Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Turbo Strike

Newest addition to the cardboard toys series: Turbo Strike.
Turbo Strike is a flyer with huge turbo water wheel-like engines at its sides. So besides able to fly, it can move on water. Also created control room at the cockpit.

Like the rest, the flyer comes with its own packaging/ display box.
 

Packaging/ Display Box

All toys come in its original packaging box. So to complete the collection, I decided to make individual packaging/ display box for the toys. Acrylic boxes are really expensive to make, so to work within my means, I make use of the cardboards instead.

The following are the completed ones...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The boxes may not be as sturdy as acrylic cases, but I think they should be able to serve just as well. Since the toys are made of cardboards, I think it will be quite suitable to have cardboard as its packaging/display box.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Walking House



Houses on stilts are now a thing in the past. Using that idea, I created a house on stilts, and it can walk. The house has dining area, living room area with tv, coffee table and sofa, kitchen area and not forgetting a big sofa bed.

Robot ONe and Robotoo

Robot toys are lovable. How can I not make any cardboard robot toys, right? Always love those antique tin robots. So time to make my own robot toys. Making use of my knowledge on making puppets, I incorporated the moving mechanisms, so the robots are movable at most parts, from the head, arms, legs, and waist.
Robotoo

 Robot ONe

Robot ONe and Robotoo shaking hands.
Robot ONe and Robotoo.
Robot ONe and Robotoo having a chat.

The Flyer

I have cars, I have bikes, so how can I not have planes?
Made a real ugly plane prototype before I came up with this. Instead of making it look very realistic like a real aeroplane, I choose to give it a more cartoon-y feel.

A combination of helicopter and aeroplane. Besides having the movable rotor on top, it also has a pair of turbo engine on its wings. The engines are movable, so the flyer can fly both horizontally and vertically. This shall be my first flying toy series.

Crazy Houses On Wheels

On the roll here, continued on and made this, Crazy Houses on Wheels. Since I can have mini houses, how about different kind of houses, as if it's a city? So I went on and made houses of different shapes and sizes, and some like on stilt. I added more and more, so much so this piece is the heaviest and biggest so far.

Mini Houses on the MOve

An idea that continued on after completing Moving Cottage. Also inspired from an exhibition I saw by Michael Lee. So I thought, why not have many mini houses together, and they can all travel together? So out came this.

To create a link from one house to another, I've added strips that kinda serve as ladder.

Flying Office

How about a office that can fly around? An office that's on wings?
Actually this one is modelled after a wooden toy that I've bought from Prague. The actually toy is a lot more complicated as it's also a puppet. So several parts are movable. If I were to make it as complicated as the wooden toy, it would have to be much bigger in size so as to have the structural strength for all the movable gadgets. Therefore, I opt for a simpler, smaller version of it.

The wings are movable, so can the steering wheel. As this is an office, but the space is quite small, so to solve the problem, the chair is turn-able, 360 degree. So, when driving the office around, the chair can be turned to face the steering wheel, and when working, the chair can be turned to face the table and computer. And yes, there's a toilet at the back. So no worries about no toilet break. Also, the toilet allows a fantastic view!

House On Wheels

As I was making the Moving Cottage, an idea, and image floated in my mind. I saw a huge wheel turning, so I thought to myself, "hey, how about a big wheel which is actually a house?". So, while I was still making the Moving Cottage, I started on House On Wheel as well.


The tricky part on making this piece of work was the structural construction of the wheels. The wheels must be able to move separately from the main body, which is the house. I also added a small 'viewing platform' on one side of the exterior of the wheels. I thought, it will be cool if there's a viewing platform where one could sit and relax, and enjoy the views.

Back of the House On Wheels.

Details of the interior.

There's a dining area, living room with sofa and coffee table, bookshelf, and kitchen area on the 2nd storey. The lower storey is a simple bedroom and study table. Also included at the top storey, a small control room, well, there must be some kinda control are for 'driving' the house around. Just like with the Moving cottage, making tiny furniture using the corrugated cardboard was quite a challenge as the smaller the piece, the harder it is to cut the cardboard without damaging it. So I guess if I want to make anything smaller, I would need to use other kind of cardboards...

Moving Cottage...

Time to move on to something different...
Inspired by Howke's Moving Castle, I created this piece, Moving Cottage. Perhaps not as marvellous as the one in the movie, I think it's a good start, for more to come.
 One mistake that I've made was failing to take photographs of the interior before I cover up. So I don't have any photographs to show the living room, dining room, and bedroom. Also created a control room. Well, the cottage can move, so will need some control room of some sort (I imagined).
 Front and back of the Moving Cottage.
To get up to the upper storey, I have made ladders, which are on the outside. So to get from one storey to another, just follow the ladders...

It was really fun creating this, though it was rather challenging trying to make those tiny chairs, tables, etc. I had so much fun that I ended up making a few more such toys...

Sports CarS

I thought to myself, I had made small antique cars using the cardboard, so how about sports car of a much bigger size? So I started making them. As I was making them, I wondered to myself how else can they be different besides just be a toy car? Then an idea came to me. How about letting the front and back trunk be open-able? They can be secret compartments to store things. Now, it can be a toy car and a secret storage! Oh, the steering wheel is also movable.


The first sport car that I've made, is a little more to the straight, squarish look. So, for the second car, I decided to try another design.



Sunday, July 10, 2011

Cardboard Bikes...

 I love bikes, though I may not have a license to ride them. Neither can I possibly collect them. Made this first motorbike, inspired by the movie Priest. Somehow I was attracted by the futuristic, yet bulky looking bikes that were ride by the characters in the movie.


Spring off the idea of a tricycle, how about a tri-bike? The handle-bar is turnable... this make possible after making a rather ugly prototype where I figured out how to make the front wheel turn-able, and yet the angle of the back wheels is just right for support and stability.

Here's Genni (one of the dolls I made) with the Tri-bike. She's definitely very happy with it. It fits her just nice. Now she too has a new toy.

Trojan horse Inspired - Donkey and Giraffe


 My first series of Trojan horse inspired Donkey. With the wheels, it's movable. Thought of making a 'rocking' donkey, like a rocking chair, but I think allowing it to be movable is much more fun.

After making the donkey, I made the giraffe as its long neck and small body should make it looks rather attractive.

Before making these, I have previously made a prototype as I need to figure out the balancing of the weight of the head, so that the work will not topple, and can move freely. Once the weight/ balancing issue is figured out. The fun begins...