Hot Hobbies & Toys Posts

How To: Install a 2-speed differential gear box in a RC buggy

In this how-to video, you will learn how to put back a 2 speed central gearbox in your RC vehicle. Take the time to clean your car. Remember that the shorter dog bone goes to the rear and the longer one goes to the front. Slide the dog bone in and make sure that it spins the wheels. Now, raise the dog bones and slide them into the drive cuffs of the central transmission. Once this is done, check by moving the tires to see if the gears are moving. Make sure the box fits into the place provided...

How To: Make the perfect balloon animal swan

Watch this video to learn how to make a swan balloon animal the quick and simple way. Before starting, you need to remember that the key to making the swan correctly is how you construct the neck and the beak. 1. Leave a three or four finger length area of the balloon deflated. 2. With one hand, grab the balloon at the nozzle, and with the other hand, grab the balloon at the base of the swan's neck. 3. When twisting the body, try to make the two bubbles equal in size and place the nozzle in t...

How To: Take apart a laser pointer

Have you ever had a combination of extreme boredom and an unrelenting curiosity? If so one thing you may have attempted to do is to take apart or "de-engineer" a common office laser pointer. In this online video we are shown how to take apart a cheap laser pointer. It should be noted if you are going to attempt to do this you should only try it on a laser pointer that is inexpensive so your loss will not be great if you should make an error.

How To: Make a nut and bolt keychain

Project 4 of the Popular Science 5 Minute Projects with Craftsmen Tools is a Nut-and-Bolt Keychain. Downsize your pocket cargo with a custom-fit keychain. Editor Sean Captain ditches the ring and uses more tool than necessary to trim a small bolt to just the right size for his set of keys. (For a slightly different take on the project, see the site that inspired us: carlitoscontraptions.blogspot.com).

How To: Recycle an Old Light Bulb into a Ship in a Bottle

Learn how to make a ship in the bulb (aka a ship in a bottle). This cool diy hack demonstrates how to recycle an old lightbulb into a "ship in a bottle". Like the traditional ship in the bottle, the ship is first assembled outside of the bottle, then placed inside. Follow this fun how to hack video to learn how to make your own.

How To: Bind to return an unresponsive yo-yo

Everybody had a yo-yo at one point in their life; some when they were just little children, some when they were bored teenagers, some when they found the kid inside of them they never knew of, and even some when they felt retirement was just not very fun. It just goes to show that the yo-yo is not going anywhere anytime soon. Who could ever believe that a toy consisting of two equal disks made of plastic, maybe even wood or metal, with an axle and string could be so damn pleasing, so much dar...

How To: Make a sling shot with a stick and soccer ball

This video demonstrates how to construct a sling shot out of a soccer ball. You will need an old soccer ball or tire tube, a "Y" shaped stick, and a pair of scissors. Slice the soccer ball open to remove the rubber lining. Next, cut two thin strips of the rubber lining. Cut out one hexagon shaped piece of leather from the deflated soccer ball. You can use this for the sling shot pouch. These visual guidelines depict how to use these materials to construct a sturdy slingshot in a matter of min...

How To: Inflate a Ball Without a Pump

Got a flat ball that can't be inflated because your pump is broken? This video tutorial shows a simple technique for how to make your own pump. It's fun and easy to do, and it's a great time- and money-saver. All you need is a pump needle, a balloon, scissors, and a rubber band.

How To: Build a model train village

In this series of hobby videos, you will learn how to create your own model trail village. Our expert will help you to create a styrofoam base for your landscape, then suggest how to add buildings, cars, even sidewalks and roads to your model train layout. Watch this series to learn how to plan tracks and route your trains to create a fantastic world of your own.

How To: Start a Thunder Tiger Ducati TT Nitro RC Bike

These little bikes can be rather fiddly to start, but are fantastic when they are going. This is one way of getting them going. (Of course the bike was playing up for the camera and decided to make life difficult for me, but I still got it going). Now all I have to do is learn how to pilot it. I used 25% nitro fuel (which is a little too "hot" for this bike), but for the next lot of fuel I'll buy will be 16%.

Meet Tanky: The Super Smart DIY Tank Robot That Can Map Its Own Surroundings

There are plenty of tank robots out there, but how many of them can recognize 3D objects and map their environment? Tanky, the tracked mobile robot, can do all that and more while rolling around on his bicycle chain treads. Created as a Master's thesis project, Tanky is made almost entirely of parts you can find at your local hardware store. It was built in two "layers" with the motors, electronics, and batteries on bottom and the processing unit, a laptop, on top. The motors came from cordle...

RoboDoc: A Kid-Friendly DIY Robot That Makes Doctor Visits a Little Less Scary

Remember going to the doctor when you were a kid? If the word 'traumatizing' comes to mind, you'll love the RoboDoc by MarkusB, a robotic doctor that makes checkups a little less scary (and a lot more fun) for kids. It all started when Markus took his 14-month-old daughter for a checkup. The finger clip that the doctor used to check her pulse terrified her, so Markus decided to build a heartbeat monitor just for kids that's much more likely to make them laugh than cry.

News: This Jet-Powered, RC Dragon Can Fly Over 100mph—And It Actually Breathes Fire!

WonderHowTo has seen its fair share of dragon-related projects, from dragon wings, to dragon kites, to less-complicated origami dragons, but we've yet to see anything quite like this. Radio-control plane builder Richard Hamel built this incredible seven-foot-long, fire-breathing dragon using a JetCat P80 turbine and a 50,000 volt stun gun, with a 2.4-gigahertz touchscreen radio controller to fly it.