Hobbies & Toys: Page 4

In this tutorial, we learn how to do a cute hairstyle on American Girl with medium hair. This is great for a doll that has hair that flips out at the bottom or hair that is curly. First, you will take most of the hair, except for a thin layer of hair on the underneath area. Put a rubber band around this part of the hair, then put a hole with your finger above the band. Flip the hair through this, so the hair is sticking up. Then, curl the hair under and clip it into place on the back to finish...

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a paper mache Helm's Deep. You can make a pretty good one just using paper mache if you don't have the professional materials. Build it on a cardboard surface and then use cut outs from cereal boxes to make the structures and building features. The paper mache will go over the buildings, so you can make different types of structures. You can also use crumpled up news paper to make the terrain so it will maintain its shape. After you put the mache on, it...

In this video, we learn how to do wrapped pigtails on your American Girl doll. First, separate the hair from side to side. Then, take a small section from the front of the hair and put it aside. After this, you will need to comb the hair back into a ponytail and secure with a rubber band. Secure the other side into a ponytail as well, but put all the hair back into it. After this, you will take the front from the other side and wrap it around the ponytail. Clip it into place and then you will...

In this tutorial, we learn how to redo American Girl doll, Mia's, braid. First, you will need to brush out the hair for the doll. After you do this, you will take a little section of the hair from the front and split it into three. Then, take another little section from underneath this and clip it away. From here, you will start to braid the hair, clipping off the sections underneath separately so they don't get mixed together. Then, you will take the rest of the hair and put it into a ponytail...

In this tutorial, we learn how to use foam to make diorama terrain. Foam will make a realistic diorama because it comes in so many different shapes and sizes. You can buy this from hobby shops and even online. To put these together, you will simply use some wood glue. You can easily cut this with a sharp knife, scissors, and anything else that is sharp! You can use a hot wire cutting tool to mold and sculpt the foam as well. You can also use a hot glue gun to connect the pieces of foam...

In this tutorial, we learn how to build a simple mouse trap car. To do this, you will need: a ruler, two records, a thin metal rod, and a mousetrap. First, you will lay the ruler down to measure out where you are going to place the records. Next, you will hold these into place by using the metal rod in between the two of them. If it's not secure, use washers and glue to keep it in the proper place. Then, attach the mousetrap to the middle of the rod in between the records. This is it! Now you...

If you've been working on a LEGO battle scene and need a gnarly chainsaw to complete the esthetic, watch this video. It will teach you how to make in improbably large but really cool custom chainsaw out of spare LEGO bricks.

Have you ever tried making your own remote-controlled water boat, but were missing all the key parts? Well, now you don't need to worry about expensive ingredients, because this video will show you how to make an RC engine boat with useless junk. You just might have some old used crap lying around, collecting dust, so why not put it to use making this awesome toy? You'll need some basic used parts, a plane toy and power supply fans.

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!

Most boffer LARPs insist that you add a safe 'stabbing tip' at the end of your foam sword or dagger. This tutorial shows you how you can make a safe stabbing tip using kevlar and foam, which you add to the core of your sword.

An online class on how to build your own boffer sword! Every combat group is different, so make sure this sword is safe by the rules of your boffer larp. This method goes beyond the simple foam and PVC method and teaches you how to use latex to make an awesome looking sword.

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!

This tutorial shows you how to make spell packets. It's designed for NERO, but many larps use the same rules. All you need is a square of natural fiber cloth (like cotton), some birdseed (or rice or crushed walnut shells or any biodegradable matter) and a rubber band.

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.

Make your own armor with a weathered look out of Sintra (or expanded PVC foam). You'll need a heat gun, a padded cushion, paper towels, rub'n'buff in silver leaf, a knife, a marking pencil, water and a can of spray primer. Trace your piece onto the Sintra, then use the heat gun to shape it. Useful for costumes, Halloween or larps.

This tutorial shows you a very basic method to create an effective boffer sword using PVC pipe, a foam noodle, duct tape and some open-cell foam for a stabbing-safe tip. You're also shown a good method for constructing the hilt. This is a great tutorial for anyone looking to make a foam sword for their favorite boffer larp!

This tutorial shows you how to make a boffer larp safe mace. Get some PVC pipe, a foam noodle you can get at a drug store, and some soft foam for the head. Then cover your pipe with pipe insulation and sheath the weapon in latex.

Working on an RC project, or really anything that involves RC, at some point there's a chance that you will end up breaking your antenna for your receiver. If you're a little lost on how to fix the antenna, have no fear. In this video you will get a tutorial on how to fix various antenna receivers and more!

When getting into RC planes the hardest part is actually putting together the plane itself. But don't just pull the cord to try to start the engine, there are a few steps that you will need to go through first. In this video you will get a full walkthrough of how to prep the plane and then how to actually start a small gas powered RC motor.

If you're just getting into balloon twisting but are looking for something a little more advanced then say, a flower, then check out this awesome video! In it you will get a step-by-step beginners guide on how to create a simple air plane that will impress anyone!