Hot Construction Toys How-Tos
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 homemade spin toy with a button and string
If you've ever found yourself bored and not knowing what to do, this video tutorial might help you out. See how to make a homemade spin toy with a button. Just get out a pair of scissors, a large button, a glue stick, string and a small piece of paper and you can begin building this time consuming button spinner toy, time consuming as in not hard to make, but fun to play with.
How To: Build Halo 3 alien weapons with Legos
If you're into Halo 3 and you're into Legos, why not combine the two? Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build Halo 3 alien weapons with Legos, like the plasma pistol, the plasma rifle, the gravity hammer, and the brute shot.
How To: Build hot air balloon out of a garbage bag
This is a simple and easy tutorial, and anybody can build a hot air balloon out of a garbage bag by following the instructions in it. All one needs is a garbage bag, some stiff industrial wire and fire starter bars. The important thing, according to the author, is to judge how many fire starter bars will be required to make the balloon rise without melting its plastic body. First, two long wires are twisted together in the middle to make an 'X'. A smaller wire is twisted onto the middle of th...
How To: Make sanity reducing creepy Cthulhu tentacles
Now you too can build your own prop of eldritch horror! Guaranteed to induce a SAN check in anyone who sees it, this tutorial shows you how to build a set of flexible Cthulhu tentacles out of one inch furniture foam, half inch furniture foam, steel wire, pantyhose, one inch PVC tubing, epoxy and a jar of latex.
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: 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: 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 your own Brown Jenkin from H.P. Lovecraft's stories
This tutorial shows you how you can make a stop motion puppet modeled after Brown Jenkin, the eldritch horror that features in in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. Brown Jenkin is a rat familiar with a human face, and this video shows you how to pull off this incredily creepy character.
How To: Build a bionicle switchblade
In this video, we learn how to build a bionicle switchblade. Start with the piece of the blade that has holes inside of it. Then, start to connect the edges and the other pieces that go inside of it. Grab the piece for the blade, then lock it into place by attaching the elbow pieces that connect around it. Once you have connected these together, you will have one entire piece with the blade on the very edge of it. The end of it should be bendy, so grab a rubber band that is thick and wrap it ...
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: 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: Use heat-shrink tubing, shoelaces or urethane belts for pulley systems
Have a cool mechanical project or tool that uses a pulley system as the main means of working? What are some ways to get the pulleys moving? There's multiple possibilities that are easy on the wallet, including things like heat-shrink tubing, shoelaces and urethane belts. They all make great pulley belts. A good pulley belt material is one that will have a lot of surface contact with the pulley.
How To: Modify a Nerf Longshot CS-6 gun
Nerf guns are a great way to battle without inflicting serious injury. This video tutorial shows you how to modify a Nerf Longshot CS-6 by adding an angel breech and altering the clip to accept stefan bullets. This instructional also shows how to add gun spring reinforcements to insure the weapon operates well under the increased force. Finally, you'll learn how to integrate the front gun and link the trigger to the main Longshot spring mechanism for added fire power.
How To: Build a simple K'Nex quad
This is a video tutorial on how to assemble K'Nex quad or ATV vehicle. He gives you the list of different Knex parts you need with quantities. This is a simple assembly, with a time lapse of how to put each piece together.
How To: Make a DVD or CD holder from old records
Use old vinyl plates to craft this retro DVD or CD case rack.
How To: Make a mold for a Cthulhu cameo out of silicone
Make a charm that will show off your Mythos Lore! This tutorial shows you how to make a silicone mold for a Cthulhu cameo. All you need is some silicone putty and a good idea for the charm or cameo you want to make.
How To: Build an eco-friendly birdhouse
This video tutorial is a step by step guide to building an eco-friendly birdhouse. These easy materials are things that you already have sitting around the house. This mini carpentry project is a fun way to spend an afternoon, and will provide more hours of bird-watching fun in the future. Watch this instructional video and learn how to build an ecological birdhouse out of recycled materials.
How To: Turn a 5MW laser into a 100MW laser
Tired of that dinky little 5MW laser? Turn the power up and convert your 5MW laser into a 100MW laser? A small amount of modification can produce a significantly stronger light coming out of your laser. You will need a small screwdriver (such as a jeweler's screwdriver), needle nose pliers, a soldering iron and some bonding glue to do this properly. This video tutorial will show you exactly how to turn your 5MW laser into a 100MW laser.
How To: Make your own mylar balloon
Mylar balloons are the best party favors. They are big and shiny and last longer than normal latex balloons. In this tutorial, learn how to make a mylar balloon at home, from scratch. Stop spending so much money at the party store, and next time you have a big event, make your own! Not only will you save money, but it will give your party a cool personal touch.
How To: Replace the blade of a utility knife
This is an instructional video featuring Doug Prime, founder of the Future Engineers Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This is an instructional on utility knives that are used to cut foam board and cardboard. The blade replacement is integral to this craft or hobby tool's maintenance.
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 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 lego Pikachu
This is a lego tutorial on how to make the #1 most recognized Pokemon of all time, Pikachu!
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: 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 boffer weapons using the latex methods
Want to go beyond the basics of larp weapon making? This tutorial shows you how to use latex and foam to make any sort of larp weapon you can imagine, from a sword to a spear to even a mace or halberd.
How To: Make a basic rubber band car
To make a rubber band car you will need one sheet of card stock, four paper clips, two binder clips, one plastic straw, 8 inches of dowel that fits into the straw, two pencils and one rubber band. You will also need four CDs or round pies of cardboard, tape, a ruler and a marking pen. First, unfold the paper clips. Then fold the card stock and attach the paper clips. Cut squares out of the card stock. Then, cut the straw. Attach it to the card stock. Affix the pencils to the card stock with h...
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: 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 steamboat with copper, a candle, & a bottle
First, cut a plastic bottle down the middle the long way. Next, put a little candle in one of the halves.
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...
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: Construct a working LEGO miniature soda machine
Even LEGO people get thirsty, and what better to quench the thirst than a nice cool can of soda pop? And what's the perfect way to get that cola to your LEGO men quickly? A LEGO soda machine! And believe it or not, this soda dispenser actually dispenses miniature soda cans! Watch and learn how to build this working LEGO soda machine, inspired by otlego's version.
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: Pot mod a green laser
Put the newspaper down on a work surface. Pick up the 5 MW green laser pen and unscrew the battery cap. Remove the batteries and put them and the battery cap aside.
How To: Build a couch with Legos
What's a house model if you don't have a couch in the living room, right? Where would the minifigures sit to watch TV? Can't be on the floor! In this video you will get a quick glimpse of the different bricks that you will need to complete the model as well as a detailed tutorial on the construction process all the way into a finished couch!
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!
How To: Make a Lego minigun
This is a Hobbies and Toys video tutorial where you will learn how to make a LEGO mini gun. For making this toy, you will need the LEGO mini gun kit. The mini gun consists of eight parts. Probably the pieces do not have names. So, the kid who is demonstrating in this video keeps referring all the parts as pieces. You first take the long grey piece and put a small light grey piece on top and push all the way down. Then you take another similar piece and fix it at the top and leave it aside. Th...
How To: Make a larp shield out of foam and cardboard
This tutorial shows you how to make a fun boffer shield out of foam and cardboard. You'll need four pieces of corrugated cardboard cut into 18 inch diameter circles, a craft razor, spray adhesive and paint.
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