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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.
Alternatives To Zombie DLC For Shooter Games
pewpewpew! pewpewpew!
I love Zombies as much as the next geek, but it seems just about every major video game is offering a Zombie mode or Zombie DLC. There are other alternatives to Zombies that shooter games can employ to shake things up.
Hands-down my dream DLC would be a recreation of the firefight from the opening scene of T2: Judgment Day. Not only would you have a faction of gun-toting robots, but also giant mech vehicles and laser rifles; all in a post-apocalyptic setting. That’s the kind of DLC that would drive game sales, instead of the other way around!
You don’t even need the Terminator license to make this a reality. Just create a faction of evil robots that players can use for their match games. Team Fortress 2 did something like this recently, for their Mann Vs. Machine mode (though the machines are non-playable). The Battlestar Galactica license would also be ideal in the form of a Cylons vs. Colonial Marines match.
Besides robots you can also enlist aliens to guest-star for DLC. I’m talking about the kind of humans vs. aliens warfare you’d see in District 9 or Battle Los Angeles. Having humanoid aliens that are in scale with humans make them ideal for gameplay balancing, and they are also easier to implement into games as well. If you’d like to take it a step further and use larger aliens (say, the Arachnids from Starship Troopers), that is also d0-able, as long as the odds are even for all players in the game.
Robots and Aliens are the more obvious replacements for Zombies. G.I. Joe Vs. Cobra is something that might do-able for Call of Duty as Activision and Hasbro are in cahoots these days. How about a Planet of the Apes deathmatch featuring simians vs. humans? Maybe an army of time-traveling steampunk warriors? Or those leather-wearing armored-vehicle-driving crazies from the Mad Max films? Maybe a bunch of tattooed/pierced cannibals like those from Doomsday?
Something other than Zombies now and then. Please?
Terminator USB Flash Drive
This USB Flash Drive design is based on the T-800′s chip processor, seen primarily in Terminator 2 Judgement Day. I opted for the intact version of the chip, which can be seen in the special edition version of the film (the scene where Sarah and John remove it from the T-800 to repair him).
This would’ve been more ideal as a memory card for a video game console, but those are going extinct now. So I opted for a basic USB flash drive.
I just noticed I made a mistake with this design: the cover should fold back even more, allowing for the USB plug to have complete clearance for plugging-in — my bad! I was also tempted to add a Cyberdine Systems or Skynet logo, but the chip in the film didn’t have any markings so I kept it authentic, making it look almost like a life-size replica prop.
Official Voltron 8-Bit T-Shirt Design
Update: this T-shirt is now available.
I made this NES-inspired 8-bit Voltron T-shirt design for the good folks at WEP. I’ll update this post when a listing at the Voltron.com store materializes. I hope the Voltron fans out there dig it.
Also check out that hockey jersey I designed for them sometime.
UPDATE: Bonus NES Cartridge mockup!
Geeky Mailbox: Optimus Prime
I designed this mailbox to look like something that could be made in woodworking class (or “Industrial Arts” as I knew it to be called), to help save thousands of poor kids from having to make another napkin holder or birdhouse.
And Optimus Prime would make for a cool mailbox, if I may say so. There are already plenty of mailboxes based on trucks, but they lack that all-important geek D.N.A. (geeketics? Can I coin that?).
If you like this post check out my many Optimus Prime ideas, and this Bugs Bunny lawn ornament.
Environmental Solution: Swing Arm Display Case Shelves
This goes back to an old idea I posted where I proposed a system that would feature plain-packaged food situated behind “gates” that would serve as the colorful signage for the product.
This design is for smaller items like toys and electronics – anything that would be stored on peg display racks. My belief is a simple placard isn’t enough to sell consumers on the product. We are conditioned to seeing the item displayed in a nice colorful package.
So I designed display cases which are mounted in front of goods that are packed in plain cardboard packaging (I’ll elaborate on the cardboard packaging in another post). The cases show off the product and are adorned with product branding and information – they essentially look like packaging you see on peg hooks currently.
The cases swing out of the way, allowing access to the corresponding products behind them:
In order to maximize shelf real estate, the rows would be offset (think building bricks). I found that display cases would hit display cases located directly above, so I offset the rows and added a “swing arm” that would swing the case clear without hitting other cases. Cases on the top row would flip open upwards, some cases on the bottom row would flip down. The cases with swing arms can be plugged into a bracket, holding it open for you while you grab the items off the rack.
The mockup I made is a small sample, in reality this system would fill entire aisles. Larger display cases (like the ones holding Optimus Prime) can be used to showcase multiple products. Smaller cases (holding R2-D2s) are used in the corners or gaps at the edges caused by the offset layout.
This system would help eliminate one-time use plastic packaging in favor of recycling-friendly materials like cardboard.
Cons: Harder to determine stock numbers at a glance, or to see if an item is sold out. Setting up individual displays cases can be time consuming. Consumers would have to inspect the plain packaging info to ensure it corresponds to the item displayed in front.
Pros: More apparent if someone is grabbing an item off the rack – helpful for spotting shoplifters. The aisles would always look presentable (shelves always look full). Reduction in plastic waste. Switching to recyclable materials for the product packaging.
This idea was provoked by a documentary I recently saw called Bag It, which I highly recommend. It’s a sobering look at the impact of plastics on the ecosystem. Companies like Hasbro are starting to phase out plastics in their packaging, which is great news. Maybe we’ll see something like the above design.
Door Peephole Mask Idea
Are you an extroverted geek who is looking for a way to announce to your apartment neighbors CAUTION a GEEK lives here! Well look no further than this DIY idea, where you dress-up the peephole on your front door with a robot. You are essentially turning the peephole into an eye for the robot.
As you can see it works pretty well with R2-D2 here. You could also enlist WALL-E, the NES ROB, an Xbox 360 Kinect, a Portal Turret, Johnny-5, and on and on. Ideally a robot, but you could enlist a monocled human or something of that nature – whatever allows for the peephole to blend in to the image.
If you’d like the R2-D2 template shown above, please read on. Read the rest of this entry
