28mm Steampunk War Walker

[War In 15MM]

A few years ago I was rummaging through a box of broken and tossed toys at the swap meet and came upon two items that I thought might go well together with a little cutting, glue and putty.  I believe the two key pieces (the top and bottom) are kids’ meal toys.  I know the bottom half is a McDonald’s toy from 2010, but because the bottom of the top portion of  the combo has long since been thrown away I can’t be sure of its origins.  If memory serves, it was originally a trash can with a dome lid.  I cut away the top half of the McDonald’s toy leaving me with the mechanical legs and attached it to the upper half of the domed trash can.  I added a scope from a broken Wild Wild West kids’ meal toy (The Tarantula from Burger King 1999), a loose plastic cannon for a smoke stack, and a broken gatling gun… all pieces found at the swap meet for 50 cents or less per item.  I had a couple portholes left from my gunboat project so I added those to the dome.  The total cost of all parts involved was probably no more than $2.50.  It all went together rather easily, and I’m happy with the way it painted up.

[OSHIROmodels]

A fun little model 

cheers

James

[von Lucky]

War In 15MM + swap meet = something nice.

[Captain Darling]

Very innovative, good looking little model! Champion...

[Malamute]

Great fun

[The_Beast]

Every time I look at my little toy awaiting inspiration, I think 'what a piece of...'

And people keep coming up with amazing uses.

Good thing I gave up long ago.

Except on the flyers...

Doug

[Metternich]

Great fun indeed.

[Froggy the Great]

Coooool.

[War In 15MM]

The real wonder of the swap meet is not finding something I am looking for (though that is always great), it is finding the unexpected... things I didn't even know existed or seeing two completely different broken toys side by side in a pile of other toys and realizing those two pieces can be brought together to make something completely different.  It keeps me coming back week after week.  Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to write.  Richard

[Chairface]

http://toyalert.blogspot.ca/2010/10/mcdonalds-megamind-happy-meal-toys.html

Mega mind! Got a few of those myself, waiting for me to get off my but and do something about it

Lovely work

[War In 15MM]

Chairface, thank you.  I look forward to seeing what you come up with... when you do something about it.  Toy repurposing can be a lot of fun.  Richard

[Chairface]

I actually picked up a triangle head screwdriver for repurposing toys. Sound investment

[War In 15MM]

Chairface, I need to find one of those.  Most of the toys I find have Philips head screws, but when that is not the case they have those triangle head screws and more than once I have left a nice toy on the swap meet pile because it had the triangle head screws holding it together and to do a proper repurposing job I needed to take it apart by removing the screws.  Do they come in those small screwdriver packs like the Philips and straight edge screwdrivers do?

[The_Beast]

I have one, and it's still not easy to keep from having a head with a nice round hole instead of a triangle. Prepare for disappointment and frustration.

Oh, wait, what else is new?  

Doug

Edit: Mind you, the idea is easy to go in, not to come back out in the hands of some tyke.

[Teld]

love it , I have a few of the golden compass pieces waiting to be put to use.