Making a District 9 Alien Assault Rifle Prop Replica

One of our favorite science fiction movies is District 9, which features beautiful props by Weta Workshop. Paying tribute to the film, we team up with prop maker Bill Doran and effects artist Frank Ippolito to replicate the movie’s Alien Assault Rifle and accompanying alien hand. We walk through the process of building each, with the final cosplay pieces coming together at Comic-Con! (Thanks to Smooth-On for providing materials for this build!)

Shot and edited by Joey Fameli
Additional footage by Frank Ippolito and Bill Doran

Tested Builds: DIY Arcade Cabinet Kit, Part 1

Time to start more weeks of builds! This week, we’re joined by Jeremy Williams to assemble his new Porta-Pi DIY Arcade Cabinet Kit. the Porta-Pi is a desktop-sized arcade emulator that runs on either a Raspberry Pi or mini computer. Jeremy had built an earlier version, but the new model has a larger screen and more powerful computer inside. Let’s get to building! (Follow along the rest of the week by joining the Tested Premium member community!)

Show and Tell: Robugtix T8X Robot Spider

Remember Adam’s creepy robot spider that he got a few years ago? The company that made that prototype has finally released the T8X, an updated version of the remote-controlled spider. Its movements are eerily lifelike, with an inverse kinematics algorithm coordinating all of its leg servos.

Shot and Edited by Joey Fameli

Behind the Scenes of the BattleBots Production

The BattleBots season finale is tonight, and we were on location during the filming of the final match-ups. Here’s what you didn’t see on TV. We chat with some of the competitors after their matches, learn how they prepare and repair their bots, and stick around for the unaired grudge matches!

Shot and edited by Joey Fameli