Card Game & Deck Building Game Organizers

I realize it's been quite some time since the last build, but as you all know, life can get hectic sometimes! I built the start of what I hope to make into a K'nex ball factory, but got builder's block (kinda like writer's block). :P So instead, I made these card holders, specifically for when my Hubby and I play Dominion (which is a deck-building game). In Dominion, you have 10 stacks of action cards, 3 stacks of coin cards, and 3 or 4 stacks of victory point cards. Also, another deck may be added if you are using curse cards. As you can imagine, trying to keep 18 stacks of cards neat and organized can be a real chore. I created two card organizers for the game. Each one holds 9 decks: 3 on bottom, 6 up top. I could see one of these also being useful for Settlers of Catan, LIFE, and other games where you have to use upwards of 5 stacks of cards.

I hope you enjoyed today's Knex Kreation! Let me know if you've got any ideas for items that you would like to see made solely out of knex!

Knex Yard Game: Ladder Toss

The past couple days, I have been devoting most of my knexing (is that a word?) time taking down my Ferris wheel. Why, you ask? Because I really needed more blue connectors freed up. xD  However, tonight I got inspired to make a ladder toss game! I have seen it made out of PVC pipe, so I figured I could make one out of knex! It's portable enough that you could take it to a tailgate or just use it out in your lawn during a cookout!

Coming soon: some sort of big build. Haven't decided what exactly I will make yet, but I am thinking maybe a coaster or a ball tower.

Knex Guest Builder: Elijah

I received these pictures from some friends who saw my post about hosting guest builders! So, here is our first guest builder: Elijah. I always enjoy seeing the different creations he makes on Facebook. He seems to enjoy building by himself as well as with his grandpa! 

Elijah and his recent build: a knex gun.

These types of guns work with the use of a rubber band! You just slip the rod into the barrel (the white part) and pull the orange and black trigger out of the way. The rubber band acts as a spring, propelling the red rod through the barrel.

Some more of Elijah's creations.

Rubber bands are one of my favorite supplements for knex builds, and Elijah has found them quite useful as well!

While he loves building catapults, he does enjoy making all kinds of builds. These are some vehicles that he made.

Thanks so much for sharing your creations with us, Elijah! You're proof that even from a young age, you can enjoying building with K'nex. I look forward to seeing what you create in the coming months and years!

Big Build: Ferris Wheel -- Part 2

I finished the second ring of the wheel.

This is the wheel standing up next to the couch. It's about four feet across now.

The second ring is comprised of 48 grey rods, 48 yellow connectors, 48 orange connectors, and 48 white connectors per side. 48 red/green rods join the yellow connectors on the opposing sides.

It creates a nice wind tunnel when you twirl it, too! =P

This is the size of the wheel now in comparison to a regular DVD case.

Big Build: Ferris Wheel -- One step at a time!

Yesterday, I began another massive build. One of my friends on Facebook tagged me in a photo of a giant Ferris Wheel. (You see, I get tagged in all sorts of cool K'nex stuff because, well... because I love knex and enjoy building with them!) So, I decided I would take on a similar build. I will attempt to post updates every now and again so you can see how I am progressing!

Here are the two sides to the inner circle of the Ferris wheel. In order to hold up a wheel that is over 5 or 6 feet tall, you need to start with a good center. Each side is comprised of three white connectors with 8 green/black tiny rods, 8 orange/brown connectors, and with 8 grey/black/orange long rods per white connector (24 of each piece per Ferris wheel side). I used greys for one connector, blacks for another, and oranges for the third so you could sort of get an idea of what was going on. The outer ring here is made from 48 navy connectors and 48 green rods per side (because I lack sorely in white connectors, I often use navy ones instead).

I connected the long rods to every other navy connector, and the inner ring was somewhat contorted due to the differing angles of the rods. Once I snapped a grey rod into every other pair of navys, though, it straightened out. The red connectors and rods (and green rods) just ensure a little more stability.

It did take me several tries to get this right, but it seems like a good infrastructure.

All in all, I estimate that the very innermost ring of the Ferris wheel is about 700 pieces.

Knex Electric Train

During high school every year, I would make an electric train every year near Christmas. It was always a little bit of a challenge to improve it each year. Well, this year, I decided to tackle making an electric train again. It's a work-in-progress right now, but I figured I would give an update. I used rubber bands in the wheels in order to give the train traction. The motor is on the back wheels, and I have easy access to the on/off switch. I think I am going to make the track bigger, though. Once I finish, I will take video of the train in motion. =D

Knex Napkin Holders and Coasters

Greetings, readers! My builds today are small, but I thought they'd be rather fun. For those of you who don't personally know my hubby and me, our house has K'nex builds all over. It's become our own personal "style." Yes, yes, we're quirky and fun like that. =P I've got quite a list of things I'd like to make out of knex. Today, I present knex coasters and napkin holders.

My husband and I have three cats, so I thought these napkin holders would go just right in our house.

Of course, they could pass as foxes, too.

Stay tuned over the next couple weeks! I will be building an electric train to go around our Christmas tree. It's always so much fun. Come along for the ride! =D

Knex Costumes and Accesories: Sword

Simple build today: a sword. It's a basic sword that I am sure most of my familiar-to-Knex readers have made before (at least in some similar manner). However, for those of you not so seasoned in K'nex building, you can learn how to build a nice, sturdy sword to complement your costume!