Awesome Leisure

Most remote-controlled airplanes are made from lightweight materials like styrofoam or carbon fiber. Not one to be constrained by norms, maker Peter Sripol and his pals wanted to see if they could build aircraft made almost entirely from food — the ingredient list: puffed rice, barley, tortillas, and caramelized sugar.

The Journey song Don’t Stop Believin’ is a true classic – and it wouldn’t have been anything without Steve Perry’s talents. NetMusic shows off just how good his singing was by stripping away most of the music and allowing us to hear Perry’s isolated vocals. Neil Schon’s guitar solo is also a treat.

Dancer Sandip Brahamin won Romania’s Got Talent’s originality prize for good reason. His dance style is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. His trademark move looks like something from a stop-motion animation as he spins his feet in a circle and shakes his head back and forth like a wind-up toy on speed.

Mondo has outdone themselves with this 1/6-scale figure of MacReady from John Carpenter’s horror masterpiece The Thing. The perfect likeness of Kurt Russell stands ready to torch and blow away Antarctica’s creepiest creatures. The timed edition is on sale through 11.10.23 and includes dog and spider-head monsters, a must-have for any true fan.

This book of Japanese patterns is great for making your own origami sculptures. It’s packed with 200 sheets of 6-inch paper squares printed with intricate designs in shades of blue and white with solid colors on the back. Great for making collages or papier-mâché projects too.

The final song to feature all four Beatles was five decades in the making. Now and Then combines sessions recorded by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr in 1995 with vocals recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s. Thanks to modern audio tech, Lennon’s voice was decoupled from a piano track and enhanced to fit into the track. (Thanks, Rob!)

Mezcal is a unique and multi-faceted spirit with a storied past and a bright future. Distilled to be served neat, on the rocks or in cocktails, sweet and smoky Mezcal Unión Uno is blended from two types of agave Espadin (taking 6-8 years to reach maturity) and Curial (8 to 20 years to maturity).

The latest desk toy from the makers of the Mezmoglobe series offers up a hypnotic illusion that will have you scratching your head. Give its outer helix a spin, and it appears that its metal sphere is floating weightlessly in its center. It’s completely mechanical and uses no magnets or electricity. Choose from black, dark titanium, or silver helix designs.

Inspired by fellow creators munimuni Bekkan and Brick Experiment Channel, LEGO builder Dr. Engine thought making his collection of movable LEGO bridges would be fun. Each of the eight motorized bridge designs works in a different way to provide passage for boats beneath and vehicles on the roadway overhead.

Celebrate your love for comic books with this oversize 54″ x 72″ sherpa blanket, covered with a collage of 72 classic Marvel comic book covers. The silk-touch polyester and fleece blanket will keep you wrapped up and warm in the secure embrace of your favorite superheroes.

Musical mashup genius Bill McClintock created a new musical group called James Against the Machine by combining Rage Against the Machine’s Take the Power Back and James Brown’s Soul Power, with a little Atomic Punk energy from Van Halen tossed in for extra flavor.

Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, Joe Keery, and Jennifer Jason Leigh head up the cast of Fargo’s latest installment. It takes place in 2019 in North Dakota and Minnesota and follows the tale of a seemingly mild-mannered housewife who’s been keeping a big secret about her past. We’re getting some seriously dark Home Alone vibes from this trailer. Drops 11.21.23 on FX.

What’s cooler than a regular katana? One that hides in its handle and extends like a lightsaber. After seeing an example of this awesome collapsible katana design at a convention, Maker David Miao printed a copy of it at home on his Prusa XL 3D printer. He made it look even better by printing it with Fixdry’s tri-color PLA, which gives it a rainbow sheen.

We’ve always enjoyed musician Jared Halley and his multi-track a cappella performances. To celebrate Halloween 2023, Jared performed a fun cover of Bobby Pickett’s spooky classic Monster Mash, with backing vocals and dance moves performed by his 10-year-old son, Noah.

Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail directed Leave the World Behind, a thriller with a typical setup but an atypical outcome. When a family leaves the city for a peaceful getaway, the homeowners return to reveal that strange things are happening all around the country. Based on the 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam, the movie hits Netflix 12.8.23.

What’s the laziest way to grill hot dogs? If you’re Pablo Rochat, you send them there on a Hot Wheels track on a tiny wienermobile. Like any good overengineered solution, he could have grilled 100 hot dogs in the time it took him to set up the track. Turns out this isn’t the first time Pablo played with his wieners.

Playforever makes some of the coolest toy cars you can buy. Their latest creation is the Luft, a wonderful little drop-top inspired by a 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Targa. The 6.9″ long 2-seater features the iconic Targa band and a right-hand driver wearing a shiny helmet. It’s made from ABS plastic and suitable for ages 1+.

Musician Tom Rosenthal’s softly-voiced track All a Bit Too Loud is an emotive commentary on modern life and the sensory overload that all too often clutters our thoughts. For the music video, Tom was transformed into a giant ear by prop maker Jennifer Dingwall.

This metal spider looks like some kind of creepy-crawly robo-arachnid. It’s made from dozens of tiny stainless steel parts and can be assembled or disassembled without glue. The finished model measures about 4.92″ x 4.92″ x 1.38″. They also make a more complicated steel scorpion kit.

After turning Y.M.C.A. into a sad song, Italy’s Melodicka Bros have done the opposite with another song. Please enjoy as they perform an upbeat ska-punk version of Nirvana’s Lithium, bringing a little bit of levity into this otherwise dark and moody track.

What’s the best design for a LEGO vehicle to conquer a difficult off-road obstacle course? LEGO Technic expert Dr. Engine created four very different vehicles and tested them on a tricky course with loose, uneven terrain and a steep slope to see which design was the most capable in challenging conditions.

Next time you offer to make drinks at a friend’s house, bring the bar with you. Jillmo’s bartender bag has padded pockets for carrying liquor bottles, a cocktail shaker, and a full set of bar tools. It’s got a shoulder strap for easy carrying and is made from waterproof materials. Available with or without tools. Booze not included.

The multitalented Jeffrey Wright stars in this comedy about an author who gets pushed by his publisher to make his book “black,” so he doubles down on the request and ends up with a massive hit based on ridiculous stereotypes. Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction looks like Hollywood Shuffle meets The Producers – two of our favorite movies.