Hot Hobbies & Toys Posts

News: Full-Sized Mechanical Skeeball Machine Built Entirely Out of K'Nex—And It Works!

If you played with K'Nex as a kid (or still do), you know that it can take a lot of those tiny little pieces to build something. Just imagine how many it must have taken to make this full-sized, fully functional, coin-operated skeeball machine with a mechanical score counter. Instructables user Shadowman39 (aka Kyle) spent an entire year building this masterpiece. It's the same size as the ones you see in arcades, and it's coin operated, too. But don't try to feed it your pennies, it knows th...

How To: Make a Banner for a Lightweight RC Plane

I decided to make a quick banner for my RC plane. It was basically free, but you might need to get a few materials if you don't have them. My plane is a Hobbyzone Champ, which is a hardy but tiny plane, weighing only 1.3 ounces with the battery. My how-to is modeled after this, which is intended for the Super Cub. It is the bigger version of the Champ, weighing a total of 25.2 ounces, which is more than 18 times the weight of Champ. As you can see, I was faced with a problem. How was I going ...

How To: Make a helicopter powered by rubber bands

This is a great little rainy day project you can make for almost no money, or a fun party trick you can use at the next office Christmas party! You will need two disposable drinking cups (stiff plastic or paper will work best), a fairly thick straw, a sturdy paper clip, a thick rubber band, a cocktail stick, a bead and a plastic ring you can get from the neck of a soda bottle. Assemble as shown, and then let it go!

How To: Make a small, easy, functional telescope

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a small, easy, functional telescope. First, glue a lens in place with glue underneath a piece of cardboard with a circle cut in it. Then, cut this into a circle and tape it to a paper towel holder. Then, you can wrap this in some paper mache around the cardboard. Then, wait for this to dry and spray paint it with gold and black paint. When finished, you will have a functional telescope ready to go and use! This is cheap and a fun project to make with chi...

How To: Glue a magnet onto a dummy/pacifier for a reborn doll

In this tutorial, we learn how to glue a magnet onto a dummy/pacifier for a reborn doll. First, gather all the tools you need to do this project. After you have these, remove the teeth from the pacifier. Next, scratch lines using a cutting knife so the glue grabs onto the center better. After this, apply the glue and the magnet, then place it on the dummy and press it there for several seconds until it is firm in the right place. After this, glue the surface of the pacifier onto the baby, the...

How To: Adjust and align the brakes on a Nitro RC car

In this tutorial, we learn how to adjust and align the brakes on a Nitro RC car. It's very important to adjust and align your brakes so your RC car stays in top shape and doesn't get ruined while you are using it. Take the caliper out and see what the strength of it is, if it needs to be tightened, tighten it on both sides. Make sure everything is hooked up to a radio, then look to see if everything is reacting in correct order. When you pull the throttle back, everything should be moving in ...

How To: Build a looping rolling marble machine with magnetic elevator

Wow! No longer do you have to buy those huge marble machine roller coaster toys — you can DIY one! This video covers the materials, tools and techniques used to make a homemade rolling ball marble machine. If you haven't seen this rolling ball marble machine toy in action yet, WATCH IT. It's a looping rolling marble machine made with wood, rebar tie wire and polyurethane tubing, featuring a magnetic elevator.

HowTo: Build a Robot That Will Clean Your House

Cheaper (and perhaps cuter) than a maid, the simple scrub bot is easy and cheap to make: "This state of the art cleaning robot is great at polishing floors and shining glass tables (provided that you soap it up first). It also disperses small particulates evenly across your floor in such a manner that your home may look cleaner than it actually is."

How To: Make bubbles for a miniature bathtub

In order to make bubbles for a miniature bathtub, you will need Amazing Casting Resin, Triple Thick, micro marbles/decorative beads, a dollhouse tub, and a miniature rubber ducky. You can purchase it in hobby stores: e.g. Hobby Lobby. Open it. Mix it well, according to the package. Poor it into the dollhouse tub. Allow the resin to set. It takes about 1 minute.

How To: Clean a hummel figurine

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to clean a Hummel figurine. The materials required for this task are: light fluid or ammonia, warm water soft cloth and a toothbrush. Begin by mixing the fluid into some warm water and dipping the cloth into the water. With the wet cloth, apply it onto the figurines and rub it gently. If you can't remove the stubborn spot, use the toothbrush and clean in a back-and-forth or circular motion. This video will benefit those viewers who collect Hummel figu...

How To: Make a semiautomatic Lego rubber band gun

Semiautomatic fire is practically a necessity for modern firearms. This video features a tutorial on making your own semiautomatic gun, but instead of metal, you will be working in Legos. If you can get past the cheesy music, this is a very cool little gun, and it will allow you to annoy your friends and family with great accuracy.

How To: Tie a Bumblebee knot

In this calming and useful video, JD of the Youtube knot-tying instructional channel Tying It All Together demonstrates the tying of an obscure knot called a Bumblebee knot, for which good instructions are apparently hard to come by. It is a pretty piece of knot-tying indeed.

How To: Make a balloon airplane

FlowerClown demonstrates the art of balloon folding and shows you how to make a basic aeroplane out of a couple of balloons. The balloon aeroplane is a hit among children and and can be used for entertainment purposes at parties, weddings and family events. Just a pop there, a twist here, a turn there, and you have the basic aeroplane all ready to pop into action, it also comes with a long balloon to help pilot this lean mean flying machine. Although don't expect it to bomb the neighbours ann...

How To: Replace the glow plug in your RC Nitro vehicle engine

In this how to video, you will learn how to install and replace the glow plug in your RC car. Glow plugs are used to ignite the fuel in the engine. A glow ignition makes the filament in the plug red hot. To check if the glow plug works, place it on the ignition and check if the filament is bright red. This is very easy, as you just need a 4 way wrench. Slide it in the engine and take the glow plug out by spinning the wrench counter clockwise. Once this is done, place the new glow plug in and ...

How To: Easily make a bridal veil for your doll

This video shows you how to make a bridal veil for your doll. Take some 58 inch wide ivory tulle netting. Assorted floral decorations, scissors, thread and pins. You also need some floral tape, artificial leaves, wire and wire cutters, fancy ribbon, and some white feathers. First, make a floral arrangement with the flowers and leaves tied together with floral tape into a bunch. Wire some leaves and feathers to the outside of it. Cut 18 inches of tulle and leave it folded in half. Gather it at...

How To: Clean dirty coins using multiple methods

Kevin demonstrates multiple methods to clean dirty coins.In the first method he takes some coke in a glass and hangs a dirty coin in it with the help of a string. This coke technique takes a few hours.In another faster technique which takes only 20 to 30 minutes he takes table salt and food vinegar. He takes the table salt and dissolves it in vinegar in a bowl. When most of it is dissolved he drops a dirty coin in it and waits about 20 minutes.Another method is to rub toothpaste on the coin f...

How To: Make a really good paper airplane

This video shows you how to make a very good paper airplane, that will fly in the air for about 10 seconds before it falls. Start by folding your paper in half length-wise, and then at one end fold triangles from the corners into the middle. Then flip your paper over, and fold the same corners in again, so that your paper looks like a taller point. Take the last 3 inches of the point and bend it into the middle of the paper, creating an X out of the folds. Then fold it all in half so that you...

How To: Deal with a flooded Nitro engine on an RC vehicle

Alishan Mao describes how to fix a flooded Nitro Engine on an RC car, remove the excess fuel, and start the engine. Flooding of the engine can occur when priming the engine. If you prime the engine too much, the engine can get flooded, making it difficult to pull the pull start. A simple way to fix this is to remove the glow plug. Cover the top of the engine with cloth or rag and hold it there so that the fuel does not splash all over the place. Pull the pull start several times. The fuel wil...

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 a great RC jump ramp from a box

The video demonstrates how to make a great RC jump ramp free of cost. Firstly for this you have to note that you must learn to control your RC in the air because wrong landings after high jumps can cause severe damage to your RC.To make a great ramp for jumping first take a box, a small box is taken here. The same can be done on a bigger box. Then opening the box cut the lateral upsides of the box. After that just put it down and put a tape at the place it touches the box. A curve as you desi...

How To: Make a homemade squishy stress ball

In this video, they will show you how to make your own homemade stress ball. They show you all the materials that are needed and all the steps that you have to take. You first need a balloon and a to attach it to a funnel. You then fill the funnel with flour and push the flour through the funnel with a pencil. You would then tie the balloon and personalize the stress ball by making it a face. This is how they show you have to make your own stress ball at home.

How To: Make an air vortex cannon

You've seen what a vortex cannon can do, so now it's time to build your own! Okay, this air vortex cannon is not huge, but it's definitely a fun thing to construct if you have some junk plastic laying around, and it works really well for its size. Grab a cheap plastic container and follow along to the video instructions and build yourself a homemade vortex cannon!

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: Hack a VHS tape into a toy pinball machine

For about a buck, you can make a fun Mini-Pinball machine out of a VHS, just follow the steps in this how-to video. This is a great toy for kids, or anyone that wants to make a cheap version of the arcade favorite. Bring the VHS pinball machine into the car to stay entertained during long car rides. Watch this video gaming tutorial and learn how to convert a VHS tape into a toy pinball machine.

How To: Cut an EPP foam UFO Roswell Delta

Watch this instructional model making video for a demonstration on how to use a foam cutter to cut a flying wing delta. The foam UFO Roswell Delta is a durable model. You may need your own set of instructions to complete this model airplane project, but the visual guidelines provide useful tips for building your EPP foam model airplane.