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Gryphon Ornithopters
At MAKE Labs we built a squadron of balsa-and-tissue ornithopters for William Gurstelle’s how-to article in MAKE Volume 08. The trickiest part was bending the tiny wire crank that flaps the wings in time. Even with Bill’s clear instructions, that little wire was trial-and-error. This kit spares you that error. The pre-bent crank and laser-cut […]
Toys & Games: balsa, Games, ornithopter, planes, stick and tissue, toys
Drum Kit Kit
Turn anything into a drum set with your Arduino and this simple kit. Some makers build custom drum sets from fine hardwoods, while others take the easy route and make practice sets from mouse pads and sheet metal. Instead of building my own, I used the included piezo elements to trick out my Rock Band […]
Musical Instruments: Arduino, drums, music, musical instruments
The Phlatformer
The Phlatformer is a hobby vacuum- forming machine that quick-melts 10″ square plastic sheets into form-hugging shapes. Originally built for R/C modelers to make identical, lightweight body parts, it has many uses; for example, I plan to form custom holders to display my raygun collection. The kit’s parts and thoughtful extras never skimp on quality, […]
Whiskey Aging Kit
Just because you don’t own a distillery doesn’t mean you can’t have a hand in making your own whiskey. Whiskey starts its life as a clear, nearly flavorless spirit; it’s the aging process that provides the beautiful brown color and most of the smooth, smoky flavor. The Age Your Own Whiskey Kit provides all you […]
Alcoholic Beverages Beverages: alcohol, beverages, home aging, whiskey
Saga T-Style Electric Guitar
Love to play the guitar, and want to add something custom to your kit? The Saga Electric Guitar Kit offers a blank canvas for guitar building. You could paint it, stain it, or classically distress it to look like your favorite guitar idol. In addition to the guitar body, the headstock has a paddle shape […]
Drone Lab V2
As a newbie to synthesizers and most electronics, I found the Drone Lab V2 a rewarding kit to construct. This analog drone synthesizer is made up of four oscillators, each with tuning and volume control, that get mixed together and run through various effects. You can also run another synth, noisemaker, guitar, or whatever straight […]
Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer
Seas Idunn 2-Way Speakers
Named after the Norse goddess of youth, the Seas Idunn kit sets a high standard for DIY speakers. Cabinets come fully assembled in black ash, cherry, or maple, and the crossover also comes prebuilt, so installing it is just a matter of affixing it to the boxes and attaching the drivers. All told, the build took […]
MSA-R MIDI Decoder
This kit gets top marks for ease of assembly and low price, and because it’s preprogrammed to do all the heavy lifting, all you need to do is solder it together and attach it to the device of your choice. It’ll take an average-skilled solderer 1½ hours to assemble, and from there the possibilities are […]
Audio Gear: audio, MIDI, music
Mars Lander
If you want a more challenging project that takes shape with some real cutting and sanding, small manufacturer Semroc produces high-quality balsa rocket kit reproductions. The Mars Lander, originally sold by Estes in the 1970s, is a beautifully realistic-looking spacecraft with spring-loaded landing legs. You can also try their Saturn 1B ($78), a 1/70 scale re-creation of the […]
South-Pointing Chariot Kit
Indie makers RLT Industries of New Braunfels, Texas, sells this lovely wooden model kit of the classic “south-pointing chariot” mechanism. Set the chariot down with the vane pointing in an arbitrary direction — south, north, whatever — and a geared differential connected to the wheels will keep it pointing the same direction regardless of which […]
