Comments on: Make: Asks – Your Favorite Building Set?

By: Mbk

Mbk — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:19:54 +0000

At the time, the Erector Set and Lincoln Logs were about all that was availabe in my backwoods town, so I favored the Erector Set. When I finally got old enough to do some work for others (around 14) I got the Radio Shack 150 Electronics Lab. That was my introduction into electronnics which is what I currenty do as a hobby (imagine that, someone as afraid of being SHOCKED as I am, doing electronics LOL ).

By: Jack in TN

Jack in TN — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 04:00:16 +0000

Gilbert Erector set, the bigger the better.

By: HippyFish

HippyFish — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 02:47:25 +0000

OMG! The set you describe with the red boxes and wheels, do you have any inkling of what it was called?? I am looking for that and can’t fine any reference to it online. My cousins had one when I was a kid and we loved it! You could make like a little chair/car with a steering bar… so much fun!

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:10:21 +0000

“Girder and Panel” was my favorite, with a Radio Shack xxx-in-1 as a second

By: Dave Brunker (@dbrunker)

Dave Brunker (@dbrunker) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:32:36 +0000

Agreed. There are two things that taught me how gears worked: riding a 10 speed bike and Capcela. Of the two I’d say Capcela was the more important. I learned about torque, gear reduction, worm gears, crown gears… you name it. It’s a tragedy those sets aren’t made anymore.

By: GoodHart

GoodHart — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:04:48 +0000

When I was a child? There were only two that I recall: Erector and Meccano, essentially the same thing really. With enough pieces, you could build nearly anything.

By: ameyring

ameyring — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:25:34 +0000

The first set you mentioned sounds like Girder and Panel (which I had no idea dates back to the 1960s!). They’re still sold by Bridge Street Toys.

By: ameyring

ameyring — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:22:21 +0000

Legos were the primary one for me, but my parents kept buying different toys, so I had some fun times with Capsela, Girder and Panel, RS 200-in-1, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, and Robotix. Still have all my Legos and share them with my kids. Also still have the RS set and Robotix, but the rest disappeared due to garage sales I really remembered how much fun Capsela was in water and would love to do some water robots. It’s good to hear that Girder and Panel is still made today.

By: Jack in Tennessee

Jack in Tennessee — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:08:06 +0000

I’m old school. I had wood building blocks, different colors. Add onto that with Lincoln Logs, and wooden Tinker Toys. Eventually a couple of Gilbert Erector Sets (and even Gilbert Chemistry Set – remember: good things through chemistry

My kids started out with my old toys. Grandpa built them more great wood ‘building blocks’. We (wife and I) added some Duplo’s, lots of Lego’s (mainly basic blocks and flats, some ‘specialty sets’), K’nex by the boat load (Target used to have GOOD sales on them after the holidays).

We still have most of it. … We helped my son with a ‘invention’ for 5th grade using the Erector set parts. We still haven’t got it back but he does have an official ‘U.S. Patent’ based on the model he/we built for that school project. (He was a Jr in High school before it was granted). I think partly due to the patent he got a full boat scholarship to college. The school said it was about $150K worth of scholarship!

My favorite is the Gilbert Erector and Tinkertoys, just because my memory of my younger years . They are all great and inspiring sets.

Oh yes, my son now is a professional MechEngr with a degree from a great Boston area college and is a ‘maker and builder’ for a living. Daughter never got into it as much, but she enjoys them as she teaches 3rd grade kids to grow and think through problems for real life solutions.

All the various sets, even PVC pipe and connectors (another favorite of mine), have their time and place. If they help your mind expand, build new and wonderful things (practical or not), they are good tools.

By: Tim Youngblood

Tim Youngblood — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:56:45 +0000

SpinWelder hands down. More free form approach and the smell of melted ABS was just fantastic