Tag Archives: miniature

modelcars22modelcars23 modelcars17 modelcars16 modelcars11modelcars12 modelcars9modelcars10 modelcars3modelcars4modelcarsheaderModel maker and photographer Michael Paul Smith has an extensive collection of detailed die-cast model cars and a keen eye for forced perspective.

For the last 25 years, Smith has been honing his craft, setting up miniature vehicle dioramas (mostly against real-world backdrops) to create atmospheric and super-realistic vistas from a fictional town he calls Elgin Park.

The photographer explains his process in an interview with Fstoppers.

petapixel

(H/T: Barry McKenna)

tether

The utterly hatstand sport of tether car racing dates back to the 1930s. AMRCA which oversees the three existing US tracks in California, Indianapolis and Long Island explainz:

The classes are 1.5cc (.09 cu in), 2.5cc (.15 cu in), 5cc (.29 cu in), and 10cc (.61 cu in). Running on an alcohol-oil fuel and using tuned exhaust pipes the engines peak out at over 44,000 rpm in the smallest class. The cars run on a special circular track held to the center post by a wire tether. The person running the car stays on the outside of the track and the helper in the center assists the car off the line and stabilizes it until it reaches about 80 mph and then steps onto a small platform on the center pole until the car is shut off at the end of the run.

In the clip above, filmed at Whittier Narrows in California back in 2011, an especially nippy model accelerates to a squealy, supercar-bothering 205mph (330km/h).

reddit/awesomer

rcbattle

LA filmmakers Zach King and Aaron B assemble battle groups of toy soldiers, mini-explosives, remote control tanks and aircraft to create the epic miniature confict you dreamed of as a kid.

Or, in our case, yesterday afternoon.

Behind the scenes video here and sound design feature here.

laughingsquid

f486_eye_of_sauron_desk_lamp_detail f486_eye_of_sauron_desk_lamp_ondesk f486_eye_of_sauron_desk_lampA hefty $300 from ThinkGeek. A 53cm tall Barad-dûr desklamp with a roving eye that turns toward anything it deems worth watching.

Caution: its gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh.

Maybe keep it away from the cat.

BrianscarBrian Daly asks:

“This is the largest automobile I could afford, should I therefore be made the subject of fun?”

The dog replies:

Absolutely not, Brian. We salute you, sir, and your budget 1930s-pram-looking eco-hooptie.

Ask the dog: broadsheet@broadsheet.ie