If you’ve ever watched MTV’s Cribs, maybe you saw some rock star’s regulation basketball court, or a pool the size of a small house with a waterfall, and thought, “I want that someday.”  For me it would be something like this yard-sized chess set — this style I can get behind.

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Tanks and woodworking don’t really go together for most folks, but to me they’re like chocolate and peanut butter.  I found this toy coin bank at Time Machine Toys.  It’s made up to look like what I’m guessing is a British Mark IV Male WWI-era tank –- and it brought a smile to my face.

True, it may sport a few too many guns, but that just adds to the overall charm of the thing.  The metalwork tracks are sweet, and judging from the condition of the finish, someone took care of this toy over the years and never mistreated it.

I definitely see something like this in my future toy-making plans.

Wooden Toy Coin Bank [Time Machine Toys]

When it comes to crowd control, you can turn to a lot of different tools; for instance, you can command a crowd’s attention by waving around a running chainsaw.  But if you want to avoid restraining orders and news coverage you could try a more socially acceptable tool called the Powerwalk — think George Jetson.

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I know it’s evil to talk about Xmas this early, but this Amaze-N-Marbles game reminds me of when I was a kid.  By arranging the series of wooden tracks and chutes correctly, my brother and I could make the marble travel quite a distance down these little guides.  This stuff was pure awesomeness, both simple and fun — and it actually required thinking and imagination, which I find sadly lacking in children’s toys today.

Sadly, Mom was constantly having to confiscate our old set.  Brothers being brothers, we took the first chance available after a failed run to beat each other with the blocks and sling the marbles at each other.  That would end our marble-running for a few weeks at a time.

This set costs around $25 for an entire bag of them.  Of course, the tricky craftsmen could make their own sets for less, if they were willing to spend the time.

Amaze-N-Marbles [Duluth]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Longtime reader Simple Simon sent us this great shot of the Hamilton Warplane Heritage Museum.  In addition to a sweet view of an old Hurricane, we also get a glimpse of some of the tools it takes to keep a place like that going.

It’s a full-time gig, getting those bad boys in-shape enough to be presentable, and the staff takes a by-whatever-means-necessary approach.  Even though Veteran’s Day is over, we must give a hearty hats-off and beers-up to the ones who used to fly these warplanes — and also to the ones who remind us all what they did and why.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

Art comes in many forms, and we’re not so stuck up we can’t appreciate it either.  Take this photo of a show a few years ago at the Cleveland Institute of Art — Beth Whalley’s Drill Cozy caught our eye for some reason.

Sure, “Drill Cozy” probably won’t arrive at the Louvre anytime soon, but it gives us a chuckle and puts power tools in front of art folks, and that’s got to be worth something.  A belated hats-off to Beth for her fine use of imagination.

Cleveland Institute of Art [Website]

Smart cars are generally built to be very efficient little rides –- except for this one.  This Smart car got the full Big Foot treatment, and it seems to be having a good time playing in the mud.

Taking the most practical vehicle on the planet and turning it into a dirt-trekking monster car takes a certain flair — and a fair amount of cash.  We’re guessing the turning speed got a bit slower as well, with all the weight being loaded about three feet higher than it once was.

Still, this is a testament to our ability to turn anything into a useless showboat.

Monster Smart [YouTube]

If you think stainless steel is only good for kitchen appliances and Doc Brown’s home-brew time machine, take a look at this 1936 Ford Deluxe.  Allegheny Ludlum Steel Division and the Ford Motor Company built this and a handful of others just like it as an experiment, and to raise awareness that stainless steel had many applications in the automotive world.

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When someone needs something strange done, they come to a tool guy, and Halloween is no exception.  This haunted bookshelf is pretty entertaining, even though it sounds like an old washing machine.

Though we suppose it could actually be an old washing-machine motor behind there, it’s most likely some sort of bench-tool motor attached to a few levers and a cam-crank.  It does give us a few ideas for next year.

Halloween Project: Moving Bookshelf [YouTube]

Some of the best everyday stuff sprang from the minds of lazy tinkerers.  Kevin Blake built this steel-frame recumbent snowplow bike from old bicycle parts, a riding lawnmower, and a few snow shovels.

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People often overlook ironworkers, lumping them in with the throngs of “construction guys” at work everyday in large cities.  In fact, most people see them all the time, but never stop to think about what they’re actually doing.  Is this a shocking video?  No, not really;  there are no falls or close calls, just a guy doing his job.  The thing is, this guy hangs it out there like this, day in and day out –- respect.

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I dig this video because as kids playing with Tonka toys we all did this kind of thing constantly in the backyard.  Those Tonka cranes would grab and move just about anything — it’s nice to see these guys have the same idea.

Although the very sight of this kind of heavy lifting probably sends the guys who designed the cranes into fits of gibbering madness, I can’t think of a cooler way to use crane arms.  I know it’s hard work and these gents are earning a living and all, but it’s still gotta be fun to play with the 1:1 scale versions of this rig.

Creative Use Of A High-Hoe [YouTube]

Is your snowblower missing something?  Perhaps you’re not satisfied with that 5 to 10 horses that your current unit puts out — it needs a bit more power, or maybe even a set of headers.  The guys at V8 Snowblowers can hook you up with a blower built around a 454 big block.

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Marco Facciola has more going on at sixteen than most kids do at twenty; he crafted every part of this bicycle, from stem to stern, out of wood.  This isn’t just a pretty piece of art, either — it’s completely functional.

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Think your Harley is the biggest bike on the road?  You’re not even close.  As of 2007, Greg Dunham holds the honor of owning the world’s tallest rideable motorcycle.  This makes a Hummer H1 seem quite practical, doesn’t it?

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With Halloween on the way, we’re reminded of an up-and-coming fall tradition –- Punkin Chunkin. For the un-initiated, trajectory and pumpkins go together like peanut butter and chocolate, and the 23rd annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin event is going down in Delaware on October 31st this year.

We’re pretty sure the big guns, like the Aludium Q-36 Pumpkin Modulator (above) or something very similar, will be out in force to pitch some pumpkins again this year.  At any rate, you get to see what a bunch of shop guys come up with when they set about getting some air under a pumpkin.

23rd World Punkin Chunkin Championship [Website]

When you’re in school there is absolutely nothing cool about a school bus. Afterwards, however, you can find a feeling of utter contentment in seeing them ragged on, beaten down, or, as in this case, drafted into the school bus racing league.

Who wins isn’t the point here.  Just try and demolish as much and as many as you can — because, let’s be honest, no one wants to take these things home.  Just remember, kids, only you can destroy school buses.

School Bus Racing [YouTube]