Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

The brainchild of imaginative LEGO builder Yoshihito Isogawa, this is the Creepy Vehicle, assembled entirely out of LEGO and LEGO Technic pieces. The vehicle rolls forward thanks to a LEGO Power Functions motor, constantly opening and closing its toothed aperture in the process.

Board games: some people take them a lot more seriously than other people. And for those hardcore board gamers, the WS Game Company has created this Giant Wall Edition of Risk. And giant it is, with a framed board that measures 56″ x 42″ and weighs a very respectable 36-pounds.

Inspired by Todd McLellan’s Things Come Apart object breakdown photography series, Kevin of Etsy shop FEIPPO carefully disassembles smartphones of yesteryear and frames all the pieces for display as wall art. I say smartphones, but he also has some classic Nokia brick phones available as well, which I’m surprised he was able to tear down at all based on how well they were assembled in the first place.

Because who doesn’t like pretending they’re a weekend paleontologist, purveyor of eccentric home and garden decor Design Toscano has created these giant dinosaur bone lawn sculptures. I can already imagine myself brushing some dirt off in front of guests and telling them I unearthed it this morning.

Designed by drinkware manufacturer Viski, the Rocket Cocktail Shaker (affiliate link) is a 24-ounce stainless steel drink shaker in the form of a retro rocket. I can already see myself holding a highly-anticipated countdown to happy hour.

You’re looking at a series of old hand saws that have been cut into various scenes of rural living (plus Bigfoot). Cindy Chinn (aka thesawlady) of Chester, Nebraska hand cuts these using a plasma torch. Note to self: buy yourself a plasma torch, you deserve it.

Across console generations, Xbox controllers have always used AA batteries instead of a built-in rechargeable one. It has its pros and cons, but Otterbox has found a solution that combines the best of both worlds. The company’s Xbox Battery Pack gives you two rechargeable packs that you can hot-swap.

Created using Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa woodblock print, this is a cat scratcher in a 3D form of the masterpiece. Released by the Cat Club division of Japanese lifestyle brand Felissimo, the scratcher sells for around $90.

You can find dozens of tutorials and tips on how to solve a puzzle cube, but a company called Heykube figured out a way to build the guide into the cube itself. The eponymous toy has LEDs at the center of each side.

Presumably, because its previously released time-traveling DeLorean playset sold like hotcakes (and how could it not?), Playmobil is releasing another set, this time in the form of Marty McFly’s often overlooked pickup truck (affiliate link). I’ve already bought two – one for playing with and one for keeping mint in its packaging.

Prolific designer toymaker Fools Paradise is releasing a beastly figure that sees a rugby player wearing parts of the RX-78-2 Gundam as protective gear. The figure is called Lowfool Steel of League Team 01-GD. Yep, the toymakers are saying it’s for a robot rugby league, despite the face mask.

Aliens: I want to believe they’re out there. And it’s easy because I’ve had direct contact with them on numerous occasions. But enough about the government refusing to take my calls anymore, this is the Crash Landing Flying Saucer Alien Spacecraft Statue available exclusively from purveyor of questionable home and garden decor Design Toscano.

PC builders have toyed with incorporating entire consoles into PC cases before – Origin even made some – but the folks at Modding Cafe came up with something that’s truly a sight to behold. The Vietnamese builders made a custom ITX build that watercools both a PC and a PS5.

Someone at Walmart slipped up, and Christmas has come early for toy collectors. A few lucky shoppers were able to grab what appears to be a 2021 reissue of the Turbo Man action figure from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic holiday movie Jingle All the Way, in which the action star plays a dad who goes to great lengths to obtain the fictional (and shortly real) toy for his son.

Created by mother Nadia Lahrichi along with daughter and son team Veronique and Kamil, Food Crayons are edible, food seasoning sticks designed to be shaved onto dishes to add flavor. They sure bring back memories of kindergarten, don’t they?

Sure Old MacDonald had a farm, but did he have an Autonomous Weeder robot from Carbon Robotics? I think not. E-I-E-I-O indeed! The Autonomous Weeder, designed to kill weeds without harming the soil or water, scans the ground with its 12-camera array, identifies weeds via onboard AI, then kills them with high-powered carbon dioxide lasers.