Gizmodo: mech

Mecha, Hovercycles and Flying Bikes: Meet the Tony Stark of Wasilla, Alaska

John Herrman — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:04:43 EST

Wasilla, Alaska: Home to moose, human, and most notoriously, one Sarah Palin. Its most famous resident may be a divisive one, but I think we can all agree that Carlos Owen, backyard roboticist and aspiring mad scientist, is a hero.

We've spotlighted Owen's work before, back when he unveiled his 20-foot fire-breathing mech. As impressive and imposing as that was, I think it might be his least ambitious project. How about a hovering bike? A flying bike? With guns, potentially? And that's just what he's tinkering with in his backyard right now, according to VBS.TV, who went to visit him in his outdoor workshop.

You can sum up the whole interview, and my unabashed Carlos enthusiasm, with his closing quote:

The ones I'm dong now blow my mind, so I can't even imagine what I'll be building in 30 years.

Damn straight, guy. You are America. [Neogentronyx via VBS.TV]

The Scope Dog R/C Mech Will Have You Going From Six To Midnight

Sean Fallon — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:20:00 EDT

I think a "wow" is in order with the Scope Dog R/C mech. Plucked from the 80's anime series VOTOMS this 1/24 scale Scope Dog Turbo Custom can do it all.

Using the controller you can make the robot "roller dash" and fire its assault rifle. If you have two, you and a buddy can wage war by firing infrared shots from the guns. The controller will respond with sounds and vibration when your mech is hit. However, building up an army of these mechs isn't going to come cheap. Each one will set you back $248. [Japan Trend Shop via 7Gadgets via DVICE]

Amazing Costume is Either a Kid Dressed as a Mech or a Mech Dressed as a Kid

Adam Frucci — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Happy Halloween! Bad news! Your costume sucks compared to this kid's, which is amazing. It's a homemade chicken walker mech costume, and it is so badass I can't quite put how badass it is into words. I think between this and the Lil' Mega Man costume we can conclude that Halloween is the best time for awesome dads to work on really fun, nerdy costumes with their kids. What can I say, I'm a sucker for familial bonding mixed with awesome walking mech children. And check out this adult-sized AT-ST walker costume:

Clearly, walkers are this year's Amy Winehouse costume. [2Wicky via Make; Make]

Inflatable Killer Robot (Verdict: We're Getting Closer)

Mark Wilson — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:30:45 EDT

The Mega Mech Airmagination inflatable robot isn't quite the My Buddy/Optimus Prime hybrid that we've had in mind since age 8 1/2, but it brings us one step closer to the loving embrace of cold, possibly sharp steel talons. Because the Mega Mech Aimagination a fully remote controlled friend. Essentially an RC car with a balloon sticking out, the Mega Mech can also learn a few preset phrases and speak them back all killer-robot-like.

The idea is great considering the pricetag is just $40, but something tells me that there's an Airmagination Rollerskating Doll out there that's just not being treated right. [product via scifitech]