photos Into 3D Models
The video below demonstrates how you can convert you 2D Photos into 3D Models using 3Defy. You will need to follow these steps:
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.
News: Flying Pegasus Operated with LEGO Gears & Cranks
Korean MOC Pages user Kyoung-bae Na, aka edulyoung, constructed this beautiful LEGO automaton of a winged Pegasus. Maneuvered with a series of mechanical LEGO gears and cranks, watch below as Pegasus "hovers", flapping her wings. Kyoung-bae Na sells his creations out of his e-shop, Studio Amida. The Pegasus automaton was previously going for $140, but is no longer listed; however, there is a clownfish currently available for the lower price of $33.50. The models are so fantastic—it makes one ...
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.
News: 4 Years of Spectacularly Pointless Marble Machines
So very pointless, yet unquestionably spectacular. The best kind of "art" performs no other function than to delight the viewer, and Japanese YouTube user Denha's complex marble machines do just that. But are marble machines art? You can call them that—or toys, scientific contraptions, engineering feats—but however you choose to label them, the best marble machines are complicated, skillfully crafted, and driven by the principles of potential energy, kinetic energy and gravity.
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,...
Character Building: LEGO Kanji
Here at WonderHowTo, we know a good ideogram when we see one! That's why we're so fond of the these LEGO sculptures by Flickr user Empress of Blandings:
How To: Make a Fun, Kid-Friendly Toy Gun from a Hot Glue Gun
Here's a fun little hack you can try at home with your kids. The purpose of this tutorial is to teach you how to make this fun toy gun. It's a very simple and economical project. Tools and Materials:
News: Haunted House in Rotting LEGO
Mike Doyle's latest LEGO house (perhaps even more hauntingly beautiful than the last) is a Victorian mansion that transcends the material so effectively, the plastic reads like real rotting bricks and mortar. Beautiful house-devouring trees, created with LEGO hinge cylinders to mimic the texture of tree bark, and ridged 3 mm hose, droid arms and other technic connectors for the creepy, spindly branches.
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: 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: Create a simple mold to cast a toy duplication
If you have a toy you love SO much, this video will show you how to create a simple mold so you can duplicate it! This simple how-to tells you what you'll need to get cloning today. This video will also tell you what can and can't be cloned.
How To: Make a basic hotwire cutter for cutting foam
Hobbyists from many different hobbies, from model aircraft to tabletop wargaming, all need to cut foam, and that means a hotwire cutter. If you have the DIY bent that goes along with most of these hobbies anyway, check out this video for a guide to making your own simple hotwire cutter for basic foam cutting.
How To: Make a replica Yukki Cross Artemis scythe from Vampire Knight for cosplay
Watch this video for instructions on making the Yukki Cross Artemis scythe from the anime / manga Vampire Knight.
How To: Create a working paper magazine for a Colt pistol
This tutorial shows you how to make a working magazine out of paper for use with a Colt M1911 .45 pistol. You will need many sheets of plain white paper, glue them together and then add some aluminim for reinforcements.
News: Functional LEGO Snow-Eating Beast
The Stilzkin Indrik is a mighty, mini LEGO Russian crawler, capable of lugging heavy loads over snowy terrain: "It has a large contact surface, which prevents it from sinking into the snow. It offers great traction on almost any surface, and loads of torque to get out of tight spots."
How To: Build a motorized gyrocar with a gyroscope and everyday household objects
Build your own miniature gryocar from a toy gyroscope in this fun little project with Kipkay and make it ride on skinny tracks! All you need is a toy gyroscope, a spraypaint canister top to fit the gyroscope assembly, and some assorted parts that you could probably find around the house (or at your local hardware store). Ask your parents for permission first!
News: Apple Engineer Builds Fully-Functional Ancient Computer With LEGOs
Apple software engineer Andrew Carol built a fully-functional replica of the Antikythera Mechanism, the world's oldest known scientific computer. The 2000-year-old analog device was used by the ancient Greeks to predict the year, date, and time of future solar and lunar eclipses accurately to within two hours. Carol put together the 110 gears (made with 1,500 LEGO Technic parts) in just 30 days. See how it works below. For more information, check out Fast Company's interview with Carol.
News: Harry Potter Freak Spends $30,000 Recreating Magical Chess Set With 100,000 LEGOs
It took him a year to build and about $30,000 in parts, but Steve Hassenplug has created a truly magnificent robotic chess set, inspired by the magical chessboard in the first Harry Potter movie. Quite a task, but Hassenplug did an incredible job!
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