Making an Interactive Monster Truck Bedside Lamp

Intro: Making an Interactive Monster Truck Bedside Lamp

Like many young boys and girls and many not so young, my grandson is a HUGE fan of Monster Trucks, with his birthday coming up I thought I would create something special for his room. A bit of browseing thru thrift stores and a local big megamart supplied me with the materials I thought I'd need because of course I was building from an idea NOT a plan.

STEP 1: The Materials

The base wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it would work. I then found a couple of toys that would fit my base, gathered up some assorted nuts and bolts and small tools and of course my camera!

STEP 2: The First Car

This little car had some kind of speaker inside, it didn't work but those holes would come in handy, some quick surgery got the car apart, the guts thrown in the parts box and a bolt run thru the slightly enlarged hole, I ran a nut up snug using a socket.

STEP 3: The Monster Part

I thought about using epoxy to attach both the toys, but I didn't think it would hold well to a 5year olds playing especially since the rubber tires have large treads, luckily the tires came off rather easily and a small screwdriver easily made the holes for the bolts, I put a small washer on each bolt b4 pushing the bolt thru the tire from the inside, a nut was then run up tight, I was hoping it would make the attachment easier without the bolt spinning and it did

STEP 4: Attaching the Monster Truck

I tried to get the bolts aligned as much as possible, placed the truck in position and marked where I needed holes in the plastic base ( sorry I didn't have the drill pictured) drilled the holes in the plastic base, inserted the bolts and ran a washer and nut up tight

STEP 5: Finished

The finished piece still has movement and a young boy can pop a wheelie and "crush" the car, totally unplanned but a nice bonus !  I'm not sure if the shade will be the final incarnation, I have in mind decopageing some pictures from the local Monster Jam with the trucks flying thru the air.. but that will have to be another "ible"

Comments

[yourmominfinity]

That is awsome brother my son loves monster trucks and we are about to ahave an new baby so i want to do something special for him so he doesnt feel like he ws left out i am trying to come up witha bed i dea if you have any thouhgs hit me up at [e-mail]
Love the lame
Steve

[ChrysN]

Fun lamp! I'm sure your grandson would love it. The decoupage on the lampshade would look really cool too.