DIY Recycled / Upcycled Capsule Toy Machine (Gashapon/Gachapon) - Recyling Capsule Chix Packaging

Ciao lovelies! Today I have a recycled/upcycled DIY project for you all! In this project I'm going to reuse Capsule Chix packaging to make a fun capsule toy machine, also called a Gashapon or Gachapon Machine! 

What You'll Need:

-Capsule Chix Box 

-Capsule Chix capsules OR old Gashapon capsules

-Paint in your desired color (I chose black)

-ModPodge in your desired finish (I chose glittery)

-Desired embellishments (I used a ribbon and rhinstones)

-Big Paintbrush

-Older paintbrush specifically for ModPodge

Optional but also helpful:

-Cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol (to remove paint if it gets on the turning mechanism)

-A crafting mat or other surface to paint over so that the paint doesn't make a mess

-Primer

DISCLAIMER:

This post is not sponsored nor affiliated with Capsule Chix, I just thought of this upcyling idea and wanted to share.

What is a Gashapon/Gachapon Machine?

Before I get into the DIY, I thought I should probably explain what a Gachapon Machine is. It's basically the exact same as a Capsule toy machine in the US. Some Gachapons you buy a token for and put the token in to get your capsule. Capsules can contain things like toys, figures, candy, keychains, etc. 

For more information on Gashapons, see this Wikipedia article on Gashapon machines. 

What is a Capsule Chix toy?

Capsule Chix are a line of toys by Moose Toys. These dolls are randomized and each piece to the doll comes in a capsule. The box holding the capsules actually functions like a Gashapon machine, minus the money/token part. You turn the wheel and out comes the capsules, one by one. Each capsule contains one piece to the doll in a blind bag, and possibly other accessories. The lid of the capsules can even turn into a stand for the doll.

Capsule Chix dolls' boxes are reloadable, so you can refill the box with the capsules to play again. This is what inspired me to do this DIY/Upcycle project. I thought, if you could reload this toy with Capsule Chix pieces, why couldn't you fill the capsules with other small toys and paint it/design the box in some way to make your own custom Gashapon machine? So that's what I decided to do.

DIY/Upcycled + Recycled Capsule Chix Box into Custom Gashapon Machine

Here is what we are starting out with:

The box itself has some cool designs, but I want to paint over all of it so that I can fill it with any kind of toys and they wouldn't be out of place. Oh, and something to note: if you have leftover capsules from Capsule toy machines or Gashapon machines, you can try loading those into the Capsule Chix box too, just make sure they fit alright and aren't too big. 

So naturally, let's start with step one, which is fairly easy. Paint the box in any color you like. This may take a few coats if you didn't use any primer (like me). But if you use a spray primer it might be easier. Just don't spray the turning mechanism. Also, when painting, don't paint under the turning mechanism because otherwise it might not turn correctly anymore. 

It's okay if you accidentally get some paint onto the turning mechanism, you can always use a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol to take the paint off later. 

After letting all coats of paint dry, you'll want to seal the paint in. For this, I'm using glitter ModPodge. 

This took me one coat of the ModPodge. Once again, be careful not to paint the ModPodge under the turning mechanism or it might get stuck. 

Lastly, decorate your machine as you wish, and fill the capsules with anything you want, like candy, small toys, figures, stickers, etc. I chose to decorate mine with a big pink ribbon bow, and some rhinestones. I used hot glue to attach these, but you could also use superglue. 

And you're done! This is a fairly easy upcycling project in theory, but I did make some mistakes while making this. I kept accidentally scratching off the paint, so I do recommend priming it before painting it, or maybe lightly sanding the box. 

Possible Uses

While thinking about this DIY I thought of several possible uses. 

One is that you could fill the capsules with small gifts and give this to a friend as a present that's super fun to open. 

Another idea was that, if you have a child or maybe are a teacher and work with kids, you could fill it up with small prizes and the children could turn the wheel to get a small prize if they do something good.

Another possible use is for yourself, maybe fill each capsule with small candies and every time you take a study break or finish a chore, you reward yourself with candy!

The possibilities are pretty fun for a toy like this!

Overall

If I made this again, I would prime the box first in some way. 

What do you think of this DIY? Would you reuse a Capsule Chix box this way? 

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Thanks again for reading, remember to stay awesome, love yourself, and I'll see you in our next post!