Awesome Diy

Brian Leach shows off one of the coolest Meccano builds we’ve ever seen, a fully-functional slot machine built almost entirely from the 1970s metal building toys. More recently, he used the parts to build a Meccano pinball machine.

This kit lets you build a crude pinball machine using just about anything as obstacles. It includes mechanical flippers, as well as copper contacts which can be used to register scoring when connected to an off-the-shelf microcontroller, using a free smartphone app.

(Gross) “So everything’s aged now for a few months…” How To Make Everything recently learned how to pickle, so he decided to make use of his newfound knowledge for science. Watch him find out if one can pickle chicken feet, a sandwich, and more.

The Q’s latest build is a desktop gumball machine, made primarily from cardboard, hot glue, and a pencil. Despite its rudimentary build materials, it’s capable of requiring payment by coin before it will release its chewy reward.

Maker Roberto Correia shows off a neat build – a remote-controlled model tank which was built primarily from 3D-printed parts. He later added a moving gripper arm to its top. It’s based on a design by TimmiClark over on Thingiverse if you want to make your own.

If you ever wanted to know how folks shoot those awesome POV videos of Hot Wheels cars, Adafruit Industries is here to help. In this clip, they show how to 3D print a vehicle that doubles as a case for a GoPro Session camera. Download the STL files here.

Joerg Sprave first shows off how LEGO bricks can become far more nasty by turning them into mouth-blown air darts, then builds a “scientific test device” so he can then fire the projectiles at supersonic speeds with a powerful air compressor.

It’s not quite for ants, but you can fit a couple of TinyCircuits’ DIY arcade machine kit in your hand. It’s easy to assemble – no soldering or special tools needed – and its games are free. You can also watch mp4 video files on it.

We’re not sure if Louis Weisz’s creation is making fun of or simply perpetuating the whole fidget spinner epidemic, but what we do know is that if his goal was to make the most obnoxious fidget spinner that he could, he succeeded.

We’ve seen several impressive DIY fidget spinners, but if you just want a simple and cheap version check out this 1-minute guide by 5-Minute Crafts. They require only common materials like ball bearings, hot glue and modeling clay.

If you’ve ever found how Segways and so-called “hoverboards” stay upright, check out Joop Brokking’s video tutorial, which shows you how to build your own R/C 2-wheeled robot, controlled via Arduino for about $80 total. Full schematics, build details, and code here.

If you ask us, there are already way too many fidget spinners. But if were going to play with one, it would have to be PressTube’s awesome custom build – an oversize brass triple spinner made by melting and molding bullet casings, then quenching them with liquid nitrogen.

Devon of the Make Anything channel shows us a neat trick you can do with a 3D printer. By slicing your model just right, you can make just about any object into a springy, bendy, Slinky-like plaything. Separating the layers looks like a pain, but the finished models are super cool.

We’ve seen a deadly replica of Cloud’s weapon of choice. Here’s a life-size replica that’s less threatening but still backbreaking. ZaziNombies used about 2,000 LEGO pieces to make this 6ft, 8lb replica. Someone teach him how to hold it.

Web developer unt1tled made his own virtual assistant based on Windows’ Cortana. What makes it stand out is that he built an accompanying holographic image by reflecting a custom-made 3D animation from a monitor to three panes of glass.

Exomotive’s Exocet body kit lets you turn a ’90s Mazda Miata into a budget Atom. Choose from a casual, sport or a racing kit with a full roll cage and steel floors. It also has optional wing, windshield and fender mounting kits.

Need an axe but all you have lying around the shop is a hammer? Miller Knives transforms one into the other, through a painstaking process that mostly involves pounding and grinding the hammerhead’s ends until they take on the desired form.

Product design student Ben Meyers and his dad David teamed up to build this amazing wooden chess set which lets them play on a spherical board. Magnets under each space allow the board turned without the pieces falling off.

A unique machine designed solely to produce eerie sounds for horror films. Luthier Tony Duggan-Smith created this combination of strings, rods, magnets, wood, and other found objects so Indie Film Maker could make original sounds instead of turning to a stock library.

Master of making stuff The Q is back with another cool build, though this one is decidedly less complex than his other creations. It’s a tiny, handheld ping pong table, which lets you bounce the ball back and forth between the sides when you can’t find a partner.

Master builder ZaziNombies shows how to make a life-size and wearable replica of Minecraft’s Creeper Head out of LEGO. It measures about 10″ on each side and is made of about 1,100 LEGO pieces, including the TNT hidden inside.

Wielded by samurai (and The Walking Dead’s Michonne), the katana is one of the ultimate bladed weapons. Now learn to make your own mini razor-sharp katana thanks to BrainfooTV, who show us how to craft one with household tools. Take that, strawberry!

JerryRigEverything replicated the transparent glass back mod that he did for the Samsung Galaxy S8, this time on an LG G6. It’s relatively easier to pull off on LG’s flagship phone, but this is still a project that’s best left to the experts.