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Watch This! Part 8: Super Mario World
This is not a watch or clock design exactly, just a clock face design that can be applied to a clock or watch. And this face design uses the ten Boos that flew in a circular pattern in a Ghost Castle level in Super Mario World (SNES). Filling in the void is a question block and Mario himself.
I want to say that this is an exact screen grab from the game, but I had to finesse the Boos slightly to fit the clock numbers layout. Also I had to raise the question block a bit and push the Yoshi coin to the left. Other than that it’s true to the game.
I was going to make this into a clock for myself (even bought a small wall clock from IKEA), but my printer – which I hate and is the reason I don’t do more papercraft posts – is on the fritz.
However I will share the template with you! Should be fun for a rainy day project. It is 8.5″ x 8.5″ in size, though you might have to re-size depending on the diameter of your clock and/or your printer’s abilities. I marked the center with a green dot, which you’ll need to punch out for the clock hands.
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Another way to go is to make this whole design smaller, making it sit inside the existing numbers of your clock.
Personally I like this design because all the Boos have varying expressions, which gives the clock a lot of personality.
If anyone manages to make this please send me a pic! I’ll post it here. For the rest of the Watch This! series, please click here.
UPDATE: I just bought a couple of these from ArtsCow, will be giving one away on Facebook (thanks for the idea Ashley!):
Washington DC Metro Map – Super Mario 3 Style
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You can purchase a high-res poster of the 2013 Metro here.
The second American city (after San Francisco) to get the geeky map treatment, Washington’s Metro is given the Super Mario 3 treatment. The above version includes the new Silver Line, slated to open this year. Actually this is only the first phase of the Silver line, which is comprised of only 5 stops.
However I did make another version which has the second phase of the Silver Line, which has 6 additional stops. It’s not expected to be completed until 2018. Here it is:
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You can purchase a high-res poster of the 2018 Metro here.
The number of stations (and their names) might change between now and 2018, so while this seems wildly optimistic, I’m just happy to get it out of the way for now. I can revisit it later if needed.
It is by far my busiest map to date; looks like Washington has quite the sprawling rapid transit system. According to Wikipedia it is the second-busiest in North America (after New York).
There are not too many cities left that I can fit into this style; Atlanta, St. Louis, and maybe Chicago are candidates for future maps. We’ll see.
Beware Of Chain Chomp Sign
Once in a while I like to make things people can print, and today I am offering this geek version of a standard “Beware Of Dog” sign. Perfect for the office or home habitat, or anywhere you might feel jokingly territorial.
You can find a few sized for an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of paper after the jump. Read the rest of this entry
Geeky Flash Drives Part 1: N64 Expansion Pak
Ah the good ol’ N64 Expansion Pak. I remember getting this for Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, and not seeing any discernible difference in the game (turns out only the resolution was increased). Since then I’ve developed something of a soft spot for this cartridge-like peripheral, and not just because it proved beneficial for many more games after Rogue Squadron; I just really like the idea of forward-thinking hardware expansion for game consoles, something we haven’t enjoyed too much here in North America.
With that said, I like the idea of enlisting the Expansion Pak to be plugged into many other devices in the form of a USB flash drive. Its signature red grill would not only be embraced by Nintendo fans, but it is pretty stylish too. It belongs on your key chain or lanyard!
One day I’d like to submit this to Makerbot as a case that can fit over an existing USB flash drive — no ETA on when I can go about doing that.
Super Metroid Missile Lamps
The missile upgrades spread throughout Planet Zebes in Super Metroid were encased in a glass dome (well, I think they were glass domes), so I always thought they’d make for a nice display piece. And what better display than a lamp?
It probably wouldn’t be a full-on lamp mind you. Just an ambient light, something that could be used as a night light or just decoration. If it were up to me, they’d be solar-powered and would also have a light sensor to activate when it gets dark.
Also it couldn’t be a life-size replica, otherwise it would be 2-feet tall (they were 1/3 of Samus’ height in the game). Personally I’d like these to be about the size of a coffee mug, so I can leave several throughout my home.
Zelda Doors Help!
My plan was to make a couple of Zelda door posters for people to buy, unfortunately it is very expensive from my current vendor (about $60+ apiece for door sizes). I then saw a few places that sell door posters for as little as $10 – $15 each, so I reached out to them (no response yet).
So if anyone can point me to a place that specializes in door posters, please let me know via email or the comments.
Besides the Ocarina Of Time dungeon door above I’ve also made a boss door from Windwaker. These can be fitted to the standard 60″ x 23″ size or the 60″ x 28″ as seen above (you’d have to punch out a hole for the door handle for the 28″ size).
I feel these would be great for bedroom doors, and maybe a few bosses out there would like this at the workplace.
Wii U Peripheral For Playing DS and 3DS Games
Between the television and the gamepad on the Wii U, the dual screen experience is now akin to that of the DS and 3DS, Nintendo’s acclaimed handhelds. So can we expect a peripheral that would allow people to play their DS/3DS carts on the Wii U?
We’ve already seen two instances of Nintendo releasing a device that would allow a console to play handheld games: The Super Game Boy for the Super Nintendo, and the Game Boy Player for the GameCube.
And looking at the hardware DNA of the Wii U, it is very conceivable that a third device is possible. The Wii U’s GamePad has a touchscreen, camera, microphone, and all the basic controls that would allow for the DS/3DS experience to be played on the console.
The only feature that probably wouldn’t make the leap to the Wii U is the 3D ability of the 3DS. There are glasses-free enabled 3DTVs on the market, but compatibility could be an issue. Seeing as 3D was always an optional feature for the handheld, I don’t think this would be a deal-breaker for consumers.
The allure of having a device that would allow an install base consisting of nearly 174 million handhelds (152 for DS, 22 for 3DS) to play their games on a console would be too great for Nintendo and consumers to ignore. On the fence about the Wii U? A device like this would certainly seal the deal.
It looks like an external device would be warranted as opposed to an adapter or hardware expansion like the aforementioned Super Game Boy and Game Boy Player devices. More than likely a small device that plugs in via USB, unless the DS/3DS handhelds themselves got a firmware update that allowed them to plug-in directly to the Wii U, which is another possibility.
I put together this basic design and named it the “DS U”. Its silhouette is that of the ‘U’ from the Wii U logo, so it could sit beside the console in a complimentary fashion. The ‘U’ opening also prominently displays the game cart label, giving it an old-school cartridge vibe.
Really hope Nintendo does something along these lines, as it would certainly expand the Wii U’s potential.
