Call of Duty video game fans know the “Mystery Box” well. This box is featured in Zombies mode of the popular video games World at War, Black Ops and Black Ops II. Sometimes the box can be your savior and sometimes it makes you want to tear your hair out. One thing is for sure, the mystery box made a lasting impression for zombie gamer fans.
The mystery box has inspired many real life tributes and I decided to try my hand at making a real life Call of Duty inspired mini mystery box. I made this one for my son and he currently uses it to store his G.I. Joe action figure weapons in it.
I started with a nice plain wood box. I then made some fake rusty iron hinges for the top and painted and distressed the finish complete with fake cracks and stains seen on the box in the game. The box features the question marks painted on top, rope handles and metal hinges and front metal clasp closure. Check out some images of the Mystery Box as it appears in game.
Here’s what my Mystery Box looked like when it was completed. It features the question marks painted on the top as mentioned. It also includes similar stenciling and I’ve detailed it to look similar to the actual video game mystery box. I was going to install some straw or hay in the bottom of the box but I decided to install some material in the bottom that offers the same look without the mess. The mini mystery box measures about 14″ wide, 4″ tall and 4 1/2″ deep. There’s just enough room inside to store two Xbox 360 controllers side by side. The back of the box does depress the left and right trigger buttons if you store the controllers inside but it’s a cool way to store and protect your wireless Xbox 360 controllers!
Of course I wasn’t happy with stopping there. After making the mistake of mentioning to my son that we should try to make the box play the actual Mystery Box song and sound effects I basically had no choice but to figure it out. We installed a sound module and switch behind a false panel in the inside of the mystery box lid. The lid panel is secured with velcro and just enough adhesive to keep it in place. Everything is powered by a single replaceable 9 volt battery. Check out some photos of the box with sounds below:
Open the lid of the box and the mystery box tune and Sam’s Teddy Bear laugh play! Check out the box in action in the video below:
The sound module and small speaker are only capable of a limited degree of sound quality but it works pretty well for our purposes here. Honestly anything louder would be pretty annoying.
So there you have it. Our future plans include painting up a teddy bear to look like the teddy bear that sometimes appears in game. I’m also likely going to add lights in a future version. I’ll post pictures of these in a future update if and when I have time.
Buy One for Yourself!
Like it? You can own your very own mini mystery box too!
ORDER ON OUR SITE: http://www.zombiegift.com/COD-Mystery-Box2
While it may not be perfect, my son thinks it turned out pretty cool. Of course i’m never satisfied but this was good enough for me to be proud enough to share with all of you. For those of you that have requested a tutorial I may do one in the future. It’s honestly much more difficult and expensive than you would think. Trust me when I say you’re probably better off buying one from me pre-built.
would like to see how to build one of these
It should come with a teddy bear inside it.
That’s already being planned. Just have to find the right bear to use and the time to create the perfect replica. A version with color changeable lights for the question marks is also being worked on right now. Stay tuned!
Ordered one of these Nov 23 and still have not got it ???
Hi Lance! We responded to the email and the message sent via our contact form on the site. These aren’t mass produced so each of these is completed by hand on an order by order basis. Normally they take up to 10 business days to complete but due to high holiday order volume the completion time is slightly longer right now. While that timeline is mentioned in the product listing on our main site where you purchased the box from and on etsy…I noticed it’s not so clearly spelled out here in the blog post. I’ve edited this post to avoid any confusion in the future. The bottom line is your box will ship out within the next 2-4 business days and will arrive within plenty of time for Christmas. As I stated in our other responses, if that doesn’t work just let me know and I’ll cancel the order and issue a refund. Thanks!
Cool!
Hi! I’m interested in purchasing a mystery box with music, it seems that the post here is a bit old, are you still selling them?
Thanks!
Hello there! Yes we’re absolutely still selling these, but due to high order volume for the holidays we’ll be closing orders soon. For ordering details and more information you can view the actual product listing on our main site: http://www.zombiegift.com/cod-mystery-box
Hi,
I’m also interested in purchasing one! Are you still making / selling them?
Thanks!
Hi Bryan. Thanks for the inquiry. Yes these are still being made and sold but due to Holiday order volume we’ll likely be closing orders until after the Holidays very soon. If you’re planning on purchasing for Christmas etc. I’d recommend placing your order soon. You can view the product listing and ordering information on our main site: http://www.zombiegift.com/cod-mystery-box
Hi! i wanted to buy one with sound, when will these be availible?im in the uk, too. How much would that cost? thanks.
These are available on our site. I updated this page to reflect that. Customers in the U.S. can order directly here: http://www.zombiegift.com/COD-Mystery-Box2. These are made to order and the current lead time is close to 3 weeks.
International customers should contact us for a quote. Simply email me at info@zombiegift.com to request a quote. I believe the only real affordable shipping solution to the UK is around $12.50 USD after I credit you the typical value of free US Shipping. Faster shipping is available, but it quickly gets expensive and is often nearly just as much as the cost of the box itself. Email us for more information if you’re interested in buying and I can email an invoice.