A building block pioneer

If I remember hard enough, I probably played with Tinker Toys well before “Lego” was a part of my vocabulary. I remember my grandma had some Tinker Toys that I played with when my family visited. For some reason I always ended up with a giant cube when I put the Tinker Toys together, but as a small child that was quite an accomplishment. Tinker Toys were all-wood and had a limited set of parts so to me Tinker Toys felt more like a math problem than a toy. Tinker Toys really don’t keep you interested very long, especially when you have things like Lego bricks at your disposal. Once you start down the path of Lego you rarely look back and things like Tinker Toys are just inferior, but the concept Tinker Toys was not lost on later generations.

Tinker Toys. 60% math problem, 40% toy. All wood.

From wood to plastic

I’m honestly too old to have enjoyed them, but it’s easy to see the lineage from Tinker Toys to K’Nex. The K’Nex building toy is just a souped up Tinker Toy. They combined the rigidness of Tinker Toys with the plastic of Lego bricks to get the best of both worlds, and the result is really quite impressive. Like Tinker Toys, K’Nex was essentially rods and connection joints, nothing too fancy, yet a quick search for K’Nex will result in tons of fantastic K’Nex creations from kids young and old. However, K’Nex had something Tinker Toys did not: motion.

K'Nex, The modern Tinker Toy.

Following Lego’s lead, K’Nex added electric motors to some kits that let kids construct even more fantastic things like giant Ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds. Personally, I probably would have created some sort of catapult (like I did with my Lego bricks), but to each his own. Of course, Lego had their Technics line well before K’Nex was even in stores, but had I been 11 years old in 1993, I’m sure I would have found K’Nex to be a lot of fun. I would have made one heck of a bridge.

Build and smash

Being a child of the 80s, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I had an extensive collection of Contrux toys. Contrux had a very limited run, only about five years or so, but they had a huge impact on my life, right behind Lego. If I had to guess, my huge collection of Contrux came to be because of their relatively short retail life, which put them on sale very quickly and my mom was known far and wide for her smart spending. However, I’m glad she was because my best friend and I beat the snot out of our Construx to the point where almost none remained.

Construx, one of my all-time favorites.

My next door neighbor and I had thousands of Construx between us and we would make these huge cars and trucks, and then we’d ram them into each other destruction derby style. It was our own version of Robot Wars…just without the robots. We would design our vehicles with spikes, rams,  shields and the whole bit and then let em rip. It was a lot of fun but Construx were made of some very rigid plastic so they shattered wonderfully when smashed together. Much like Tinker Toys and K’Nex, Construx were pretty much just rods and joints. Construx were themed like a construction site so their pieces mimicked i-beams that connected at small ball joints. For the most part Construx pieces were all straight, but some playsets had curved beams and angled connectors so you could make wings and stuff for your super futuristic ramming machine. Plus, Construx had awesome rubber wheels that made your creations faster than any Lego car.

Building for the smart kids

The other building toy I had and loved as a child is by far the most complicated construction toy of all time, the Erector set. Not until the Lego Mindstorms many years later did a building toy have more complexity than an Erector set. With tiny nuts, bolts, screws, wrenches and pulleys, you would lose half the parts before you even got started. I don’t even want to think about how many little metal pieces got sucked up by my mother’s vacuum cleaner.

I didn’t appreciate my Erector set until much later in life when I had the capacity to engineer the the things I wanted to build. And yes, you really had to engineer your Erector creations. You couldn’t just jump into an Erector set and have something fun after an hour play. You had to go into things with a plan. If you wanted to play with your Erector set, you had to block out a good chunk of time…and possibly have a slide rule.

Tell me that doesn't look complicated.

Long before Lego and K’Nex spiced things up with motors and computers, the Erector set was the only toy that let you make functioning creations with motors, gears and pulleys. I remember making a crane with a crank that I used with my Lego sets. The Erector set also has the distinction of being all metal and they still are to this day, a feature I admire in these days of over-bearing child safety. For the most part, the Erector set was great for building stationary objects, although later sets did include things like wheels to make cars and tractors

However, due to the very small parts and effort required to even make something as simple as a tower, the Erector set was only for the smart, dedicated kids. I was way too lazy for an Erector set. The Erector set just couldn’t do enough to justify the amount of time needed to create something cool when I had snap-together Lego bricks and Construx at my disposal. I’m glad I had my Erector set, as it helped teach me the importance of organizing your tools and parts, but in the long run the Erector just couldn’t compete.

For once, my toys are really better

Like Tinker Toys, the Erector set may have been hot stuff in its time, but even these pioneers of building toys can’t compete with the fun and excitement of more modern and creative toys like Lego bricks, K’Nex and even the short-lived Construx. It’s easy for all of us to say that our generation’s toys were better than the previous ones, but in the case of construction toys I have absolutely no reservations in declaring that to be 100% true. The building toys I grew up with may owe their existence to the Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and Erector sets of the world, but our toys were just better. Period.

Brian is a freelance writer that blogs and tweets about video games, toys and other retro fun.

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Sufice it to say, as cool as this set is, there's no chance my parents were ever able to afford it.

My childhood with LEGO is a happy one, as is the case with most of my childhood stories unless my parents couldn’t afford some childhood toy I demanded. Oh wait, that happened with LEGO all the time. Snaps! The thing is, with LEGO, much of the price goes to the brand name, but the tradeoff is that you have access to LEGO sets that incorporate Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman, and many more snazzy licenses that no other building block companies can sell. Very cool.

I’d love to be able to write something like, “Ah, the sweet memories of my lego star wars collection…”, but I cannot. The truth is, I’ve only ever had two LEGO Star Wars sets in my life (also, I’d capitalize Star Wars and LEGO as you saw me clearly do). Did I have the awesome Millennial Falcon? Nope. How about an equally awesome AT-AT? Nope, again. What about a still-pretty-awesome X-Wing? Nope and check mate. In total, I had a miniature AT-AT and a random carrier for the Droid Army seen in Episode I, so everyone except Kyle has probably forgotten what it looks like.

Even though I missed out on the Star Wars sets, surely I had to have had a number of other rockin’ licensed sets? Sadly, the only license from my childhood was the aforementioned Star Wars license, and the prices for the Star Wars sets were so outrageous that even as a kid I knew that simply asking for something as glamorous as a LEGO Death Star was akin to straight-up telling my dad that he didn’t make enough money.

Where did sets like this go? I miss them.

What I did have, however, were a handful of truly special sets from all over the place, as any good LEGO collection should be (LEGO is synonymous with “eclectic,” or at least it’d only make sense). One amazing Christmas I’d wake up to find a truck stop set that included several big rigs, a set that any kid worth his salt should have leapt for joy upon witnessing, which is what I did. Except, you couldn’t just have big rigs rigging all day long, which was why I also had an RV, in case any of my trucker LEGO people wanted to take a vacation. They didn’t have to worry about the truck stop burning down while they were gone either as I had a small fire jeep with a fire chief patrolling the area. Top this off with the coolest LEGO plane (remember, toys with wings are instantly cool) and I was one happy camper/trucker.

But wait, there’s more! Eventually my parents began getting me space sets with strange space helmets and vehicles that seemed to serve very little purpose but were extremely cool. There was even an evil black LEGO robot from space that’d cause trouble. But I never had to worry because I had a time traveling pirate ship with wings. It even came with a monkey because, hey, we’re time traveling so why not bring a monkey?

See! Evil space robot! With evil LEGO space pirate!

I really wish we’d see LEGO video games with some of these older, original LEGO sets rather than the movie licensed LEGO games that’re all the rage these days, but alas, I come from a different generation with cooler LEGO sets and a wilder imagination. My favorite set, beyond the space robots and flying time ship and truck stop, was simply my big blue tub of LEGO bricks meant for construction with no rhyme or reason. So many wondrous creations emerged from that blue tub. Perhaps it’s time to go find it and build something new.

But enough about my LEGO childhood and me. What about you? What is you favorite LEGO set? Or did you even have the chance to grow up with LEGO bricks? Leave a comment and let me know. Otherwise how will I build a great website without the many building blocks that are your comments?

Want more articles on classic toys from your childhood? Check these out:

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When I was growing up, almost every kid I knew had LEGOs. We all enjoyed building different objects, letting our imaginations do the work. There were instructions to follow, but individual creations were always more fun. And with the LEGO Ultimate Building Set, it seems that the trend is still going strong today.

With 405 pieces, this set is enough for any child to have a great time and perfect for any first-time LEGO user. Step-by-step instructions are available for five different models, but as said before, there is no limit to what can be created. Accessories such as wheels, doors, and windows are available for the models, but can be used for any number of objects. And the included building plate allows for a sturdy foundation to all your creations.

And for any parent that might be worried, the LEGO Ultimate Building Set comes a convenient container that allows for easy cleanup and no mess around the house. This feature also doubles for the creator, as the see-through cover creates the perfect display to show off your masterpiece.

So all in all, this set won’t keep long time LEGO users interested for very long, but for first-timers, this is a great starting point. The instructions for the five models will help children get the basic idea of how to construct something, and those provide a great stepping stone of which they can branch off. After all these years, it’s great to see that there is still enjoyment to build and create at a young age and the LEGOs are still around to provide that creativity.

But times have changed, and so have today’s youth.  That same little plastic brick company now works on robotics and three years ago, the first Lego Mindstorms NXT was released.   With the success of the past Mindstorms, all that is left to figure out is whether or not this new 2.0 version is enough of an improvement to be worth buying.

In a nutshell, this new Mindstorm product is the culmination of the robotics projects before it and is essentially an updated kit that allows people to build their own robots that can react to touch, light, and other senses.

What’s new with the Mindstorm 2.0

First, for those that are unfamiliar with the NXT series, let’s take a closer look at what makes up the new Mindstorms robot kit.  The main component is the NXT Brick, which has three motor ports to allow for movement and four sensor ports to attach the sensors.  Essentially, the brick is the “brain” of the robot.

Color and ultrasonic sensors and a new level of computer connectivity are new with the 2.0

It also has a USB port to allow it to connect to one’s computer, while the corresponding software allows the inventor to program the robot in any way he or she pleases.  New to this version is the color sensor, which, as its name suggests, can detect and distinguish between several colors.

The older Lego Mindstorms also have the aforementioned light sensors and touch sensors. But what’s new is the ultrasonic sensor, which serves as the “eyes” of the robot. The various servo motors can be placed in the various ports, allowing for a wide array of movements.

The sound editor and image editor are also welcome additions. When connected to one’s computer, pictures can be uploaded to the brick and be displayed on the robot. Likewise, voice samples and other sound effects can be recorded and played back through the brick’s speakers.

While the various motors and sensors allow the persona’s creativity to come to life, these extra aesthetic touches give a sense of personality to each robot, as well as a connection between the robot and its creator.

Building a LEGO Mindstorm Robot

With Mindstorm 2.0, the only limit is your imagination

The robots you build can be humanoid or animal-like. They can pick up objects and throw objects. The possibilities are seemingly endless, allowing the robot’s creator to let his or her imagination run wild.  Even if you are familiar with the Lego Mindstorms, it is hard to deny how fun and incredible it is to build your own robot.

Toys have come a long way. But advancements in technology come with a price, literally. The only question that is left is whether or not Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is worth its $280 price tag.

After seeing everything that the toy is capable of, I think the answer is yes, but only if this is the buyer’s first experience with the Mindstorms series.  Honestly, there is not enough of an improvement over the original NXT to justify shelling out another 280 bucks if you already have the older model at home.

But if you late to the party, the LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 is the leading edge of toy robot electronics.

Inspired from the Clone Wars TV series, the LEGO Star Wars Anakin’s Fighter includes 153 building pieces and instructions for assembly. Not only do kids love building the toy and feeling a sense of accomplishment, but they have a blast playing with the toy as well because of some really cool features that transform the regular building blocks into awesome vessels of imagination.

Building Anakin’s Fighter

The Fighter includes an ejection seat for R2-D2 that spirals the little guy through the air and provides tons of amusement. There’s no doubt that your kids will spend hours just using this feature alone. Also included in the toy are flick firing missiles and retractable landing gear. These features in particular make the toy a winner because they allow it to be interactive and there for more realistic.

With all likelihood, your child will really get into the action of Star Wars by firing the fake missiles at random objects all throughout their rooms and performing tons of “emergency crash landings” with the retractable landing gear.

Because of some small parts, this toy isn’t suitable for children under the age of three.   And even if your child isn’t that familiar with Attack of the Clones or Star Wars in general, this toy is still a build-it-yourself space ship, which never go out of style. Trust me.

Over the Christmas holidays we were able to spend some time with family and I got to witness some of the grandparent/grandchild interaction with traditional toys that I had previously imagined.

At one point, the grandparents went up to the toy room and grabbed a bag of something that my daughter and I had never seen before & they asked her if she’d played with them yet.  She eyed the bag carefully and then cautiously said, “I don’t think so.”  So Pop takes great joy in dumping the entire package on the floor and proceeding to discuss the finer points of construction using logs.

This is made even more amusing when I point out that they built their house with logs 15 years ago…

At the final grandparent stop on the holiday schedule we encountered tinker toys for the first time ever.  Construction had never seemed to come so naturally to someone as I watched her work.  She managed to convince Gramps to create a guitar just like the one on the picture & she played it for a while (even adding her own guitar sounds) before destroying it to create something new.

When she got home she told her friends all about the adventures and the building toys came out at home with renewed enthusiasm.  Traditional toys seem to offer hours of play without a single battery.  They even get us in the older generations to join in, since it’s usually somewhat familiar.

Lego lost its bid to make the iconic brick shape of its products a trademarked-protected design.  According to ToyNews,

The ruling rejected Lego’s claims that its bricks have special chacteristics that set them apart and ruled that Lego’s two rows of studs on top of the brick performed a utilitarian function and were not ‘for identification purposes in the trademark sense.’

This claim has become increasingly important for Lego as other markets have grown up around the classic look of the plastic building blocks.  For example, this MP3 player by HOMADE is styled to look like blocks in order to attract the youngest of the technological age.

We agree with the ruling’s sentiment that functional designs for stackable blocks should not be the intellectual property of only one toy producer.  It seems that Lego is forgetting its own history – after all, the design of LEGO bricks is based on the design of Kiddicraft’s “Self-Locking Bricks,” which were sold in the UK up until the 1940.

It seems that LEGO may also have forgotten the sentiment behind its generations, too.  The term “Lego” is a contraction of the Dutch phrase “LEg GOdt” which means, “Play Well.”  Building blocks are a great toys for kids of all ages, and the right to “own” the simple mechanisms behind building blocks in simply nonsensical… LEGO should remember how to share.

According to Toy News , Lego and the National Schools Partnership (NSP) will work together to develop an after school program called the Lego Technic Club.  The purpose of the club is to help kids have the materials to engage their creativity and interest in technology design.

Sometimes corporate interests in public schools is questionable (for example, soft drink manufacturers and school lunch programs) but we applaud Lego for reaching out to public schools and helping generate brighter futures for kids.