Introduction: Mario Coin Box - Wall Decoration

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I needed to hide an old lamp installation which we did not need anymore. So how about a Mario Coinbox?

The box itself is 12cm in height and width, 4cm in depth.

Supplies

  • Access to a Lasercutter
  • Plywood 4mm A4
  • 4 wood cubes with 15mm edges, 12 screws 30x16 (tiny) + screwdriver
  • or alternatively 12 screws, 12 nuts and 9 angles from your metal construction kit (kids toy)
  • paint and brushes
  • glue or double-sided tape
  • stapler (optional)
  • Access to a printer and to a laminator, scissors
  • something to attach it to the wall

Step 1: Lasercutter

Before you start: you need access to a Lasercutter. There are several places to look for one (copyshops, makerspaces, some university facilities rent them as well). You need to cut mariobox2.pdf into plywood, 4mm thick. One sheet A4 is sufficient. Alter the lines to hairlines, red is for vector engraving, blue for cutting. I designed mariobox2.pdf to minimize cutting time and used plywood. If you want to play around use mariobox3.pdf.

Before cutting you need to know how you want to attach your box at the wall. My prototype has 2 additional holes on the top tile to be screwed on an existing angle. Those holes are not included in the provided pdfs.

Attachments

Step 2: Fetch Your Supplies and Paint the Tiles

Now paint the tiles. I used acrylic paint with brushes and tried to paint only the surfaces to have a nice 3D look. The 4 question mark tiles are white, the box itself yellow and the wooden washers are brown. There is one spare washer just in case. When the paint is dry glue the white question mark tiles on the yellow box tiles and let it dry again.

Also print out the coin.pdf, fold it and glue it with either double-sided tape or some other non-fluid glue to prevent ugly curves. Cut out the coins from the paper and laminate them so that each coin has enough space below to be fixed to the wooden T. I used the largest coin but had the middle coin as spare.

Side note: my prototype differs a bit from the provided pdf. Don't worry if your tiles look different.

Attachments

Step 3: Screw It Together

Now comes the fun part: screw the box together. Use the wooden washers and screw the yellow box tiles onto the wood cubes. My prototype had the wrong edge size therefore it looks a bit weird.

When the box is ready it is time to move on with the coin. Cut out your favorite size from the laminate: leave enough space around the paper otherwise it will fall apart. Also leave enough plastic below the coin to attach it to the wooden T. Check twice before cutting.

After that use glue or sticky tape to attach the coin to the wooden T and the small bar. Insert it into the Box as seen in the picture and test it. When you are sure it fits you can use the stapler to finish it. If you want to hide cables use insulating tape to cover the staples.

Now you just need to attach it to the wall and you have a nice looking geeky highlight. You can of course use other images instead of the coin such as stars, mushrooms, fire flowers, bowsette, etc.

Step 4: