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.

Toy Fair 2009 Q-BA-MAZE Booth: Sunrise!

The Sun is rising!

The Q-BA-MAZE Booth for the New York International Toy Fair of 2009 was a celebration of the plans page and all of the sculptural potential of the Q-BA-MAZE cubes: either following downloadable construction plans or using Q-BA-DRAW to make and upload plans of your own.

We talked with educators and toy store owners from all over the US and the world and are invigorated by the enthusiastic response we received.

Look for Q-BA-MAZE to follow up its recent Japanese distribution deal with further distribution in Europe and elsewhere in 2009!

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).