Blog Archives
Mario Kart Torsion Pendulum Clock
3 o’clock? More like Luigi o’clock, amiright? Because the hands on the clock look like an ‘L’…okay that joke was funnier in my head.
Anyways, anytime I see one of those fancy torsion pendulum clocks, specifically the orb weights revolving, I am reminded of the Koopa shells spinning around a racer in Mario Kart.
With the shell weights being suspended by a clear plastic (or glass) pillars, it would almost look like they are being self-propelled (I used a clear blue material so you can see them here).
I went with a tire and rim for the main clock, but other Mario Kart imagery could be used instead. One note: the shells wouldn’t spin around in one direction continuously, they’d reverse direction every 15 - 20 seconds - I couldn’t express that in the GIF.
Here’s hoping such a clock could be made. It would be the sort of family heirloom geeks would covet.
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Back To The Future Clock
The last BTTF clock design I posted has been the bane of a few DIYers and countless people who want one but are disappointed to learn it’s only a concept. In all likelihood it’s too complex a design to execute, with all the digital displays and built-in calendar to boot.
However the clock design above is much more simple concept. It would have an LED or two at the base of all the translucent hands (or something like this), causing them to illuminate. As long as the minute hand is also emitting light, this clock will echo the flux capacitor’s appearance.
This could be a wall clock but I would prefer a small desktop clock or something for the bookshelf.
EDIT: my bad, forgot to include something to represent numbers. I would probably have them embossed in the metal casing, similar to the Universal logo on this Blu-Ray case.
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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.
Click To Enlarge
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, they turned out great:
Here is the listing for the watch (only $11). You can use this image for the watch face:
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Watch This! Part 7: WWE Wrestling Belt
Very surprised these aren’t a thing: wrist watches based on wrestling belts. I mean, a watch looks like a tiny belt essentially, so why not? Wrestling belts are also very bling-y, making them perfect for luxury watches (or fake watches that Jabronis can afford). All seems like a no-brainer to me.
Wrestling fans would love these, but you know who else they would be great for? Any group of guys where a current champ is involved, like a fantasy league or office pool (e.g. top salesman); the reigning champ gets to wear the watch!
This design has a flip cover, which would leave the belt face intact, making it look like a small replica. While a flip cover is my personal preference, I would not be opposed to having the watch face or timer embedded into the belt buckle itself.
So many possibilities for this watch type: WWE. WWF, WCW, NWO, heck, even Ted Dibiase’s million dollar belt.
Check out this WWF bed design here. For the rest of the Watch This series, please click here.
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Star Trek Clock
This would be a wall clock or a desk clock. I honestly wouldn’t know how to make this functional besides being a full LCD display. It’s those arrow indicators that might prove to be problematic in a mechanical clock.
For those who don’t know this is based on the medical panel from the original Star Trek series. It’s actually a pretty big monitor on the wall that towers over every patient. I wouldn’t want to replicate its size for this clock.
This reminds me of the Back To The Future alarm clock I designed from a few years back. Lots of information displayed at once (I hope it’s not information overload for some folks).
If you like this gadget you can bug Thinkgeek here. They absolutely love it when people bug them about me.
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Watch This! Part 6: Hot Wheels
It’s been awhile since the last Watch This post, so I thought I’d revisit the series with this Hot Wheels entry. Essentially the wrist strap is comprised of the Hot Wheels orange modular track that was popular in the 70′s and 80′s, and features some miniature cars that traverse said track.
The watch would work if the cars were static, but I think it’s possible to have them loose and affixed to the track, like beads to a thread. A flick of the wrist would have the card race around.
This layout has the cars entering and exiting the watch face, however they could remain outside. You could even have a lone car enclosed in the watch face doing an eternal loop.
Like this idea? Check out this clock or this sign design. Here is the rest of the Watch This series.
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Watch This! Part 5: Watchmen
I know what you’re thinking - this one is pretty darn obvious. A watch based on the Watchmen! And you would be correct. Above is a watch based on the Comedian, with a smiley-face flip cover and a bullet belt for a strap.
Just for a fun I also made a translucent Dr. Manhattan version:
