We continue our geek-out over miniature steam locomotives with a look at these scratch-built steam engines by hobbyist Andy Sorenson and his father. We chat with Andy about how these steam locomotives work and the fun of designing their own working model train engines!
Kayte and Norm work with styrene this week to build out a backdrop for sixth-scale toy photography. Specifically, we're going to making a photo-ready approximation of an Imperial wall from Star Wars for use with a K-2SO figure. Follow along as we cut stencils out by hand and then also experiment with the Cricut vinyl cutter to automate some of the processes!
It can seem like there's never a chair around when you need to take a load off, but what if you could simply carry a chair around with you? That's the LEX bionic chair, an exoskeleton project that just blew through its funding goal on Kickstarter. It doesn't require any batteries or complicated electronics. You can take a seat wherever you want. You just have to be comfortable walking around with bionic legs on your butt.
The designers of LEX say it's as easy to put on as a belt. Although, I'd say it's more like putting on three belts. One strap goes around your waist, and then two more fasten around your thighs. The legs fold up to lay flat until you need to sit down, and then it's a simple matter of pulling them up to unlock before sitting down. The entire contraption weighs about a kilogram (2.2 pounds) and has a maximum load of 120 kilograms (264 pounds).
Every week, Adam takes a question from the Tested Premium Member community in the comments section below or on social media (tagged #AskAdamSavage) and answers here. This week, Adam details his top five science-fiction book recommendations!
We take a field trip to the 2018 Summer Steam-up, an annual gathering of hobbyists who build and operate model trains with working steam engines! Tested meets up with two model train builders who walk us through their gas and coal-powered engines.
The build team is down to three but we finish up assembling LEGO Voltron and put the sub-assemblies together to form one kick-ass 80's robot! Thanks for watching this build--what LEGO set would you like to see us take on next?
Darrell's latest project involves the modeling and printing of a custom Wonder Woman Tiara for cosplay! Darrell walks us through his process adapting the model with some unique design elements and the trials and tribulations of smoothing out and finishing the 3D print to meet his satisfaction.
This week, we experiment with etching anodized aluminum on our Universal Laser Systems laser cutter! Sean uses this to make a replica of a small hand prop seen the most recent season of Westworld. (Don't worry, no spoilers here!)
LEGO Voltron may have two arms and two legs, but we're quickly finding out that the builds for each of these lions are unique. We show off the differences between the sub-builds before moving onto the fifth and final lion that makes up the torso. And for those of us unfamiliar with Voltron, we talk through the history of this beloved show and other 80s-era cartoons!