Awesome Miniature

Scott Sloan builds 1:6-scale digital pinball machines that are fully playable. The 3D-printed systems can play many games using Visual Pinball X and are powered by a GMK 5105 mini-computer. They have a 7″ playfield and a 5″ backglass display. Want one? Contact Scott on Facebook. Glen’s Retro Show has a demo video here. Images courtesy of Scott Sloan.

A vacuum engine moves due to air pressure on one side of its piston and a partial vacuum on the other. The simplest example uses a flame on one side of the piston to create these conditions. W&M Levsha shows the process of making a working miniature of this kind of engine using brass, aluminum, and precision machining techniques.

Apparently, it’s not proper etiquette to use your spoon like a shovel. We say screw that. Go all in on the idea with these playful teaspoons that look like miniature shovels. The 4-piece set comes in a stainless or gold finish and in either round or square blade versions. They’re great for digging into desserts.

This wonderfully soothing video provides a close-up look at some of the teensy scale model submarines, boats, and ships floating in the water tanks at Miniatur Wunderland. If you’re ever fortunate enough to be in Hamburg, Germany, you must visit this incredible tiny world.

We can’t think of any practical reason you’d need a car jack that fits in the palm of your hand. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Maker B took the time to craft a 1/5th-scale hydraulic jack from steel, brass, and copper. It not only looks amazing, but the tiny jack is fully functional. Maybe he can use it to change tires on an R/C car.

You can buy very small Bluetooth speakers already, but we’ve never seen one embedded inside a walnut. Penguin DIY nibbled on the nutmeat inside before outfitting the shell with a tiny amplifier and Bluetooth circuits, a minuscule speaker, and a rechargeable battery. We worried he would crack it while drilling holes, but the shell remained intact.

Say what you will about the Tesla Cybertruck; Elon Musk’s chunky and funky electric truck has given us countless memes and fan-built projects to enjoy. ND – Woodworking Art’s metal-framed, wood-covered vehicle is a roughly 1/2-scale replica of the truck. It runs on battery power like the real deal and has room in its bed for his kid’s mini Cyberquad.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can land back on Earth after lifting payloads into space. Project Horizon has now replicated this impressive engineering feat on a much smaller scale. It’s hard enough to keep a model rocket balanced as it launches, let alone being capable of a controlled descent like this. It took 32 test flights to get it right. Onboard footage here.

This miniature replica of a 1980s boombox plays music from your phone via Bluetooth. It has two full-range speakers and a 10-watt amplifier, so don’t expect it to sound massive. While it’s made mostly from plastic, it does have shiny zinc alloy accents and a working AM/FM radio. It’s even got a tiny telescoping antenna, just like the real deal.

Musicians – especially guitarists and bass players – will love these desk organizers that look like miniature guitar amps. Etsy seller Lions Print makes these 3D-printed pencil caddies and dresses them up with logos from popular amplifier makers. They’re available with silver or gold caps and can be personalized, too.

Toy companies have always liked making kids’ versions of adult products. After showing off the 2000s Hit Clips music player, Techmoan got his hands on the Mighty Tiny, a 1960s attempt to make a miniature record player. It required a bit of repair work, but he eventually got it to play some tiny vinyl discs. Ohio Art – of Etch-a-Sketch fame – created the gadget.

While a full-scale version of the Hyperloop is a long way off, engineering teams have created costly scaled-down prototypes of Elon Musk’s envisioned high-speed railway. James from ProjectAir did things on an smaller scale, using off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts with a shop vac to pull a model train along the outside and inside of an acrylic tube.

When Serengy Technology came across a micromotor from a camera, he thought it would be perfect for driving a miniature power tool. He made his mini drill from a hunk of acrylic, which he painstakingly cut and shaped, then outfitted it with the motor, wiring, hearing aid batteries, and a tiny switch.

This palm-sized remote-controlled car is designed for competition-level racing. The tiny SUV has an independent suspension, proportional steering, working lights, and an optional roof-mounted camera for a first-person perspective. It runs for up to 60 minutes per charge without the camera, and 30 minutes with it running.

This miniature milk crate is inspired by the ones used to store and organize vinyl records. Fred designed this one for your desktop to hold pens, pencils, and note cards. The laser-cut wood crate comes flat-packed for assembly and includes 64 vinyl-inspired note cards. Measures 3.4″ x 3.6″ x 3″ – the perfect size for sticky notes.

Robotime’s wood kit gives you everything you need to build your own working mini-pinball machine. Its 482 pieces come together to form a circus-themed machine with a plunger, bumpers, and flippers. The playfield and backbox have built-in lighting, and it also plays sounds. Save $40 for a limited time with code PINBALL40.

From the “just because it can be done doesn’t mean it should be done” file comes this fully-functional washing machine that’s not even big enough to hold a single sock. But this is the internet, and Inventus thought he’d show off by building a tiny appliance using Coca-Cola cans, straws, popsicle sticks, and a USB-powered motor.

Looking for a great gift for a mechanic or a woodworker? The Busted Knuckle Garage makes this awesome desk organizer that looks like a miniature rolling toolbox. Each is made in the USA from heavy-duty steel with a hinged lid, tiny casters, and a bright red powder coat finish. Measures 9.25″ L x 4.25″ W x 5 H”.

Maker W&M Levsha already created the tiniest barbecue we’ve seen. Now, he’s taken his miniaturization skills to the next level by building a tiny chess set that fits within a watch face. He had a bit of help from a laser engraver, but there was still plenty of precision craftsmanship required to pull off the feat.

When it comes to 3D printers, bigger is usually better, so you can print large or multiple objects. But My N Mi went the opposite direction and engineered a 3D printer you might find in a dollhouse. Despite measuring just 18 x 31 x 41 mm, the palm-sized resin printer makes surprisingly good prints. Here’s another tiny print sample.

When it comes to barbecue, we like large meat. But maker W&M Levsha went and built a teensy oven that cooks the tiniest portions of food ever. They used a laser cutter to create the metal structure and skewers, then milled its handles out of a block of wood. We can’t help but think of playing foosball with the chicken, though.

We can’t think of a practical use for a vise you can fit between your fingertips, but that doesn’t make this tiny vise any less impressive. W&M Levsha created the micro tool by milling shapes from a small block of metal, drilling holes for its mechanism, then fitting it together with a teensy threaded rod and handle to make it work.

Maker Maciej Nowak is back with another awesome miniature weapon. This time, he shows how he created a tiny crossbow that’s powered by a spring and a length of skinny sailing rope. The crossbow has an aluminum body for strength and fires skinny projectiles made from wooden skewers and nails.