How to make an Army men bowl

Way back in July of 2006 I posted about "How to make a hipster record bowl". Well after looking around for ideas and better tutorials I've decided it's time to post my new closely guarded secret of "How to make an Army men bowl".

• Firstly recruitment. You may be lucky enough to have a large platoon of vintage Army men collecting dust somewhere, which is great because it is my belief that they just don't make Army Men from good plastics anymore. In any case you need quite a few depending of the size of bowl you plan to make and the only kind I could find here in any great number are called "Super Solider". I picked up 3 boxes each containing around 200 little newly drafted guys for $3.99 NZD a box. Not bad.
  

• Next it's a good idea to find a suitable vessel/bowl that you can safely place inside the oven without freaking out if it all turns into a horrid toxic mess. *Tip no. 1. Take it from me. Save yourself lots of hassle, justification and just plain weird looks by not using any sentimental frying pans gifted to you from your Fiances parents to melt plastic toy soldiers in the oven ... but you know? On second thought, It's your call.
  

• Preheat your oven to 150 degrees/300 Fahrenheit fan bake.
  

• Once you have pulled these resources together you are almost there, but not before what might turnout to be the most frustrating part of the entire operation. Laying out the units. You need to carefully and intentionally cover the entire base (in my case a large metal mixing bowl) with men until you can start to building up and around the curvature of the bowl - But be careful sometimes lazy or bad placement of the men in unstable areas can create tumbling avalanches which will have you pulling your hair out and starting all over again, or worse giving up altogether.
  

• Now once you have an aesthetically pleasing amount arranged in the bowl, (I like to build it up to the rim the whole way away around). Place your bowl carefully into the preheated oven for around 15 minutes on 150 degrees/300 Fahrenheit fan bake to evenly soften them up. Then turn up the temperature to 180C/350F, cut the fan and bake for a further 10 minutes or until you are happy will the fusing and melting. Be sure to keep a close eye on whats happening because things can change really fast. *Tip no.2 Remember, melting plastic creates a highly dangerous mix of toxic fumes (as my now Teflon lungs will testify too) so always cover your mouth and have access to good ventilation when doing this. Let me stress this point once more. This is no joke, you can kill yourself!
  

• With an oven cloth, remove from oven and let stand, I always take it outside and leave it on the lawn to cool. As it cools the army men should start to harden and in the process start to pull themselves away from the bowl. Give it some time, you can hear it cracking as it pops away from the surface. After 10 or so minutes of cooling you should be able to gently work and pull the bowl out and admire the fruit of your efforts. You may have to bend the bowl to pop any stubborn Army Men not completely free. Be prepared to lose a few good men that haven't fused properly or have broken off while removing, don't fret too much though, they all knew what the risks were when they signed up.
  

And there you have it! Good luck Id love to see any finished bowls or any tips you may have gathered along the way. If you have any questions I might be able to help you with, feel free to ask. At Ease Soldier!

By Erueti Brown with 4 comments

Your ticket to getting Lost.

Not to be confused with the television series or spin off game - Lost is a great creative idea for an invite only game currently blurring the boundary between the Internet and the real world.

The objective of Lost is simple enough: Get one point before your timer runs out or you are eliminated. Each time you gain a point your timer resets - if it reaches zero, you're out!

I wont go into explaining everything here, but if like me you're looking for any excuse to embrace creativity and original game play, then Lost is for you and here's your invite to all the fun!

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

FascinAsian # 313.

I love specialty Asian grocers.
Here are two items I recently discovered during a recent Saturday amble through the highly interesting and equally well priced aisles of the Asian grocer across from Pak'n'Save in Kilbirnie. Certainly well worth checking out if you ever find yourself out that way.



Naturally, I'm holding onto the "Bird's nest drink with flavoured artificial white fungus" for a suitable occasion should one arise.

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

It's not rocket surgery ...

Well obviously a considerable length of time has elapsed since I have been able to post any new updates to the blog - but to any of you who know me - All those allegations were proven to be 100% unfounded and may I also mention that the old adage "No body no crime" still applies in almost 60% of New Zealand criminal law cases resulting in an acquittal ...

And so with my new found freedom, let me kick things off a fresh with a little inspired project I have just finished working on and that I am quietly quite chuffed with ... if I don't say so myself.

Any person who has spent any reasonable time around me eventually realises I can be an embarrassing epic loser, and not only socially. Wallets, hats, keys and what must amount t0 several thousands of dollars by now - have all once been in my sole possession only to almost instantaneously end up fuck knows where?

Over time, I've found I tend to lose all the important stuff in my life while hoarding every worthless gimmick and piece of crap *Glenn/Sue: insert broken light box here - so from my POV it was only a matter of time before I finally married these two items together.

LEGO and keys.

Firstly if you have a cache of LEGO find some candidates you don't mind sacrificing for the greater good. Something simple like 2 or more bricks of different colours and something they can snap onto worked well for me, but I imagine LEGO being LEGO, the possibilities are endless.

The next part had me hunting around the house looking for any appropriate item I could use until I realised I could liberate the eyelet screws from behind one of our paintings hanging in the lounge. Once again more sacrificing for the greater good.

Next, I drilled a small starter hole into each LEGO so that I could work the eyelet screws firmly into the bricks. Once that was done I threaded two chains through the eyelets and attached the keys.

Lastly all that was left was to attach the LEGO base to the wall and Voila! And all done in under 10 minutes!

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

I dream of Kiwi.

Lately I've been feeling in tune with our national bird's shy yet complex nature. I've been nocturnal, elusive and somewhat reclusive while scurrying in the dark and keeping to myself.
So seeing as this little Kiwi finally feels the conditions are safe enough to poke a beak out and emerge from my otherwise safe and warm confines, here are two clips for all Kiwi both home and away. One that will melt your heart, and one you have always held close to it.

Enjoy.

By Erueti Brown with 5 comments

Cheesy Nuts.

This evening while I was making a quick salad with rocket, baby spinach and feta cheese, Sue happened to notice something that puzzled us both listed on the feta cheese label.

"May contain trace elements of nuts".

From Strange Label

Why is that? Are they feeding the cows nuts, or is it simply because once a month they shut down the cheese factory and make peanut butter? I don't know, but maybe someone out there knows why and could shed some light on our little dilemma.

Also, does anyone know the process used to get the 'M's on all the M & M's? I can Imagine thousands of M & M's laid out on an enormous tray and a huge stamp, but I think it's more likely that they pass through a rolling printer on a conveyor belt of some sort.

So in either case if you have an idea or a theory I'd love to hear from you.

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Everything Maori is new again ...

Just a quicky for my Maori set.

Fellas, looky what I scoped at Iko-Iko yesterday?

From Warrior After...

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Goodbye Hello Tiki.

It's a crying low down dirty shame ...
But I guess it serves no purpose for me to whine or rant "woulda, coulda, shoulda"... because really, if the Queen had balls, she'd be f--ken King now wouldn't she?

After weeks with my head buried in the sand absorbed in my "Hello Tiki" concept, I emerge with my spoils only to find that some chump has beaten me to the punch for the naming rights.
I did feel angry and entertained thoughts of throwing down the mattresses, but after much deliberation I would like to introduce to all to a cute little character I've created simply named "Good Tiki".

From Hanging Tiki ...

I've done a lot of work building the philosophy behind Good Tiki and I have pulled together some pieces I'm actually quite proud of. Recently I've been working on a collection of T-Shirts (as pictured) for friends and family and shoes too (and I'm considering an exhibition).

If you haven't already seen my growing series then check out my flickr page.

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Colour in a day.

Even though I started quite some time ago and my "Colour in a day" Mosaic isn't complete just yet, I thought I would give you all a sneak peek at what I'm working with any hows. Each day I pick a new colour as a subject to take photographs of ( I'm working my way through ROYGBIV).

What I enjoy most about this exercise is that I really have started to take "notice" of what I "notice". Focusing on a single colour a day has somehow trained my brain and eye to scan my everyday surroundings in much finer detail. Like some sort of reverse colour blindness, I find the colour I am needing to seek out that day really starting to pop out in my normally unconscious environment, while the rest of the world bleeds into the background with an almost black and white appearance.

And what's cooler is after seven day's of dedication and trying not to cheat, I almost have enough photographs to make a rainbow!

From Colour-in-a-day

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Bucc Krunk Strong!

From My Luxury Kicks

Check it. I've been waiting for awhile but yes, yours truly is now counted amongst the few to have jacked a dope pair of limited edition Luxury "Benjamin" kicks by Valdo.
Finally, something to get the living sh-t kicked out of me for, I can't wait!

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Monkey See, Money Do.

Real monkeys probably love bananas as much as real rabbits love carrots and real mice love cheese with holes in it. But if you've ever seen their banana pinching technique in action and tried it out yourself you'll realise our simian cousins really have this whole effortless banana peeling thing down.

Next time you have a banana handy, instead of pulling back the stem until it snaps to open and peel the banana, try a pinch with a little twist at the tip of the opposite end and you'll immediately notice the difference (and the unbroken stem acts like a kind of Popsicle stick which certainly aids enjoyment.. )

If you're still in need of a quick visual demonstration of this method, press play or go to YouTube.

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

My Invaders.

Anyone who knows me well, knows it's not uncommon for me to experience a sudden flurry of creative thoughts. However they (along with anyone else who has spent more than a couple of days around me) would also know that it is uncommon for me to commit or act upon or complete any of my fantastical ideas.

Well lately there has been a shift in that paradigm and I am happy to announce that I have been "doing more doing" rather than spouting on and on about "doing".

So long story short, (and bear in mind it's an experimental process and not the best photo), marvel as I present to you my new "Space Invader Shoes". Aren't they ill?

From Invader Shoes

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

Seinfield, Weird Al, the Vulture, H20 and Coke syrup.

Here's a quick link dump of 5ive things that have absorbed my time over the last week.

1. Forgive me if I'm last again to pickup on this but did you know for some reason there's a reference to "Super Man" in every single Seinfeld episode? Yep, every single one, so don't bother checking and oh yeah, there's also the Amex campaign.

2. Speaking of reference drops. What's up with Weird Al and his strange obsession with the number twenty seven? It's a little spooky.

3. If you're a reader of Vultures Droppings, you would have noticed how on-point their way-out tongue and cheek fashion predictions turn out to be. (A few of their predictions have been: The advent of skull and crossbones on everything, retro pink unicorns and rainbows on undersized tees/jumpers and the mysterious rise of the handkerchief as neckerchief). Their Autumn pick for guys scares me a little - so get ready for the soon-to-be-spotted-on-a-hipster-near-you essential fashion item: The "balki vest"? LOL, come on guys say it aint so!

4. Has designer water gotten as out of hand as it is expensive? Bling water wtf! via neatorama.

5. Noticed this on boingboing. Deep Fried Coca Cola batter drizzled in cola syrup and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry. Mmm, hearty and healthy!

By Erueti Brown with No comments

Work Schmurk.

You know, I've started at a new job which to be honest, sucks Yeti sacks. I'm no flakey hug-a-tree-feral-hippie but I would have burned the whole f--ken place to the ground by now if not for the beautiful vista's out my window. Check my eye candy view out.

From my work

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Graagh, Brains!

Well it's Friday the 13th and Iam back home after attending and surviving our capitals 1st Zombie march. (After party should be kicking off around 3pm at the Massey Student Union Common Room for any welly interested).

While sadly not participating as a member of the 50 deep seething horde, (I noticed there weren't any Maori zombies. That's probably because as a deeply spiritual people, we have a natural immunity to zombie bites, and not because of the quality of our brains lol!) I had hoped to bait a few twitchers into a wee chase by hanging a sign around my neck that read "Mrh?", but my in joke backfired as it would seem the only mmrpg jive this "Zmobie" (not a spelling mistake, a "Zmobie" is a mob of zombies) crew might be hip to is "World of War Craft" based and not "Urban Dead". These are the only pictures which managed to come out semi okay.

Anyway props and mad zombie love to the march organisers. I'm already looking forward to the next one. Graagh!

From Zombie March

* Oh and for any UD Zed spies or twitchers looking to get rowdy, my Urban Dead Nick is "eruasskicker". I'm in the bottom righthand quadrant of Caiger and like all members in the 'CMS' set, I've got your Barhah right here sucker.

By Erueti Brown with No comments

Pink is the new brown.

Woo hoo! I'm not normally the type of guy who goes around saying how pretty I look in my new pretty pink clothes, but my Bathing Ape zip hoodie arrived in the mail today and right now I'm looking pretty badass if I don't say so myself.

From Bathing Ape B...

By Erueti Brown with No comments

Quick review of the weekend.

From oct 08

So Coca-Cola I've noticed has decided to bring 'Mello Yellow ' back from the nostalgic 80's and once again onto the supermarket shelves, but this time as a limited edition soft drink.
Limited edition? WTF is this the start of? Next it'll be an invite only line of limited edition BAPE bottle tops? F--ken otaku. *speaking of BAPE and otaku, love him or hate him if you haven't checked out Nigos awesome UK pad or his even crazier toy collection, get ready too cry. link
Also there have been some other strange goings on in the imported beer aisle of my supermarket. Monty Python Holy Grail Beer? Pink Elephant Delirium Beer and this label just begs the question - "Is my pilot downing a pint before, during, or after takeoff?".

What else has happened across my radar this weekend?
Oh that's right, Keisha castle Hugh's, (Of 'Whale Rider', 'Star Wars' and Princes 'Cinnamon Girl' fame), is sixteen now and as if to prove shes all grown up, she's gotten herself all knocked up. Our shy little Kiwi, Paikia is preggers. Aww...

I guess that's about it, apart from this Alligator (or Crocodile) handbag we saw amongst the hipster treasures in 'Hunters and Collectors' today. Crikey!

From oct 08

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Wave your Poo Flag high.

If you've ever spent any time lurking around sidewalk curbs or spying lawn frontages desperate for a worthy turd, then I know how you feel. Poo flagging might be immature sure, but it's addictive.

I think the current "Bush-turding" craze - while worthy - is just the tip of the cloaca and comparable to thinking you've done something incredible by encircling the moon between your thumb and forefinger. For impact, its best to think globally while striking locally. Whether you're a jilted ex-lover or an unhappy customer, opportunities abound so stick it to that poo!

As a rule of thumb perhaps it's best to remember that old Austin Powers adage:

"Who does number two work for?"

Poo-vertising. It's subversive as f--k!

From Don Brash Poo...

By Erueti Brown with No comments

Ptornodactyl-rex(tum).

Any idea I might have had about what the Internet was good for (other than the obvious), completely changed back in mid 2000, when a friend of mine introduced me to the then pioneering website 'memepool'. (back before the concept or term 'meme' was commonly thrown around like so many hairs upon a moulting cat).

This marked the beginning of a long golden age of digital self discovery, with classics like "All Your Base...", "The Terrible Secret of Space"etc etc all courtesy of memepool's ever present all seeing eye.

Sadly, the spell it seems has lifted because for most of this year and the year previous, the 'memes' of memepool have been few and far between, and quite frankly as a longtime reader ... not worth the click. But as I was skurfing passed the other day, I noticed in one foul swoop - (excuse the pun) - their Sat Sep16 post stepped up with something truly 'WFTITS!!!'.

But before embarking, consider this your only warning. This is filthy, this is weird. It's full on raw-adults-only-crazy-dinosaur video porn * NSFW * Think what you like about me and my tastes but I think it's f--ken hilarious!

Pterodactyls/Dino/Gay Dinosaur Porn.

Cheers memepool, nice job!

By Erueti Brown with 2 comments

Happy Valley Enigma?

For some reason, I was born a fossicker and have always enjoyed a good old trip to the garbage dump over a trip to the beach. My favourite dump (or landfill) is sadly no longer with us (Grrr) however, I am growing rather fond of the Southern Landfill or what is more locally known as 'Happy Valley Dump'.

Happy Valley residents seem to be made up of an odd mixture of student surfers, show horse breeders, bagel bakers and Limousine drivers all somehow managing to thrive around the glaringly obvious giant landfill.
None more so than the person(s) responsible for what I like to refer to as "The Happy Valley Enigma". At the base of the road leading to the Landfill it sits, a proud but lonely (I've never seen anyone there), sprawling behemoth of giant turbine propeller blades, enormous cogs and delicately balanced boulders, lovingly (and backbreaking) placed one upon another. You will either (as I did) automatically fall in love with the energy exuding from the place or turn away in horror, a gasp as one hideous eyesore after another reveals itself.


Every time we go to the dump (and theses days any excuse will do), I have Sue make a special effort to pull over and wait in the car (what a girl to patiently wait outside a dump by herself!) while I venture around this beautiful giant installation, getting bolder and keener to explore more with every visit.
Let me tell you what a richly random yet intentional assortment of items on display once your eyes move past the giant construction galleries and you begin to pick out the smaller things in the surroundings. I've seen the beginnings of an underground tunnel covered in saw blades, a shed filled with a mountain of old rusty spanners on one side and a spooky tree growing out from the middle covered in forgotten hanging portraits on the other. (I'll get the photographs to prove this).

And Oh yeah I almost forgot. A dead body...

... Well to be precise, maybe a torso...maybe, and there's quite a lot of creepy bird taxidermy on display nailed to an adjoining wall.

It is my resolve then to find out who is responsible for this labour of twisted love (and possible murder or grave robbery). And to try and talk Sue into driving me out there at night (while not freaking out and driving off without me), when there's a bit more of an atmosphere to capture for some photographs. I don't rate my chances very high as Sue refuses to have anymore to do with my favourite little haunt after I showed her the Torso Pic and bird taxidermy (closer picture. Any guesses what it might be if not a torso?).

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment