Q-BA-MAZE

Daring New Tower

This is Tower 15 -- a daring new tower design submitted by Mitch. It uses the cubes from two 50-packs and includes a number of jumps for the marbles.

Q-BA-MAZE Plans Page: A Free Resource of Ideas and Inspiration

The Q-BA-MAZE plans page is a free resource of ideas and inspiration. And it just keeps growing with all of the designs uploaded to us by people around the United States using our submissions page!

In these challenging economic times, people need to be able to do more with less -- so we regularly update the plans page with new designs for people to build which require just one or two Q-BA-MAZE packs.

After building free-form structures or following the instruction plans, a Q-BA-MAZE enthusiast can take the next step and record favorite designs using Q-BA-DRAW (Microsoft Excel required). The How To Draw video describes how to draw designs using Q-BA-DRAW. Once recorded in Q-BA-DRAW, a new design can be saved or printed for rebuilding later, it can be emailed to a friend or it can be submitted to the Q-BA-MAZE website.

As a boy, I would use all of my LEGOs in elaborate designs and it was always a bit of a disappointment to have to tear these apart in order to make anything new. I developed Q-BA-DRAW so that people could record their own favorite Q-BA-MAZE designs for rebuilding anytime in the future. Q-BA-DRAW helps people do more with less and extends our mission of inspiring creativity at the same time.

To get the word out to our retailers about the plans page, we have mailed each of them the 5 x 8 post card above which shows 20 of the Q-BA-MAZE designs.

Since the 20-pack makes such a nice little display stand, you may even see the Q-BA-MAZE plans page post card we sent displayed at your local toy store!

The annual Toy Fair in New York City is approaching. We will be showing many of the marble run sculptures from the Q-BA-MAZE plans page including those in the landscape scene at the top of this post: Palm Island, Sun and three butterflies.

Hanukkah Bush, Christmas Tree, Blue Spruce and Marble Maze!

 

This blue spruce sapling with snow-tipped branches is just in time for the Holidays. 

Build this with two Q-BA-MAZE Cool Colors 50-packs following the marble maze plan here.

Thank Mitch from Missouri for submitting this for all to share!

Face or Temple?

 

This is a design by Tessa (one of several University of Minnesota interns working at Q-BA-MAZE). She sees a face. I see a Balinese temple. 

Since it is a pretty abstract design, we have named it Tower Eleven. It is made from two Q-BA-MAZE 50-Packs -- one Hot Colors and one Cool Colors.

To build it yourself, see this construction plan.

(Tessa's arm, by the way, makes a cameo in our latest marble run video). 

Flower Design From Missouri

 

Mitch from Missouri designed this new Q-BA-MAZE sculpture which uses all of the cubes of a Cool  Colors 50-Pack.

Using Q-BA-CAD (blank Excel files available on Q-BA-MAZE .com), he drew the instruction plan and uploaded it to us in Minneapolis using the Submissions Page at Q-BA-MAZE.com.

We built Mitch's design from his plan, took a photo and put together the final instruction plan pdf. Now Mitch's design is available on the Plans Page for anyone to use.

We have listed Mitch's name in the Plans Index as the designer of Flower One.

Designing a representational sculpture in which each cube is used with consideration of color, pathway, and stability is a real challenge. Mitch has done an absolutely fantastic job with this new Flower One design! Way to go Mitch!

(PS Mitch has also uploaded a Candle and a Rocket design and we are preparing those for the Plans Page as well!)

Marble Run Video of the Fish Five Design

There are two sides to Q-BA-MAZE play:

CONSTRUCTION with the inter-locking cubes 

ACTIVATION with the randomly rolling marbles

This new video shows both sides of Q-BA-MAZE play. It also shows the mysterious way in which a single marble will sometimes take several seconds to "decide" whether to exit out the left or right side of a cube. A handful of marbles will rush through a structure and a single marble will linger.

The Fish Five design is highlighted here and many other designs are available on the Q-BA-MAZE marble run plans page or in your own imagination!

Fish Eight Marble Run

 

Here is the Fish Eight marble run sculpture!

It is made with two 50-packs: one in the Cool Colors (Q50C) and one in the Hot Colors (Q50H).

The construction plan for Fish Eight is on the Q-BA-MAZE marble run plans page.

Stay tuned -- we have another more abstract design coming in a few days with a Balinese flavor. . .

Marble Run Sculpture: DINO ONE

At the close of the March 2008 interview with John Baichtal of Wired.com's GeekDad Blog, I said we were working on a brontosaurus, and now:

Here is DINO ONE!

DINO ONE is our first dinosaur marble run design and we are about to follow this up with ROBOT ONE and BUTTERFLY ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR. You can find instruction plans for DINO ONE on our ever-growing plans page on the Q-BA-MAZE website. The plans page includes Q-BA-MAZE designs you can build using anywhere from 12 to more than 100 cubes.