The lens was first introduced in 1970 and offers an angle of view of 220º, making it quite wide indeed. Production was started in March of 1972 and it was only available on special order. It was located overseas and it took Tony Hurst and Gray Levett over six months to find one. The lens is in mint condition and uses 12 glass elements in nine groups, and weighs in at a staggering 11.46 pounds! Its minimum focusing distance is 25cm.

You’ll have to spend at least £100,000 (~$160,000 USD) to buy this lens. At least it comes with with a lens cap as well as rugged carrying case for that price.

[via British Journal of Photography]

If you used one of these back in the day, then it’s time to take a step back through time because CB transceivers are back – not for your old radios, but for your iPhones.

Apparently, some folks thought it would be fun to create a microphone in the form of a bulky transceiver so you can use high-tech communications technology with a low-tech device. The Tomko Transceiver for iPhone works just like an old CB radio, with a “push-to-talk” capability during phone calls that mutes the person on the other end of the line. It’s also got a volume control dial on the side, and can be used to control iTunes as well.

Personally, I’m not very fond of phone accessories that have been made almost a hundred times larger than they need to be just for aesthetics or novelty purposes. But if the Tomko Transceiver for iPhone is up your alley, then don’t let me stop you. It’s available from Strapya World for 1,540 JPY (~$19 USD).

[via Oh Gizmo!]

I still think they were a marvel of engineering, and kind of miss the old clicking sound they used to make so you knew another minute had past. A few companies are actually making them again, and if this concept is ever produced, you could be wearing a flip clock on your wrist.

Designed by a guy named Gordon (sorry, I don’t know your last name Gordon, feel free to let us know), the Retro Flip watch is the perfect thing for those of you with retro design sensibilities.

The watch would contain a miniature version of that 1970s flip clock, set into a cylindrical oval watch body with a curved face. While Gordon has offered up the concept in a variety of modern finishes, I personally love the one with the burled wood finish. I would actually buy and wear this watch if it were produced. Though I wouldn’t look forward to “falling back” this week when daylight savings time ends and you have to flip through all of the numbers again to set the watch back one hour.

While I’m not sure of the practicality of manufacturing a flip clock in miniature, show your support for the Flip Clock over at the TokyoFlash Design Blog, and maybe if it gets enough votes, they’ll actually produce it. For now, just look at the pretty pictures.

This 1:1 scale replica helmet is made from fiberglass and resin, and was cast from an original helmet from the classic TV series. It even has lights built into the opening, just like the ones worn by Dirk Benedict, Richard Hatch and that other guy who played Boomer. If you have any doubt how authentic this thing looks, have a look at the original here:

Now to spoil your Halloween plans, this helmet isn’t going to ship until December 2011, so you’re going to have to cool your heels if you want one. And priced at $599 (USD), I’m sure you’re not all going to rush out and buy one anyhow.

But if you’re a super-fan of the original BSG, you might need to head on over to Entertainment Earth and place your pre-order now. Only 500 are being made, so chop-chop. To complete the look, of course, you’ll need to drop another 500 starbucks on a Colonial Viper jacket to go with.

This particular camera was only made until 1977. It has a very cool, iconic design and each camera has been restored so that it looks perfect when you get it out of the box. Photojojo also offers the film you need to shoot all the pics you want. Each of the cameras was made and sold in the 1972 to 1977 range.

The camera uses Impossible Project PX100 instant film or any old SX-70 film you might still have lying around. Each film pack has batteries inside so no batteries are needed. The camera can’t be returned, but they will trade you for a different camera if it doesn’t work when you get it. The restored SX-70 sells for $350 (USD) with a ship date of Mid-October, and film sells for a whopping $22 for eight shots.

Unfortunately it doesn’t actually work, so it’s permanently stuck on “0.7734″ (or “hELL.O” when you flip it over. I’m surprised they didn’t go with “8008135″, which is what most of us guys spelled out on ours when we were kids. And “5H3LL01L”. I suppose you could always just rubber band an actual calculator to the back of your iPhone if you really want one that works. But there’s a working calculator app on the front-side already, right?

This particular case comes from Homade’s “Flashbacks” series, which also includes an equally-fun retro Famicom controller case too. They’re both available over at Strapya World for about $15 (USD) each.

Modder TheGreatSatan recently ripped out the guts of an old PET 2001-N computer, and replaced its innards with a speedy 3.2GHz 6-core AMD Phenom CPU with 16GB of DDR3-1333 RAM. The rejuvenated PET also has a Radeon 6850 1GB graphics card, 64GB SSD drive and a 1TB secondary hard drive. The new machine has been rechristened as the “PET 2011″, which is only appropriate.

Since the PET had a tiny 9″ black and white CRT, there wasn’t much room for a proper display inside the case, so Satan opted for a 7-inch color LCD, plucked from a Kodak digital photo frame. Of course, that tiny display isn’t practical as a primary display, so he hooked up a modern display alongside the PET for getting real work done.

TheGreatSatan spent just $53 on a non-working PET computer over on eBay, but clearly put way more than that into the new hardware and his labor to build it out. You can check out the entire build log over on the Bit-Tech forums.

Now, there’s a 21st century update to Pokapon, simply called Pokapon DX. The new version of the game has the same simple premise of the original, but updates it with digital sound-effects when you’re smashing your opponent on the head. Here, maybe this video clip will help set the record straight:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Or maybe this one:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Why the heck didn’t we have this game here when we were growing up? Go figure. Well at least we have a chance to play Pokapon DX now. Thanks to the guys at Strapya-World, you can get this game shipped all over the world for the low, low price of ¥2080 (appx. $23.70).

Lovingly crafted by modder Daryl Brach, this Cray-1 mod is built primarily out of plywood. Daryl’s version measures in at just 25.6-inches tall, making it a 1/3rd scale model of the original 77-inch tall, 5.5 ton Cray-1. The mini version even has the padded seats around the outside of the computer like the original.

In place of the Cray-1′s 200,000 integrated circuits, 60 miles of wire, and prehistoric computing brains running at a whopping 80MHz, the new version sports a pair of modern PCs in the base, which certainly blow away the computing muscle of the original Cray-1.

Check out the full build log here.

[via bit-tech.net]

This super-8 fan film was made by Rob Hampton and his friends in Cape Cod in 1978. The voices were added 25 years later by some of the original cast. I find the cheap special effects endearing – and at times better than the actual TV show.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Coudal]

I definitely recognize my Speak & Spell, NES controller, Casio calculator watch, Etch-a-Sketch, ViewMaster, Atari joystick and Rubik’s Cube. Heck, I think at some point I possessed every single object on this thing except for the My Little Pony and that creepy little Troll Doll. This awesome design measures 19.7″ x 27.5″ and each one is laser cut from heavy tangerine Cranford board. They look especially great matted and framed, like against the black background shown below:

Unfortunately, cutoutpaper is only offering a limited edition of 20 of these, so you’d better chop-chop on over to Etsy and pony up your $69 if you want one. Last I checked, there were just five left!

[via Design You Trust]

While I don’t get why they decided to make these V.I.N.Cent collectibles blue instead of red, I still think they’re really cool. Something about being inspired by TRON, but that’s a completely different movie, eh? Each one of these vinyl collectible toys is handpainted, measures in at 10-inches tall, and weighs in at appx. 5 pounds. At $129.99 (USD), they’re not cheap, but your memories are worth more than that, right? Want one? Head on over to Sideshow Collectibles and place your order now.

By the way, did you ever notice that the Rescue Toaster in Sealab 2021′s classic All That Jazz episode looks an awful lot like V.I.N.Cent’s long lost cousin? Check it out…

Alex’s series, ALT/1977: We Are Not Time Travelers envisions an alternate 1977 in which he was able to go back with his knowledge of 21st century technology, and market it to the retro-disco set.

I can’t decide which item I like the best, but there’s something about that “Pocket Hi-Fi,” complete with ABBA playing on it that’s pretty priceless. Although the 1977 LapTron 64 looks mighty capable, despite its period-appropriate woodgrain paneling.

Great names on those portable video games too. Pung, Flogger, Place Invaders and Asterisks. All of my favorites – if I lived in a parallel universe, where RCA Videodiscs beat both Betamax and VHS, and the Fairchild Channel F won the console war.

You can check out the full set of Alex’s ALT/1977 illustrations over at Behance.

Created with the help of Legacy Engineering (the guys responsible for the Atari Flashback 2 console), Retro Thing’s new Clear Classic USB Joystick ($29.95 USD) is based on the look of a classic Atari 2600 joystick, but comes in a super cool see-through package. In addition to its default clear mode, the circuit board lights up in a brilliant blue when plugged into your computer’s USB port.

The Classic Clear comes with a CD loaded up with a copy of Stella – the leading Atari 2600 emulator, along with 80 games for your retro enjoyment. And if you know all the proper rocks to dig under, you can load up all of your favorite game ROMs and play them with this classic stick. And since the joystick works just like any other USB joypad, it’ll work with other popular retro emulators such as MAME and MESS.

If you’re into retro gaming, you owe it to yourself to head on over to the Reflex Audio site and place your order for one today.

[via Retro Thing]

Nanotech’s Multipin is a digital pinball simulator, mashed-up with the physical look of a classic pinballer. The game is a full-sized pinball machine that provides electronic renditions of 17 pinball machines in a single cabinet. The system comes loaded with a number of original pinball games, as well as several modern remakes of classic Gottlieb pinball titles from the 1970s and 80s. And if 17 games aren’t enough Nanotech plans on offering upgrade packs with additional tables you can load in later.

Games are played on a large 32-inch 720p high-def LCD monitor that’s set into the playing surface under glass. Multipin not only looks like a pinball cabinet, the game is controlled with all of the classic trappings, a mechanical plunger, clicky flipper buttons, and a realistic audio experience which includes all of the sounds you’d expect to hear coming from a mechanical pinball machine. There are even digital motion sensors in the cabinet that let you nudge and shake the ball around (and eventually tilt the machine if you go too far). There’s also a second LCD screen under the machines backglass that’s used for displaying scores, game graphics, and the occasional mini-game.

Here’s some video from a recent episode of NBC’s TechNow showing off the Multipin in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The best thing about the Multipin? You can buy one for yourself – now. This isn’t vaporware, it’s a real thing. The $6000 (USD) machine is available now over at Hammacher Schlemmer. Sure, you’ll need some seriously deep pockets to buy one, but if you’re a serious pinball addict, you might want to put Multipin on your Christmas list this year.

The seller “mywantlist”, is offering both an original super-rare yellow Computer Space machine (only 1800 made), and one of the slightly less rare green models that came out after the initial popularity of the 1st gen. Both were made by Nutting Associates all the way back in 1971. I especially love the original manual, complete with mention of “Nolan K. Bushnell,Chief Engineer.”

The yellow machine is still functional, although it has a blurry picture. Unfortunately the green monster is only outputting some sounds and a “rolling picture”, so you’ll have to know something about game repair if you really want to get it working again. On the plus side, it’s the two player version, so if you ever get it working, you can take on an opponent.

The yellow one currently has a bid of $2499, but will probably climb over the next couple of days. The green one is only at $1499, so you might want to bid on that one if you’re more of a cheapskate when it comes to your classic arcade systems. While you’re over there, be sure to check out mywantlist’s other auctions, because he’s clearing house on some other rare retro arcade games too.

[via gamovr]

There are tons of APCs floating around the webiverse, but this one I spotted today is my new favorite. Featuring a minimal metal and wood case, and three simple knobs labeled “BLEEP”, “BLOOP and “LOUD”, it’s the perfect addition to any electronic musician’s collection of instruments.

This particular gem was created by Anko over at The Munkey Shop, and can be found on his Etsy shop for just $45 (USD).

This hacked-together Atari 2600 Portable goes by the name “Stella-Tubby” – which does a good job summing up its less than svelte form-factor as a handheld gaming console. Retro-modder Nonogadi built out this portable 2600 with an integrated 5″ LCD screen, as well as built-in joystick and paddle controllers. Plus, it’ll run on a pair of 9-volt batteries if you don’t feel like lugging around an A/C power brick.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Stella-Tubby has found its way all the way from Singapore over to eBay auction block, but is priced at the somewhat astronomical starting bid of $400 bucks – a bit irrational for what amounts to a 30 year old gaming system with a $25 LCD screen embedded into it. Still, you’ve got to give it up to Nongadi for the time and effort it probably took to build this oddity.

Apparently, this Rambo TV Game console came out at some point back in the 1990s. It’s a serious doppelganger for the Atari 2600, and actually claims to have had 208 built-in games. Despite the “2600 compatible” labeling, the photos on the box make me think this was one of those cheap NES/Famicom clone systems from China. And check out those joysticks…

While I certainly don’t remember this system, I did manage to find a brief mention of the Rambo TV console over on the Ultimate Console Database – and the version they show has 2,001 built-in games.

And the one in this YouTube video claims to have a whopping 11,555 built-in games! Of course, they neglected to mention that 11,554 of them suck, and the final one is a knock-off of  E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There’s not much more to say about this rarity, except that anything that combines an Atari 2600 and Sly Stallone is okay in my book.

[photos via Flickr]

LoL Software’s TALKBOX app for the iPhone lets you manipulate sounds with your mouth, creating that classic 1970s guitar wah-wah sound.

You manipulate the tone by changing the shape of your mouth while the sound samples play. Because you need to put the iPhone really close to your mouth to get the effect right, you might look a little silly playing the TALKBOX, but once you perfect the mouth movements, you’ll have a hard time putting it down. Check out the video below for a little Hendrix Star Spangled Banner tribute…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

TALKBOX comes pre-loaded with almost 30 built-in guitar, bass, and funk tracks for you to pair up your voice with. I’m hoping they’ll add the ability to load your own tracks in, but for now you’re limited to the built-in tunes. You can grab a copy over at the iTunes App Store for just 99 cents and rock out!

Just don’t blame me when people think you’re trying to eat your iPhone.