IZ Reloaded sez, "Spotted at Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013! Using discarded plastic bottles, bits of old toys, disassembled computers and other recycled unwanted items, David Liew of the Sleeping Iron foundry has created an armada of steampunk inspired spaceships known as the Bottle Fleet. Each model has been sculpted and painted to the level similar to that of movie production models and miniatures." Read the rest

Noah sez, "I thought you would appreciate these giant insects made from repurposed materials (including vehicle parts and bits of a blown up toolbox) by metalworker Ben Marcacci, who is currently at Camp Dwyer in Afghanistan."

Noah is correct.

I started making these types of piece's when I relocated to Camp dwyer (Aug 2011), I had the equipment and scrape material to do so, prior to Dwyer I traveled from base to base. Not being able to work with my first love (metal work) I found myself drawing more and more , but I like 3D, I like building things...so my skills for creating sculpture morphed into collecting "found objects" (soda tab, lock washers, o-rings, AFG coins) and I would build jewelry (mainly earrings) I gave a pair to my girlfriend and sisters, and the they wanted MORE... I continued to make them and I started cannibalizing items I would find in Local afghan bazaars. I'm currently working on a 3rd generation earring.

Giant (Upcycled) Metal Arachnids & Insects in Afghanistan

(Thanks, Noah!) Read the rest

"Avaritia" is a new mixed-media assemblage from Jud Turner: "The name is taken from the Latin term for 'greed' and the bait this mechanized angler fish is using is a coin from 1799. Heightening my enjoyment of the subject (greed) it's a commission for a German financier!"

"Avaritia" Read the rest

Tal sez, "Tal Avitzur has updated his website with new robot-related night lights made from scrap metal and other urban salvage: Barbiebot, Snork, Work in progress. Tal has been invited to show his work with the Applied Kinetic Arts group this year at the Bay Area Maker Faire." Read the rest

Dan Jones (AKA Tinkerbots) was kind enough to add this charming fellow to the Boing Boing Flickr pool. There's plenty more where that came from. Read the rest

Spaceboy Robot makes beautiful, steampunky junkbot sculptures; he's also a talented photographer of same, and he has an Etsy store (though it's on hiatus).

Spaceboy Robot

(via Neatorama) Read the rest

From the Boing Boing Flickr Pool: a glorious junkbot called the "Scout Ship for Landfill Art project" from CyberCraft Robots.

Scout Ship for Landfill Art project - Industrial and Found Object assemblage sculpture from CyberCraft Robots Read the rest

Etsy seller Deetsy is selling off her adorable polymer clay robots to benefit Ann Arbor's 826 Michigan literacy center. It's part of 826 Michigan's second annual Robot Art Fair, which runs to Saturday with robot-themed activities and art for adults, kids and families.

polymer clay and found object sculpture by deetsy on Etsy

(Thanks, Blooflame!) Read the rest

Andrea Petrachi (AKA "Himatic") makes beautiful junkbot sculptures that incorporate creepy fragments of discarded dollies and toys.

Andrea Petrachi a.k.a. Himatic

(via Super Punch) Read the rest

Jeremy Mayer sez,

Here are a couple of photos of my latest typewriter component assemblage, Bust V (Grandfather). The initial inspiration for the piece was that I wanted to create a self-portrait in my old age. I wanted to say something about aging, transition (particularly transition into new technology), and the place of the personal mechanical machine in modern society, all without making the piece look too "robotic". I wanted to convey a little human weakness, malaise, boredom, and pain, but with an underlying strength and pride.

With all of the news about the closing of the world's last manual typewriter assembly line, Godrej in India, and all of the buzz about typewriters in popular culture, I feel like this is a great statement about this moment. I sense a great deal of nervousness in general about the advance of technology and what that means for people who are unwilling or unable to move on to the next step. I feel like this piece speaks of that worry in many ways.

I'll be showing Bust V for the first time at Maker Faire this year, May 21-22, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bust V (Grandfather)

(Thanks, Jeremy!) Read the rest

SpratMan makes and sells (on Etsy) adorable rusty junkbots called "Forgotten Robots." He says: "They've been in the factory so long that most have forgotten their names. The original Makers either left or died off long, long ago.

Over the eons the robots 'woke up'. Now with their new self-awareness and personalities the forgotten robots are looking for new homes and new names. They are hard workers and fun to be around and would make a welcome addition to any home or office desk."

Forgotten Robots

(Thanks, Spratman!) Read the rest

Noah Scalin sez, "Check out these amazing articulated action figures made from bottle caps and other found materials by Private First Class Rupert Valero, who is stationed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wilson in Khandahar, Afghanistan.

A former oil rig engineer, Valero has been a collector and customizer of 6" super-articulated action figures for many years, but since being stationed in Afghanistan he has begun making his own figures entirely from upcycled materials."

Upcycled Action Figures in Afghanistan

(Thanks, Noah!)

Andy makes and sells groovy scrap-metal light-up "tripods" that look like aliens; he uses the money to fund an enormous, ambitious steampunk pirate ship for Burning Man. The engineer who formerly provided the firmware for Andy's tripods has pulled out of the project and now he's desperate for technical help:

What we Need: The physical design requirement for the PCB: 1-1/8″ x 2-1/8″. Along the upper edge we need room for 8 thru hole RGB LEDs An easily accessible programming header A microphone to input sound Powered by (3) AAA batteries (4.5v) Controlled by a momentary Switch SPST A single centered screw hole that can be tapped to mount the board to the back cover. Use of the Atmel Tiny88 would be a bonus since we have a lot left over from the ship's construction. A small PCB with solder pads for the switch (1-1/8″ x 3/8″)

Initial Software requirements: Two software modes, the first would be color morphing of the 8 LEDs on two color channels, (e.g. four LEDs could be blue and the other four yellow) The second mode would be sound reactive (turning on and off to the beat of the music and changing colors).

Tripod Help

(Thanks, Todd!)

Here's a cute hard-drive-based junkbot design. It's only CGI, but it'd make a dandy sculpture (or, for that matter, a fun character animation). Artist: George Guo.

hard disk robot

(via Super Punch)

Etsy seller Robolamp makes electric junkbot lamps out of PVC plumbing, flex hose, and miscellanea. They're quite lovely, too!

Robolamp

(via Neatorama)

Japanese papercraft sculptor Takahashi Masakazu makes all manner of lovely things (especially robots!) out of recycled consumer packaged goods packages.

Papercraft

(via Super Punch)

Junkbot artist Andrea Petrachi has the true gift for conjuring the inner friendly robot from random piles of techno-detritus. A rare and increasingly valuable skill.

Andrea Petrachi

(via Make)