Category Archives: Toys
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 20: LEGO Desks/Shelves
This puts a new spin on desk drawers or shelves: a small separate reservoir in the front of the drawer that would hold Lego. This adds a colorful decorative touch to your workspace, and provides that satisfying sound of Lego clattering as you open and close the drawer.
Ideal for desks, shelves, and storage organizers. You could use plastic tubs or any drawer that has a window opening in the front. A lid for the reservoir might be helpful too.
Lego would be the best use of these reservoirs, however you could put whatever you want in there: thumb tacs, color markers, gumballs, etc.
For the other IKEA designs click here.
Geeky Flash Drives Part 4: TRON Data Disc
So here are two designs for USB Flash drives based on the TRON Data Disc (TRON Legacy version): the one on the left is a small replica of the disc, with a USB connector that slides out; the one on the right is a more typical USB stick design.
The disc-shaped one is a fun design, but would be more problematic to engineer as an actual product, not to mention a bit cumbersome to use. However I believe it would look cool when plugged into your laptop or computer.
The basic USB stick version is an achievable design both in form and function. The casing is clear plastic, so it would look like the embedded data disc is floating in air.
Both designs feature LED lights which would illuminate when the flash drive is plugged-in. I suppose you could include an on-board battery to make either of these light up on command.
It makes too much sense for a TRON data disc to be used to transfer data! Hopefully something like this becomes a reality one day.
Doctor Who Tardis Blu-Ray Case
This is is an update to one of my popular ideas from a few years ago, the Tardis Blu-Ray Case. This time I did my best to make the Tardis look more like its TV show counterpart. The old design started to bother me a bit, now that I have taken up the show since (which I love).
Still the same basic idea, a Tardis case that would contain a bunch of CD-like Blu-Ray cases. It would feature LED lights for the top light and signs.
This time it would have 2 doors instead of one. Because the main case would be full of Blu-Ray cases most of the time (unless you’re watching a Doctor Who marathon), I thought I’d incorporate an image of the Tardis interior along all the spines of the cases stored inside.
Also I did my best to conceal the door hinges, which are still external so the doors can open wider for the disc cases to have enough clearance for removal. Other than that it is the same old design!
In theory this could hold everything from the first 50 years of the show, something I’m sure many Whovians would like. Maybe the BBC can issue something similar to this one day?
Shark Laser Pointer
This is another instance of when I was shopping for a particular item only to discover it did not exist. Much to my surprise shark-themed laser pointers aren’t available. Now I only have one simple request; and that is to have laser pointers that look like sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!
To be clear this would be for a small handheld laser pointer used for highlighting stuff on the chalkboard or terrorizing your pet cat (and NOT for pointing at flying aircraft). This gadget would fit onto your keychain, and would be operated with a push button. To make it friendly for placing in your pocket I’d make all the fins (or the whole body) out of a flexible rubber.
Another way to go is to have a normal laser pointer that can attach to a plastic toy shark. It would be a decorative item for the desk.
Relevant scene for the youngsters who might not get the joke. Can you believe the film is 16 years old??
Pacific Rim Blu-Ray Case
Pacific Rim is my most anticipated movie of the year. It will hit theaters in July, with the Blu-Ray release sometime in October or November. That said it’s not too early to offer up what I would like to see for a Blu-Ray case: a design based on the giant transport crawler seen in the trailer.
My intent with this design is not to offer a case-and-action-figure combo. It is create a standalone Blu-Ray case that doubles as a stand for a Pacific Rim NECA figure, which would be sold separately. The Gipsy Danger robot you see above is an approximation of NECA’s 7″ figure that is currently available. Not only do you get a cheaper Blu-Ray case, you’d get to adorn it with your giant robot of choice.
The platform has a tray which slides out like a drawer. The tray rests on some wheels which allows it to glide smoothly when opening and closing. All the tank treads are molded plastic, and would have small wheels embedded within; though I’d only like the treads under the tray to have wheels, making this case stationary.
If additional discs (or booklets) are needed this design can be altered to include additional trays, or the existing tray could have a folding flap on top that can hold a few additional discs.
This is the smallest case design I have posted yet. It is rough 5″ x 5″ x 1.5″. That’s roughly four CD cases stacked together.
My favorite thing about this design: the case is really just a display stand, so even after packaged media goes extinct, it would still be useful.
It would be great if NECA and Warner Brothers could enlist some synergy to release something like this (or perhaps a full-fledged case-and-figure combo even). You seldom see that kind collaboration for Blu-Ray releases, in fact I can only think of McFarlane Toys releasing Walking Dead Blu-Ray sets.
Be sure to check out my Gipsy Danger hockey jersey design on my other site.
Odds And Ends
I’ll start things off with a bonus design I’ve been sitting on for a while: A Death Star-themed slurpee (slushee?) cup. It just has a single normal green straw that is held in place by the ‘green blast’ (from a fully-operational Death Star). It’s pretty much your normal dome-covered fountain cup. And now for some other news:
- A person who goes by SHIFT brought a design I made for a LEGO spice rack to life. It looks great! You can find full instructions to make one here. Thanks SHIFT!
- ES Robbins made a prototype chair mat for that NHL ’94 design I made a few weeks back. It looks amazing! The post was updated with the picture. Still trying to figure out the logistics of making it available (requires custom art).
- Ubisoft is offering a Sam Fisher digital watch (as a Collector’s Edition bonus item for Splinter Cell: Blacklist) which looks similar to one I designed a few years back. Very cool. European customers only (sadly).
- 80′s Tees is now offering T-Shirts based on my Direwolves hockey logo design. You can grab one here. Look for more of my T-Shirt designs from them in the near future.
- The Tardis hockey jersey is back this month. Head over to my other blog for details. I’ll also be doing hockey jersey giveaways every so often for my Facebook group, so join up!
And that concludes an interesting few weeks!
