From the man who brought you the awesome duct tape AT-AT comes one of the coolest R2D2 models ever made.

Len Komanac, better known as DarthLen, onFlickr, loves to build detailed models of Star Wars icons, using cardboard, duct tape and glue. His detailed AT-AT model became an online when photos of it hit the interwebs, last year, and now he’s ready to wow you once more with a giant replica of everyone’s favorite droid, R2D2. Towering at 96 inches/240 cm, this free-standing sculpture is made from cardboard, silver HVAC tape and blue duct tape.

Len was kind enough to send us a list of the materials he used to complete his masterpiece: 4 fridge boxes, 5 AC boxes, 3 dryer boxes, 3 rolls of blue duct tape, 1 roll of aluminum tape, 52 glue sticks, 1 can of white paint and 2 sharpie pens. He worked on it for 50 hours.  This supersized version of R2D2 will be showcased at the “Dr. StrangeLen or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Make the Art” exhibit, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, so if you’re in the area between July 16 and September 2nd, don’t miss the chance to check it out.

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Every little boy who has ever owned a Hot Wheels miniature car remembers how fun those things were to play with, whether you owned a circuit track or not. Artist Chris Burden has spent the last four years working on Metropolis II, an awe-inspiring miniature car circuit that will spark the interest of even the most mature grownup.

It’s called Metropolis II because Chris built another cool Hot Wheels circuit back in 2004, but compared to his first one, this latest project is superior in every way. It really lives up to its name, measuring an impressive 10-feet-tall by 28-feet-long and featuring 13 toy tracks and a gigantic car circuit with 18 lanes, winding around in a loop, around 30-40 skyscrapers. There are a total of 1,100 modified cars moving around Metropolis II, at any given time. Chris and his team inserted a small magnet on the underside of each car, so when they reach one of the circuit’s three conveyor belts, which also have magnets placed underneath, they get picked up and transported to a high point from where they are released and flow away.

According to Chris Burden, Metropolis II is ten times bigger than the original Metropolis and was conceived as a miniature representation of Los Angeles. Just recently completed, Metropolis II has already been sold for millions of dollars, but Burden says is also cost millions to complete and refine. Over the next few months it will be taken apart and properly packed in steel cages, where the parts shouldn’t move more than a 32nd of an inch, in order to keep everything running smoothly.

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Wang Kang, a 25-year-old office worker from Shanghai, China, surprised his colleagues a few days ago, when he came to work wearing a home-made Iron Man suit.

It happened on June 3rd, 2011. Kang walked into his office building wearing a metallic-looking costume and was immediately stopped by security. After explaining to them that he was actually an employee there they allowed him to go through to the office area where all his work mates stopped what they were doing and stared at the real-life Iron Man that just walked in. Everyone was speechless at first, but proceeded to congratulate Wang Kang for his incredible achievement, and started taking pictures. One of these ended up on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo, and the young self-taught costume maker became an internet sensation.

Wang Kang got the idea of making his own Iron Man costume after seeing the 2008 blockbuster starring Robert Downey Junior, but actually started working on it on February 26, 2011, right in the living room of his rented apartment. The costume is mainly made of high density foam, wires and tubes, for which he only paid 3,000 yuan ($460). It also features the famous arc reactor which he made from glass. The whole thing took him three months to finish, but the reactions on his colleagues’ faces were totally worth the time and effort. After the office test, Kang took to the streets where he left everyone stunned, as well.

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I remember seeing a set of photos from Google’s offices in Zurich, and thought that was pretty cool, but Google has nothing on Inventionland’s fairytale workplace.

Inventionland, like the name suggests, is a company that invents stuff, over 2,000 new inventions every year. To come with that many inventions, the Inventionland team must really be inspired by something, but what could it be? Believe it or not, it’s actually everything that surrounds them in their Pittsburgh headquarters.

The 70,000 square feet facility looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before, featuring 15 different fantasy sets, from pirate ships to tree houses and even a house shaped like a giant shoe. And it’s not only the world’s most creative workplace, it’s also equipped with the latest in sound, video and animation technology to help creationeers come up with the best ideas. Oh, that’s right, Inventionland employees are called “creationeers”, they get to wear lab coats and they brainstorm for ideas in a room called “Inventalot”. Now, how cool is that!

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I’m a huge fan of cosplay, and although I’ve already featured a few home-made Iron Man costumes on OC, I just couldn’t help share the metal suit made by Ted Gorzkowski.

Ted is a carpenter by trade, but a talented blacksmith at heart. And since he’s always been a fan of superhero movies, he decided to put his blacksmith talents to the test and create a metal replica of Tony Stark’s famous suit. He spent months molding the pieces of metal, painting it in just the right colors and creating the arc reactors out of hundreds of LEDs, but the final result was totally worth the effort.

This Iron Man suit made by Ted Gorzkowski may not be as detailed as the War Machine replica created by cosplay master Anthony Le, but it’s definitely worthy of our praise. For more photos of this cosplay masterpiece, check out Ted’s MySpace profile.

Thanks a lot, Ted!

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This may not be the weirdest thing you see today but I’m sure it’s one of the most inspiring ways of dealing with junk like excess posters.

I hate it when too many posters gather on top of each other, and no one cares to clean them up. I’m thinking I may not be the only one, since someone took matters into their own hands and decided to deal with this poster problem themselves. Instead of pealing away the paper blocks, they decided to carve them into beautiful works of urban art. The artist is unknown, but this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Ypu can find this masterpiece somewhere in Berlin.

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Back in 2005, when Stargate was the coolest sci-fi series around, sg1archive user ‘mango’ teamed up with his father to build a sweet replica of the stargate.

The project began in AUTOCAD, where the first blueprints were drawn. Since they didn’t have access to a plotter, plans had to be printed on A4 paper and stuck together, in a circle. The small details of the gate had to be drawn up from scratch, using photos and video footage. The skeleton of the gate is made up of 18 X-shaped pieces, and the spinning part is made from small planks.

The intricate stargate symbols had to be painstakingly carved, from wood, and chevrons first had to be carved from Styrofoam. The back of the stargate, though painted in gray, is totally fake, but the front looks realistic enough, with chevrons locking and everything. Thanks to an inner track, it even spins. Mango wasn’t too satisfied with the paint-job, but all in all this is a geeky masterpiece, just like the Stargate home-cinema.

Be sure to check the video Mango made, at the bottom of the post.

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I’m sure you’ve seen Iron Man and War-Machine cosplay before, but I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen anything like this before.

We’ve seen some work of Iron Man fan, Anthony Le, in the past, I’ve even posted another War-Machine costume he made a while ago, but his latest masterpiece is simply too awesome for words. This talented costume creator built his first version of the War-Machine costume, before any footage from the first Iron Man movie came out, and he only used comics for inspiration.

But Anthony has come a long way, since his first costume, and is now sporting a kick-ass replica of the War-Machine costume worn by Jim Rhodes, in Iron Man 2. For the armor he used thin, high-impact urethane plates, joined together by around 1,500 rivets and washers, the helmet was sculpted from clay and enforced with a special resin mix, and the mounted shoulder gun was made from pipes and an old engine.

LEDs in the eyes and armor, and a small servo-motor that lifts the faceplate make this War-Machine costume even more real. As you can imagine, Anthony Le is a big hit at conventions, and he’s now working on other awesome costumes, for himself and clients. Chapeau!

Check out more awesome photos and a video, below.

Photos via Anthony Le

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An old lady, in her 70s, has taken China by storm, after some photos of her appeared on a Chinese forum.

It might seem unusual for a lady of her age to act all goofy like that, but according to Sun Linchong, the woman’s grandson, and the man behind the camera, this adorable granny is very open and cool with new things. Together they set up some props and take funny photos, just for laughs.

When he uploaded the first set of photos, Sun Linchong had no idea his grandmother would become a Chinese internet sensation, but people who’ve seen were instantly mesmerized. Now the duo regularly upload funny photos that apparently remind viewers of their beloved grannies. Take a look at this cool gal:

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A 28-year-old Taiwanese girl, studying in Paris, France, has become an internet sensation due to her “100 Kisses in Paris” project.

Yang Yaqing has made it her goal to steal the kisses of 100 men, in Paris. Apparently, Yang has come up with this strange idea, three years ago, but she was judged as promiscuous, in Taiwan. As soon as she went to study overseas, in Paris, she put her plan into action.

Yang’s quest to kiss 100 men began last July, when she began asking strange men, around Paris, if they would give her a kiss. Even though she is an attractive woman, only 80% of the guys she asked, actually accepted her challenge. Some just politely refused.

With the help of a photographer friend, she documented her kisses in Paris and posted them on her blog. After being submitted on a social network, the stolen kisses of Yang Yaqing became an internet sensation, and the Taiwanese girl even launched a book. entitled “A Hundred Kisses in Paris”, which documents 54 of her kisses, so far.

At the end of February, Yang had kissed 67 men, and even though some people disapprove of her project, she says she won’t stop until she reaches her goal, of 100 kisses in Paris.

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By twisting their bodies into impossible positions, the members of the Pilobolus Dance Theater have recreated 26 letters of the alphabet.

To immortalize their efforts, the Pilobolus recruited photographer John Kane, who used secrets of the trade to make the human letters look amazing. The magic happened in John’s studio, in Connecticut, over a period of four days. According to the six highly trained contortionists that took part in the project, the hardest letters were “C” and “R”. Although they wouldn’t reveal the secret behind how they pulled it off, John and the dancers swear no Photoshop was used. The same thing can’t be said abut the Yoga Dogs calendar.

The human alphabet photos, taken by John Kane, were used in a book aimed at children and adults alike. Called “Pilobolus – The Human Alphabet” this collection of human letters aims to show off the theater’s talent and inspire young dancers.

Photos by JOHN KANE/BARCROFT MEDIA via Daily Mail

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A Russian ship enthusiast spent two and a half years working on a 1:200 scale model of the RMS Titanic, made mainly out of paper.

A Ukrainian forum user that goes by the name of Henschel has posted some interesting photos of a Titanic model, on which he has been working for over 2 and a half years. Apparently he studied blueprints of the iconic ship from books and online, before he began his work.

Apparently, the main material used to build this model was paper punch cards. He also made good use of drawing paper, yarn, fishing line and wire. The paper components were covered with waterproof varnish, and the RMS survived the bathtub test, as you can see in one of the photos, below.

Henschel also fitted his paper Titanic with some electrical equipment, powered by a 6-volt battery, located below deck. The rudder is operated via remote-control and the entire ship is illuminated by small light bulbs and LEDs.

The awesome paper Titanic model apparently cost around $125 to complete. Pretty cheap for such a thing of beauty. Te photos aren’t exactly HD, but you can get an idea of how much work went into this project.

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Hello Clarice…Actually it’s ‘Good evening, Clarice’, but heck, most people are familiar with just the first one. Anyway, here’s a very cool Silence of the Lambs themed cake.

Created by Celebration Generaton Cakes, for the Czar of Cakes Challenge at the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience, the Victim of Hannibal Lecter Cake is one of the most original I’ve seen. And as you may know, I’ve recently posted quite a number of cool cakes, lately.

Made with fondant, sugarpaste, gumpaste, cocoa and other sweet ingredients, the Silence of the Lambs theme was chosen because there was no way someone else ‘would think of, much less actually use it’.

via SuperPunch

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If you’re looking to surprise your friends and family this holiday season, then the apple-turned-wine-glass is just what you’re looking for.

I know this isn’t exactly an oddity, but I thought the idea was very cool and thought some of you guys would love it too. All you need to make yourself a totally edible glass is a nice green apple,a cinnamon stick and some hot caramel. You can find detailed instructions on Instructables, but basically it comes down to carving the apple, gluing the cinnamon stick and insulating the inside of the apple with some hot caramel, to prevent leakage. And there you have it, your own apple-glass.

Pretty cool, huh?

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From the creator of the internet-famous Hamburger Bed comes an even cooler sleeping installation, the Millennium Falcon Bed.

Kayla Kromer caused quite a stir on the interwebs, with her tasty-looking Hamburger Bed and now she’s back with every Star-Wars fan’s dream bed. Apart from the incredible design, the Millennium Falcon Bed features working headlights, hidden compartments for your every day needs, starfield projection and even cockpit space for you favorite Star-Wars action figures.

I’m definitely not the world’s biggest Star-Wars fan, but I’d love to own one of these…

Kayla Kromer via Neatorama

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