Gas Powered Ride-On Toys For Serious Car Enthusiasts and REALLY Lucky Children.

Pocket Classics of the UK lovingly creates a variety of miniature gas-powered custom classic cars for both children ages 10+ as well as adults. Each toy car is lovingly handmade, taking in excess of 450 hours to craft. They offer several models (Cobra, The California, DB5, XK120 and DS) or can build your personalized car to any specifications that you wish.





These toys, if you can call them 'toys,' are 100% serviceable, and virtually indestructible. With composite bodies and chassis, they will literally last for generations. All the mechanics are over-engineered to ensure durability.




The Cobra
The Cobra is a tribute to Carroll Shelby’s masterpiece. Suitable for ages 10 all the way up to large adults.





Miniature Cobra Specs:
• 110cc 4 stroke air-cooled petrol engine
• Top speed 46mph+ (can be limited)
• Semi-automatic gearbox: 3 speed forward and reverse
• 4 wheel independent suspension with coilovers
• Twin front and single rear hydraulic Brembo disc brakes
• Electric start, lights, horn, indicators
Price: £7,995 + local taxes

The California
The California is an interpretation of Italian elegance personified – one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Suitable for ages 10 all the way up to large adults.






Miniature California specs:
• 110cc 4 stroke air-cooled petrol engine
• Front engined, with rear wheel drive
• Top speed 46mph+ (can be limited)
• Semi-automatic gearbox: 3 speed forward and reverse
• 4 wheel independent coilover suspension
• Twin front and single rear hydraulic Brembo disc brakes
• Electric start, lights, horn, indicators
Price: £12,495 + local taxes

The XK120:



The XK120 is a timeless British classic from the 1940s, once the world’s fastest production car. Suitable for ages 10 all the way up to large adults.

Miniature XK120 specs:
• 110cc 4 stroke air-cooled petrol engine
• Front engined, with rear wheel drive
• Top speed 46mph+ (can be limited)
• Semi-automatic gearbox: 3 speed forward and reverse
• 4 wheel independent coilover suspension
• Twin front and single rear hydraulic Brembo disc brakes
• Electric start, lights, horn, indicators
Available soon

The DB5 and DS (coming soon):


The DB5 is the first choice of transport for the world’s most famous spy. Suitable for ages 10 all the way up to large adults.
Miniature DB5 specs:
• 110cc 4 stroke air-cooled petrol engine
• Front engined, with rear wheel drive
• Top speed 46mph+ (can be limited)
• Semi-automatic gearbox: 3 speed forward and reverse
• 4 wheel independent coilover suspension
• Twin front and single rear hydraulic Brembo disc brakes
• Electric start, lights, horn, indicators
Price upon inquiry

The DS is their tribute to the French beauty designed by a sculptor and an aircraft engineer – decades ahead of its time. Suitable for ages 10 all the way up to large adults.
Miniature DS specs:
• 110cc 4 stroke air-cooled petrol engine
• Front engined, with rear wheel drive
• Top speed 46mph+ (can be limited)
• Semi-automatic gearbox: 3 speed forward and reverse
• 4 wheel independent coilover suspension
• Twin front and single rear hydraulic Brembo disc brakes
• Electric start, lights, horn, indicators
Available soon

The chassis and brake system:




The cars in action:


And a few more enticing photos:






Check out Pocket Classics for more information, prices and ordering.

Beck's Beer Unveils Their 2013 Limited Edition Art Labeled Bottles

After the runaway success of last yearʼs Beckʼs Art Labels project, Beckʼs Beer is upping the tempo even more by bringing together six of todayʼs most exciting artists, each tasked with giving their individual spin on the iconic Beckʼs bottle. Selected by Beckʼs, each artist was chosen on account of their groundbreaking, multi-disciplinary approach to art and music.



Beck’s Beer commissioned Heist for the second year running to create a short film for their 2013 Art Label series featuring the work of William Hundley, TM Sisters, The Date Farmers, Marc Ecko, Willis Earl Beal, and Kid Cudi (more about each artist at the end of the post).



The film takes you on a journey with the six artists, chronicling their creative process and the inspiration that led them to their final art labels, to be printed on 13.2 million bottles worldwide. In addition to producing the film, Heist shot the editorial photography for the 2013 Beck’s Art Label advertising campaign with each artist and their limited edition art label.



Heist collaborated with the featured artists to create one film telling the story of the project. This cinematic documentary explores the inspiration behind their selected artworks and captures elements of their creative practice in breathtaking 5K cinematography. Heist traveled to the sun bleached desert of the Coachella Valley, the expansive pastures of the Texas countryside, the warm waters of Miami Beach, and filmed in our own backyard in New York City to capture the 2013 lineup at work.



From William Hundleyʼs Umberto, a dynamic label that invokes a sense of wonder through a futurist photograph, to Willis Earl Bealʼs black and white sketch Nobody Knows, epitomizing his ethos of “Weʼre each nothing. Weʼre all everything”, Beckʼs gives artists an extraordinary canvas to broadcast their creative vision

Date Farmers:

Kid Cudi:

Marc Ecko:

TM Sisters:

Wiliam Earl Beal:

William Hundley:


To give you an insiderʼs look into each artistʼs journey, Beckʼs chronicled their creative process and the inspiration that led them to their final Art Label design. Watch the reveal of Beckʼs Art Labels 2013 with Kid Cudi, Marc Eckō, Willis Earl Beal, The Date Farmers, TM Sisters, and William Hundley.

MARC ECKō:

WILLIS EARL BEAL:

THE DATE FARMERS:

TM SISTERS:

WILLIAM HUNDLEY:


About the Artists

•Kid Cudi is a Grammy-Award winning, gold-selling musician and actor. Cudi is a leader of the urban alternative movement. His hit single “Day ‘n’ Nite” laid the groundwork for his major album debut.

•Marc Eckō is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur and artist who believes creativity is more about the journey than the destination. His art label features a photograph of an original sculpture that illustrates his process: Unlock, un-label.

•Willis Earl Beal is a musician, songwriter and visual artist who has lived a colorful life, filled with outsider art and a demand to be heard. His art label embodies his music: Understanding how an individual doesn’t represent the whole.

•TM Sisters are a Miami sibling duo who works in digital video performance, collages, VJing, fashion pieces and video games. Their techno, topical aesthetic shines through in an art label that depicts an epic pose of a flying woman shooting beams from her hands.

•William Hundley is an emerging photographer and artist with an original style that captures surreal imagery through simple means. His art label features a dynamic photo that invokes a sense of wonder and encourages questions.

•Date Farmers are an artist team that echoes Mexican-American heritage rooted in California pop culture. Their paintings, collages and sculptures – often featuring the dog – highlight duty and responsibility, keeping as close as they can to the truth.

Dedicated to supporting the best artistic talent, Beckʼs will showcase their artworks on 13.2 million labels, creating the worldʼs largest stage for artists. The bottles will be available at various liquor retailers.

images, info and videos courtesy of Protein, Becks and Heist.

Blackboard Coated Pendant Lamps Are A Canvas For Creativity.

These suspension lamps by In-Es ArtDesign double as a canvas for creativity. Covered in matte black blackboard paint, they can be doodled upon with chalk.



Whether you decorate them with messages, designs or leave them blank, the pendant lamps which come in three different shapes with various colored interiors, work beautifully in any environment.






These lamps are also available with a concrete-like paint finish for those who want a lighter look, as shown below.



Learn more at In-Es ArtDesign

30 Carved Wood Baseball Bats by Vincent Kohler in 'Turnaround.'

'Turnaround' is an artistic project by Vincent Kohler which focuses on the theme of the baseball bat. It consists of a collection of thirty baseball bats, turned on a lathe using different species of woods. Each bat is unique in form, and a book combining texts by various authors and photographs was specially done on the subject for this project.

Unusual and Beautiful Area Rugs Combine Art and Faux Cowhide.

Designed by Young & Battaglia with artwork by Chiara Fersini and Chad Wys, these beautiful and unusual hide area rugs are made in England.

Paros Cyclades Greece House With Swimming Pool You Can Look Into From Inside The Home.

This lovely summer house in Paros Cyclades (Kikladhes) Greece was designed and constructed by Alexandros Logodotis of Logodotis – Art to fit

The HotTug. A Motorized Floating Wood-Fired Hot Tub!

The HotTug is the first wood-fired hot tub boat in the world and you can put it right at the top of my wish list. (see the updated post  with all the photos and info here)

Letter Perfect Shelving. The Anita Collection from Quattria.

Available for wall and floor, ANITA consists of letters that form words to support books, picture frames or whatever you like. The thermoformed acrylic shelving was designed by Ricard Mollon for Quattria and comes in translucent red, blue or clear. Whether you place them on the floor, stack them or wall mount them, these configurable shelves will add some expression, literally and figuratively, to your home.











Learn more here at Quattria
all images courtesy of Quattria.

The Aquafarm Is A Self-Cleaning Fish Tank And Herb Garden In One.

Aquafarm is an Aquaponics Garden from Back to the Roots, a company founded by Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora during their last semester at UC Berkeley in 2009.


above: Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora of Back To The Roots.


The second product offered from Back To The Roots (the first was a grow-your-own mushroom kit), Aquafarm was successfully funded via Kickstarter in December of 2012.

So, What Is It?
The tabletop eco-system uses the fish waste to naturally fertilize the plants above. In turn, the plants clean the water for your pet fish.





The Aquafarm includes natural aquatic supplies from Home Grown Ponics and organic seeds from Seeds of Change.

What's Happening Inside?



The fish, they poo and they pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients.



The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as an awesome organic fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients and, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish.



There is no soil - the plants are growing just on rocks - all the nutrients coming from the fish (no need for any artificial fertilizers - it's all organic)

There is no need to clean the water because of the plants - it's a self-cleaning fish tank!

What Can I Grow?


Choose from a variety of fresh produce, including spinach, baby greens, oregano, beans, basil, mint, parsley & thyme.

What Kind of Fish?

above: various types of Betta Fish.

You can pick from a ton of different types of fish that will work great in the system - including the Betta fish pictured in their system in this post.

On June 7th of this year, they finally shipped the first one. Below is a video of Alejandro and Nikhil giving us a peek into the production:



Aquafarm, The Self-Cleaning Fish Tank that Grows Food


• Self-cleaning fish tank that grows food.
• Fish waste feeds the plants. Plants clean the water.
• Includes everything you need to get started as well as organic seeds and a discount     coupon for a Betta fish.
• Sleek and attractive design with 3-gallon capacity.
• Perfect for your kitchen or classroom. Also makes a great gift.
• Designed and manufactured in California

Where Can I Get One?
The Aquafarm retails for $59.99 and can be purchased here