When electronic toys break they’re often discarded, but for resourceful makers this can open up a whole range of project ideas.

“Long ago I had a model RC dragonfly. It never worked very well and I broke it,” says Instructables user NanoRobotGeek. “Over the years I have scavenged most of the parts to make other projects, however I always left the gearbox intact for the day I decided to make something like this.”

NanoRobotGeek created the flapping dragonfly robot using freeform circuits. “I laid brass rod on top of the plans and bent each section until it matched the drawing. I then soldered each section in place, often while the brass still lay on the drawing. The brass does wick up more heat than a thin component leg but other than that it is just like soldering a circuit together.”