
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wah-Shing Construx
Dinner Plate for the ABS Plastic calorie-free diet:

Smelling of Mildew. Eew.

Reactor Core #1 (drying after cleanse)

Reactor Core #2 (drying after cleanse)

Reactor Core #3 (drying after cleanse)

Smelling of Mildew. Eew.

Reactor Core #1 (drying after cleanse)

Reactor Core #2 (drying after cleanse)

Reactor Core #3 (drying after cleanse)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Packing Strategies, v3
How many #Construx can fit in these 8 cases? Notice the PowerBook G3 is DVORAK, by the way :)

TOP ROW: White Beams & Turntables / 100% Gray Beams / Black & Wheels
MID ROW: Army & Weapons / Nuts & Pods / Engines & Boats (Hi, Mac!)
LAST ROW: Panels / A Nut Case / Wheels & Specials Pieces (smaller, yellow cases)
5,768 pieces sorted by color & size.nothing rattles, they're in there to such tight tolerances. I actually felt air escape upon closing each orange case, and located the small pressure hole drilled into the case. Each case closes effortlessly,so no nasty stretching and compression that can break the occasional fragile or overstretched/overturned pieces. The Gray case was liberated from a DREMEL Tool.
RIP 20 broken beyond belief pieces. Slight cracks may be taped or glue-ed back.

TOP ROW: White Beams & Turntables / 100% Gray Beams / Black & Wheels
MID ROW: Army & Weapons / Nuts & Pods / Engines & Boats (Hi, Mac!)
LAST ROW: Panels / A Nut Case / Wheels & Specials Pieces (smaller, yellow cases)
5,768 pieces sorted by color & size.nothing rattles, they're in there to such tight tolerances. I actually felt air escape upon closing each orange case, and located the small pressure hole drilled into the case. Each case closes effortlessly,so no nasty stretching and compression that can break the occasional fragile or overstretched/overturned pieces. The Gray case was liberated from a DREMEL Tool.
RIP 20 broken beyond belief pieces. Slight cracks may be taped or glue-ed back.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
SOMA Puzzle Cubes
Inventor Piet Hein and his SOMA puzzle cubes were always a bunch of fun to play with, so I recreated them in #Construx. The Seven irregular combinations of 3-4 Cubes form a 3x3x3 cube, and are used to make puzzle figures.

Here the 6 remaining pieces form a double-sized copy of the 3-cube piece. I had to adjust the models so they didn't overlap. The original soma cubes assemble with no gaps because they are simple solid blocks. My frames needed spacers to assemble properly.

Notice the little yellow axles with nuts in the center. They fit the Construx pieces' holes) With these in place, lightly squeezing both sides of the assembly lets you lift it as a whole and turn it on end:

Pretty META, huh?

Here the 6 remaining pieces form a double-sized copy of the 3-cube piece. I had to adjust the models so they didn't overlap. The original soma cubes assemble with no gaps because they are simple solid blocks. My frames needed spacers to assemble properly.

Notice the little yellow axles with nuts in the center. They fit the Construx pieces' holes) With these in place, lightly squeezing both sides of the assembly lets you lift it as a whole and turn it on end:

Pretty META, huh?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Construx Pyramid Ball
Having recently acquired a bunch more Construx for Xmas, I have been building up a storm. Here's my Latest creation, made using several interlocking shapes:

and here it is taken apart:

There is a Flickr Group called Construx Creations with only 2 members. Anyone still enjoying these Fisher-Price construction Toys is encouraged to join. Truly an all ages phenomenon.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Construx Mega Collection
Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron (go ahead, google it)
Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Elements

Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Taken Apart

Light Bulb

Light Bulb Taken Apart

Green Column

Green Column Taken Apart

Small Beam Cube

White Shipping Crate

Beams Big Case #1

Extras Big Case #2

Gears Wheels Pulleys Motors

Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Applies to the #LOST Numbers :)

Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Elements

Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Taken Apart

Light Bulb

Light Bulb Taken Apart

Green Column

Green Column Taken Apart

Small Beam Cube

White Shipping Crate

Beams Big Case #1

Extras Big Case #2

Gears Wheels Pulleys Motors

Rounded Rhombicuboctahedron Applies to the #LOST Numbers :)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
To Build... Construx
The Coolest Building Toy ever. eBay is a godsend. 27 years after Construx debuted, it is still widely available. The pieces, made of ABS Plastic, retain their bright colors and most definately a fun factor.
In addition to making a bad-ass custom Keyboard & Mouse tray, there are many ways to play...
How tightly can one pack them in a box?
Given a random set of pieces, can you connect them?
If so, what is the smallest area you can do it in?
Make a structure that can hold x pounds, arranging the beam's directions to keep the structures intact)
A variant on the egg-drop engineering challenge
Merry Christmas everyone!
In addition to making a bad-ass custom Keyboard & Mouse tray, there are many ways to play...How tightly can one pack them in a box?
Given a random set of pieces, can you connect them?
If so, what is the smallest area you can do it in?
Make a structure that can hold x pounds, arranging the beam's directions to keep the structures intact)
A variant on the egg-drop engineering challenge
Merry Christmas everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)








