Active Construction Toys Posts
How To: Make a Lego balisong butterfly knife
Balisong knives, or butterfly knives, are folding pocket knifes with two handles that can counter rotate. People love performing tricks with them because of the balisong butterfly knife's flipping ability. Since knives aren't toys, make your balisong butterfly knife out of Legos. You still might hurt yourself, but not as badly as with the real thing. Learn how to build a Lego balisong butterfly knife by watching this video tutorial.
How To: Build a Lego Mario
The ultimate lego achievement for any Nintendo or Super Maro Bros. fan. Learn how to build Mario out of legos.
How To: Build a Lego Mario mushroom
See how to build the classic 8-bit mushroom from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. out of legos.
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: 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: Build a spy periscope
This video is to show you how to construct a super cool spy gadget! You'll need some toilet paper tubes, tape, scissors, glue and an old CD. Then, just like that you'll be able to make home made spy gear in no time.
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.
How To: Make deadly homemade bolts
In this Hobbies & Toys video tutorial you are going to learn how to make deadly homemade bolts. Take a pencil and remove the ferrule from the end of the pencil. Make sure to pull it off completely so that you expose the flat end. Then take three pieces of electrical tape and tape them on the pencil and on to each other so that they form three wings. Now take a tack pin and with the help of nose pliers and pliers break off the rear end. Apply some hot glue to the ferrule end of the pencil and ...
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: Insane LEGO Replica of World's Most Expensive Car (Working 7 Speed Transmission!)
Sheepo HL's LEGO replica of the Bugatti Veyron is more than just a perfect facsimile, it also runs! It has a fully functional seven-speed gearbox, retracting spoiler, independent suspension, and more. DO NOT miss the videos below. Amazing. Previously, Obsessively Authentic LEGO V-8.
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: Modify your Nerf gun darts
See how to mod your Nerf gun's darts to be a little more painful than they should be. Those darts could either be just the foam they are, or the foam and pushpin they could be.
How To: Make an optical illusion paper toy
Make an amazing paper toy that can take on multiple shapes and appears to turn inside out. This how-to video will show you just how to make this perfect paper puzzle that will amaze anyone.
How To: Make an optical illusion paper cylinder
Learn how to make a paper cylinder that can take on many different shapes.
News: Man Spends 2 Years & 30,000 LEGOs Building Star Wars Ship
Paul Yperman’s Droid Control Ship has been two years in the making, and required a whopping 30,000 LEGO bricks to build. Says Brothers Brick, "Paul’s build differs in the surface textures of the model. He uses tiles and greebling elements in shades of gray to add realistic-looking details, which really enhances the appearance of this amazing creation."
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.
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!
News: Dissecting a Frog With LEGOs
You can almost feel the pain of Dave Kaleta’s outstretched, dissected frog (which is pretty incredible, considering it was constructed with those tiny, plastic bricks we call LEGOs). Kaleta's work of LEGO art was built for the MOCPages MOC Olympics.
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...
How To: Make a simple Knex gun with trigger
These are assembly instructions for a simple Knex gun with trigger
How To: Build a coreless punch shield for boffer combat
Construct your own shield for use in boffer combat! This tutorial shows you how to construct your own large punch shield out of several layers of blue camp foam, a length of PVC for the handle, a measuring tape and some DAP adhesive.
How To: Construct your own set of plastic armor for medieval reenactment
Medieval knights did not have access to plastic, but modern reenactors certainly do! This tutorial shows you how to take a food-grade plastic barrel (at least a quarter inch thick) and turn it into a set of medieval style armor!
How To: Make a short sword with a safe stabbing tip for boffer larping
This tutorial shows you how to make a very safe short sword with a stabbing tip that will pass safety inspection for most games. You'll need filament tape, cloth tape, glues and adhesives, a fiberglass or graphite core and foam coating.
How To: Make a safe boffer arrow out of foam
Add to your boffer larp arsenal with these foam arrows! This tutorial shows you how to make a modular boffer arrow out of three different kinds of foam, a cloth cover, arrowhead shafts, scissors, duct tape and your favorite kind of spray adhesive.
How To: Build a stabbing tip for your boffer LARP sword
Most boffer LARPs insist that you add a safe 'stabbing tip' at the end of your foam sword or dagger. This tutorial shows you how you can make a safe stabbing tip using kevlar and foam, which you add to the core of your sword.
How To: Construct your own replica of a keyblade out of craft foam
If you're looking for how to make the perfect cosplay prop, this tutorial is for you! You can construct your own replica keyblade! You'll need some heavy craft foam to sketch out the keyblade design, and then a sharp craft knife to cut it out. Then cover it and paint!
How To: Make Lal Mirch's goggles from Katekyo Hitman Reborn for cosplay
It's not a real Lal Mirch cosplay costume without the goggles! This tutorial shows you how to make the goggles from one of Katekyo Hitman Reborn characters from cardboard, posterboard and some craft foam. You'll also need some glue, a marking tool, scissors, a utility knife, goggles, headphones, tape and some paint.