This miniature James Webb Space Telescope DIY model is a must-have for all space-nerds

Goodbye Hubble, you’ve served us well… but the James Webb Space Telescope is now here to look even farther into the future and help us decode the secrets of the mysterious universe. The revolutionary telescope was launched into orbit just this month and is touted to be the largest and most advanced telescope to ever be put in space… in fact, it’s so advanced that it can actually look back in time, with its largest mirrors helping reflect light that’s traveled for 13.7 billion years to reach us. That’s about as old as the universe is, so the telescope can, in theory, help us observe the beginning of the universe.

It seems only fair that a scientific feat this big gets its own merchandise, right? Well, although NASA hasn’t released miniature telescope replicas just yet, Etsy maker Houha Designs created an incredibly detailed scaled-down model of the telescope that you can buy and build from scratch!

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The entire model comes flat-packed, and is laser-cut from sheets of Mat board (or metal-lined paper board) that need to be glued together. The skill level for assembling the telescope is rated between intermediate to advanced, and suitable for ages 14 and up. When completed, the telescope and its oblong hexagonal base will measure 8x5x5 inches overall.

Designer: Houha Designs

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Nissan reveals the 2023 Z model, fitting it out with a turbocharged engine and 400-hp for the smoothest ride yet!

Replacing 2020’s 370z, Nissan’s 2023 Z model merges retro aesthetics with a fastback chassis that hosts a turbocharged engine and integrated modern technology for the smoothest ride yet.

Since 1969, Nissan’s Z-model has been recognized for its performance reliability, inexpensive price point, and sleek fastback chassis. Today, the automobile manufacturer debuts their 2023 Nissan Z to keep the heritage strong. Returning to the 1969 model’s retro sloping roof, the 2023 Nissan Z will feature aesthetic tributes to the build of previous Z-models and incorporate modern technology to bring the car’s retro design into the scope of today’s technological possibilities.

Powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine, the 2023 Nissan Z will be loaded with 400 hp, 350 lb-ft of torque, and a redline of 6,800 rpm. Improving on the model’s predecessor, the 370Z, Nissan’s 2023 Z model accelerates its 0-60 mph time by 15%, positioning the newer model in the low 4-second range. The 2023 Nissan Z will also be the first model of the lineup to feature launch control with a manual transmission, allowing the car to accelerate from a standing start.

Double-wishbone front suspensions also update the 2023 Nissan Z’s geometry, making for smoother and enhanced straight-line stability. Monotube shocks with larger diameters should also improve stability when driving over uneven surfaces. Reducing the flex of the model’s chassis, Nissan integrated a strut tower brace and enlarged the four-wheel disc brake system for the 2023 Z model.

While most of Z’s technical specs have been updated to meet today’s technological advancements, the interior’s two-seat bench merges the old with the new. Some design details from 1969 still find their way inside and outside 2023’s model, from the car’s door handles to its steering wheel. Besides that, you’ll find the standard in-cabin technology we’ve come to expect with newer cars, such as an 8-inch touchscreen navigation system with built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities, keyless entry with push-start, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitoring.

Designer: Nissan

The 2023 Z will come in either bright blue or yellow, giving it a standout color for everything from racing to cruising. 

The car’s turbocharged engine equips the 2023 Nissan Z with 400-hp.

Inside, interior design elements pay tribute to the car’s 1969 origin model.

The 2023 Nissan Z features larger front tires to increase cornering. 

The taillights and headlights are designed in ode to the car’s original model as well.

An 8-inch touchscreen navigation system enhances the Nissan 2023 Z’s modern edge.

The Nissan 2023 Z comes with 18×9 aluminum front wheels and rear Yokohama ADVAN Sport P245/45R18 tires.

Bandai’s Ultra-Realistic Nile Crocodile Model: Looking Toothy

Crocodiles: you can easily tell them apart from alligators based on whether you’ll see them later or after a while. Plus alligators have broad, flat heads with only their top teeth visible when their mouths are closed, and crocodiles have pointed snouts with all teeth visible all the time. But to specifically celebrate the 16-foot freshwater Nile Crocodile, Bandai is releasing this 1/12 scale Ikimono Encyclopedia Ultimate Nile Crocodile model.

The 19,800-yen (~$180) fully assembled model features posable legs, an opening and closing mouth, and the entire body and tail are jointed vertically between each row of scales for ultimate articulation. It measures approximately 16″ long and I can already hear my wife screaming when she steps out of the shower and sees the scale crocodile model I placed on the bathmat.

While $180 is typically out of my model price range, the thing I like most about this one is that it comes pre-assembled, meaning that while it does cost a fair bit more, I won’t just break all the plastic pieces and rage quit with a half-assembled model airplane glued to the kitchen counter.

[via Mike Shouts]

LEGO International Space Station Model Ready to Sail Into Space

With awesome kits like the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo 11 lunar lander, LEGO continues to give space geeks reasons to bust out their wallets. Now, thanks to a great design concept submitted by a LEGO Ideas contributor, we’re about to get another sweet LEGO space model.

Based on a design by Christophe Ruge (aka “XCLD”), this amazing LEGO creation lets you build a detailed model of the International Space Station.

The 864-piece kit (set number 21321) includes the ISS’ working laboratory and living quarters at its center, surrounded by eight double solar panel arrays, each of which can be tilted. It also comes with a miniature space shuttle that can be docked with the ISS, as well as a satellite that attaches to a robotic arm.

The finished model measures 19″ wide x 12″ long x 7″ high, and includes a display stand – which is essential give the space station’s unwieldy shape. Since this thing isn’t minifig scale, it comes with two tiny “microfigure” astronauts, so you can send them on a spacewalk around the station. It also comes with a 148-page booklet about the ISS, and the designer of the model.

Best of all, LEGO isn’t making us break the bank for this kit. It’s reasonably-priced at just $69.99. It goes on sale on February 1, 2020 on the LEGO website and at LEGO stores, so you won’t have to wait long to add this to your collection.

Porsche dreams up a Star Wars ship inspired by its Taycan EV

Here's a Star Wars marketing tie-up you may not have seen coming: Porsche has teamed with Lucasfilm to create a fantasy spaceship based on the Taycan EV. While the "Tri-Wing S-91x Pegasus Starfighter" won't appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker...

App allows citizen scientists to track monarch butterfly migration

If you've ever pulled out your phone to take a picture of a butterfly, researchers want your help. A team from the University of Maine is using an app that lets citizens scientists along the East Coast take photos of monarch butterfly migration sites...

LEGO Harley-Davidson Fat Boy: Get Your Motor Runnin’

Do you like smoke and lightning? How about some heavy metal thunder? If you answered yes, you might just be born to be wild. And if you are a true nature’s child, you’ll want to grab this LEGO Creator Expert set that’s based on the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle.

The 1023-piece kit lets you create a miniature version of the iconic motorcycle. It features lots of neat details like a tiny Milwaukee-Eight engine with moving pistons, dual exhaust pipes, handlebar steering, moveable gear shift pedal and brake levers, and a kickstand. The miniature hog rides atop Lakester wheels with some nice fat tires to keep it planted to the ground.

The finished kit measures in at 12″ long and about 7″ high, and looks ready to take to the open road at full throttle. Just don’t get pulled over by any LEGO cops.

The $99.99 set is available for pre-order now at shop.lego.com, and ships on August 1, 2019. LEGO VIPs can grab the set a couple of weeks early on July 17.

If you prefer your Harleys to be life-size, then check out this awesome build that LEGO did to celebrate the launch of the set. What you’re looking at is a 100% scale replica of the real bike, constructed from nearly 70,000 individual bricks.

Adam Savage Shows off Awesome Blade Runner Blimp Replica

One of the coolest things about Blade Runner was its future environment. And in that universe, we saw those cool floating advertising blimps. Sadly, these futuristic airships still haven’t become a reality, so it’s up to us to create them if we want them. Fortunately, Adam Savage and Kayte Sabicer of Tested have done just that, creating an awesome mini replica of the floating billboards.

While Adam led the project, it’s clear from the video that Kayte did most of the heavy lifting on this build, so kudos, Kayte! It took many months of work and it shows. This thing is full of detail and yes, it even displays on its built-in video screen. Plug it in, and an ad comes up for the Off-World Colonies where you can begin again in a land of golden opportunity. Inside, it has fiber-optics and a color wheel inside so that its lights change just like they did in the movie. It even uses the original video files and sound files from the film. And since it was built to half-scale of the original movie model, it required much more precision to put it all together.

You can check out a few more detail images of this amazing build below, courtesy of Norman Chan.

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2019

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I want this thing so badly. Sadly it’s one of a kind. Maybe I can capture Adam and Kayte and lock them in my basement until they make me one? Is that going too far? God, this thing is gorgeous.