Make: Kit Reviews

Aspiring luthiers will find this a satisfying first project, with its pre-assembled mahogany body and ready-to-attach neck; you’re left with the satisfying jobs of final assembly and finishing. The woods are nice despite the low price — the plywood fretboard being the only weak piece — and if you build it as instructed, you’ll end […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, Ukulele

Many middle-aged DIY enthusiasts have constructed a crystal radio set; it’s such a joy to pull radio signals out of the ether using only the radio signal itself for power. Unlike traditional crystal sets, the XS-402 uses a molded, high frequency choke, eliminating the frustrating coil-winding process, and features large solder pads, great for learning to […]

Audio Gear: audio, crystal radio set, family, music, retro

Using the book Kayaks You Can Build by Ted Moores and Greg Rossel, I built my first Coho, a stitch-and-glue plywood sea kayak. I considered kits from Redfish, Chesapeake Light Craft, Waters Dancing, and One Ocean, but I settled on Pygmy because other builders touted how accurate their CNC router-cut parts are. Plus I had seen a […]

Outdoor & Sport: boats, kayak, outdoors, sports

Though making your own technical outdoor gear may seem out of reach, all it takes is a good pattern, solid instructions, techie fabrics, and some sewing skill. Thru-Hiker puts the pieces in your hands; you add the skill and patience. This vest kit is a good one to tackle for starters, and includes a toasty layer of Primaloft, […]

Outdoor & Sport: clothing, outdoors, sports, vest

Traditional surfboards are fragile, plus they’re made of toxic goo — polyurethane foam and polyester resin — that ends up as landfill. This deluxe starter kit has all the tools and materials you need to make a tougher, greener epoxy board using expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam that’s recyclable. And Greenlight’s lamination technique, using bamboo fabric […]

Outdoor & Sport: green, outdoors, sports, surf board, surfing

The high-quality Engel Type 212 submarine kit is perfect if you’re into scale models, history, and realism. Modeled after the German Navy’s advanced Type 212 sub, this functional 1/70 scale model goes together smoothly using cast-resin, CNC’ed ABS plastic, brass, and stainless steel components. Engel’s innovative Tech Rack mounting ensures that your electronics stay dry, […]

Radio-Controlled Vehicles: German, RC, scale model, submarine

Who doesn’t love blimps? They’re quiet and slow but leave a huge impression. This kit goes together easily using basic hand tools and the included directions, and has almost everything you need to get airborne; you supply R/C gear, servo, battery, and helium. The vinyl balloon can be decorated with paints or computer-cut graphics, which […]

Radio-Controlled Vehicles: blimp, indoor, RC

This unique, rugged R/C trainer is assembled by bending carbon fiber rods, binding with Kevlar thread, and then covering with polyester fabric. The build takes an evening or two; add a radio, servos, and batteries, and enjoy a remarkably good airplane for beginners and experienced pilots. Plus, it folds flat, so you can take it […]

Radio-Controlled Vehicles: indoor, plane, RC

Peggy 2LE provides a quick, easy, powerful, and efficient way to drive a lot of big, bright LEDs — up to 625 — in a matrix. With it, you can make an LED sign for your window, a geeky valentine for your sweetie, one badass birthday card, the next generation of low-pixel-count video games, or […]

LEDs: electronics, LEDs

Although 5×7 pixels aren’t a lot to work with, it’s easy to get lost in Olaf Val’s Mignon Game Kit. This minimalist handheld gaming system is hands-on in more ways than one. The first step is to put it together; second is to hack code for the Atmel ATmega8 microcontroller that powers it; and third, […]

LEDs: electronics, Games, kids, LEDs, microcontrollers