Awesome Mods

Got an old ATV and a moped sitting in your garage? You could take them to the junkyard, or you could do what Meanwhile in the Garage did and turn them into a tank for your kid. Of course, there was much more to it than rearranging parts. Quantum Tech HD boiled down the laborious 6-month project into a 20-minute video.

This handmade weapon combines the shape of a gun with a slingshot mechanism to fire a blade. Sabatkay Project shows us how he made this dangerous contraption that uses a modified kitchen knife as its projectile. Mixing elastic bands and knives seems like a recipe for disaster, so definitely don’t try this at home.

After building a couple of rocket-powered planes, James Whomsley from ProjectAir wanted to see how fast he could make a lightweight foam plane fly. After testing its speed with the off-the-shelf electric motor and upgrading its battery, he reworked its vertical stabilizer, and strapped on a rocket engine that could be triggered mid-flight.

Bicycles and rollerblades work in similar ways, maintaining balance on skinny inline wheels. With that in mind, Jake Carlini ripped the handlebars and other parts off of two bicycles, then installed a bar and snowboard bindings to hold his feet in place. After several major revisions, he came up with a design that sort of works.

LCD screens struggle with contrast because their crystals have to selectively block out a backlight. DIY Perks wanted to see if layering a second LCD panel could improve contrast. He combined parts from two identical displays, depolarized their screens, and upgraded their backlight. It’s a cool hack, but an OLED is still better.

Maker Handy Geng was tired of being unproductive while sitting in traffic, so he got the idea to modify an old minivan and turn it into a gym on wheels. The driver and passengers can all work out at the same time, and the energy they generate powers the van’s drivetrain. Turn on captions.

Hate when people look over your shoulder to see what’s on your screen? While there are privacy filters that can reduce the viewing angle of displays, Hugh Jefferys’ mod prevents others from seeing an iPad Mini’s screen, and only someone wearing polarized glasses can view its contents. It’s a neat idea but a daunting task.

The guys from Grind Hard Plumbing Co. are known for their work turning Barbie Power Wheels and other kid’s vehicles into high-powered playthings for adults. A while back, they outfitted a Dream Camper with a 750cc Kawasaki UTV engine and 4-wheel drivetrain. Now they’ve upgraded it for wintertime with snow tracks.

What could be more fun than a drift trike? A drift trike that’s pulled by the powerful motor of a OneWheel electric skateboard. Cody Hovland had the idea to build such a vehicle with a mechanism that steers and applies throttle with a single controller. Then he headed to a drift track and a corkscrew garage to get the most out of it.

After seeing the video by The Q in which he split the rear wheel of his bicycle in half, Sean Kerr of Bikes and Beards wanted to try the same with a motorcycle. So he and his buddy Craig got to work chopping up the rear wheel of a Honda CBR 250R to replicate the idea. It doesn’t exactly look like the smoothest ride, though.

Land Rover is working on electric versions of its vehicles. But this particular British SUV has driven in the opposite direction. Its builder Frank Rothwell explains how he replaced its internal combustion engine with a steam-powered one. It runs on coal, ignited with wood kindling soaked in diesel fuel, so it’s not exactly eco-friendly.

Matt Thompson loves to build things to make life in and around his house more convenient. Among his many creative inventions is this lawnmower tray which lets him snack, enjoy a cold beverage, and watch the game while cutting the grass. He’s also made a version for his treadmill.

The Halo Infinite Forge lets fans build their own custom game environments. YouTuber Red Nomster spent countless hours using the modding tool to built a level based on Andy’s Room from Toy Story. Not only does it look incredible, but the object scaling makes players feel like they’re the size of an action figure.

If you find yourself at the end of the world, buddy up with Gordo from Earth. He transformed a 2003 International Blue Bird school bus into a mobile workshop. It has solar and generator power, a massive roof rack, beds for four, and a rear deck with a crane for moving gear. Mobile Dwellings takes us on a tour of this awesome rig.

There are lots of cool NERF guns and NERF mods out there, but very few of them actually help with your aim. 3DprintedLife engineered this cutom build which can lock onto targets and track them automatically, reducing the chances of missed shots. The main blaster is based on a kit from CaptainSlug.

The Knight Industries Two Thousand was a modded 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. Retro Recipies wanted to update the design with a modern car, so he took a Tesla Model 3, fitted it with replica Turbo Cast wheels, LED chase lights, a spoiler, and blacked-out trim. It also plays KITT’s voice, and performs a light show to go with.

If you want a loud noisemaker, you could always buy one of those compressed air horns, but if you prefer something that you can reuse over and over, check out HABU’s build – which uses a modded cordless power drill and a small compressor pump to blow air through a pair of horns.

Meanwhile in the Garage took an ordinary gas-powered scooter and transformed it into a three-wheeled vehicle that looks like something from the set of a sci-fi movie. He initially had built a cockpit that kept it as a two-wheeler, but later grafted on the front of an ATV for its final appearance.

We just checked out what is likely the smallest working PS5 console. We now have the opposite – a gargantuan Xbox Series X that’s nearly 7 feet tall. Michael Pick teamed up with ZHC to build and decorate this beast, and yes, it plays games. It’s since been donated to the YMCA Youth and Teen Development Center in Atlanta, GA.

If the past is any indication, Sony will eventually release a smaller PS5. Matt at DIY Perks couldn’t wait, so he got to work stripping down its parts and created his own PS5 Slim. By moving its power supply to an external brick and building a custom copper water-cooling system, he dramatically cut down on its size.

The Razor RSF350 is a pint-size electric motorbike for kids. But with a top speed of 14 mph (9 mph with an adult riding it), it’s not exactly fast. JoelCreates figured it could use a few more horsepower, so he outfitted it with an overpowered battery pack and motor controllers. Then, he put his mini-mini to the test in a drag race.

The greater the ratio between a bicycle’s crankset and rear gear, the faster its wheel turns. Taking that idea to the extreme, Filipo TV cranked up their bike’s top speed by making a huge 102-tooth gear. While it’s crazy fast on a bike stand, the drag caused by weight, air resistance, and friction limit its real-world potential.

In the early days of Netflix, they shipped movies on DVD through the mail. Before that, movies came on VHS tapes from places like Blockbuster. Modder Marina Fujiwara was feeling nostalgic, so she decided to rig up an old VHS tape player to stream Netflix shows when a cassette is inserted into its mechanism.