The metal construction set is considered a complex toy and embodies the dream of any boy to “work” with tools similar to adults.
Cold metal fascinates, allows you to create the most complex models using a screwdriver, keys, bolts and screws. An interesting lesson in assembling the model will seem not only to children, but also to adults. Metal intellectual toys are a real excursion into the world of children's thinking and fantasy.
The main idea of the toy
The complete set of each product consists of components similar to those that dad keeps in his toolbox: nuts, brackets, screws, other fasteners. All this is presented to the baby as real, only performed in miniature.
Metal objects are fastened together by screwing in bolts of suitable diameter. The plates can be straight, curved, narrow or wide, each element of the plate is perforated with holes.
This makes the constructor universal, makes it possible to create models, guided only by imagination. Sets with a variety of elements allow you to assemble designs of all sizes and varying degrees of complexity.
Samples of finished products are depicted on the packaging, they are accompanied by an assembly diagram and instructions for use. The boy can successfully create unique mechanisms and structures, collect crafts for school and preschool activities and play assembled models in games.
Self-made toys are the pride of the boy, so do not ignore children's interests, it is important to introduce the child to design from an early age.
A smart toy will allow parents to captivate their child for a long time and go about their business.
Before starting the game, it is important to explain to the child that the initial design may not work, but correcting mistakes will allow you to achieve the desired results in the future. Solving the set and non-standard tasks is the main purpose of the team game.
Differences from other types
It is difficult to call a metal constructor a toy; rather, it refers to serious intellectual work associated with creativity. Collecting the constituent elements, the child constantly refers to the instructions, develops ingenuity, patience and gets the result of his hard work in the form of a finished machine or a construction crane.
There are many small elements in the game that need to be carefully connected to each other not with grooves, which is inherent in other types of assembly toys, but with bolts, washers and nuts using special tools. Details during design must be constantly recalculated so as not to make mistakes when installing the necessary elements.
The assembly structure has movable components that can be loosened or tightened depending on the nature of the finished product. From the metal elements of one model, you can create others, moreover, it is not always necessary to act according to the instructions. This will allow the child to develop and improve the logical line of imagination.
By establishing the interaction of objects according to the type of connection, the baby builds his own approach to the process, forms personal preferences, and raises self-esteem. With the correct design of complex parts into a finished structure, the boys experience indescribable pride in the invention.
Advantages of the gaming assembly:
- Versatility and the ability to deviate from the instructions;
- Details of various modifications and special tools complement each other;
- Suitable for children of different sexes;
- It is divided by age and intellectual development.
For preschoolers, such a constructor is suitable as a preparation for school and lessons of labor disciplines. Interest in assembling metal products changes the behavior of many children, developing in them perseverance, concentration, contact with adults at the level of discussing the action associated with assembling the necessary product.
It has been proven that the assembly of the designer develops a clear and beautiful handwriting in the boy, which is important when depicting clear lines and lettering.
The benefits of a smart toy
Perforated metal plates for construction have been known since the last century. Manufacturers of designers in those years were hardly guided by serious pedagogical motives, because the world of bright plastic was not yet conquered, and wood and metal were the basic materials for making children's toys.
The popularity of the logic toys made of metal has not slowed down, but on the contrary, the interest in it is increasing every year.
The game assembly toy is designed to collect not only parts from the instructions, but also others that can only come to mind. This allows you to develop imagination and logic.
Assembly toys made of metal are designed for children from 5-6 years old. In some cases, they are used in labor lessons in kindergarten and school, for making crafts.
In the process of hard work, the boy:
- receives the basics of technical thinking and logic;
- develops fine motor skills hands;
- develops concentration;
- development of creativity and systems thinking;
- increases alertness and coordination of movements.
On the part of the psyche, a feeling of self-satisfaction develops, after collecting the model and adequate self-esteem.
Assembly and construction have always been considered in a good way relieve tension and stress, develop a personal opinion about yourself, learn to set achievable goals and overcome difficult tasks.
For boys, these abilities will help in the future, since many technical specialties in higher education are widely available to them. Proper systems thinking can improve school performance.
Types of metal constructors
Now metal designers have many modifications, and the most unusual models can be assembled. Classic cars, cranes, steam locomotives - today they have been greatly modernized beyond recognition.
The kid can assemble a real plane, a tower, a truck with a large body. The sizes of the designer vary from medium to large, and the number of parts in the kit is always different from each other.
Many modern views designers are equipped with electronics. This is very exciting, as it creates the illusion of a real game: with tanks, cars, flares and more. After assembly, technical devices are capable of emitting characteristic sounds, being highlighted, and some moving parts can be controlled remotely.
If the constructor is classical, without accessories, then the kid himself controls the finished product.
The logic game made of metal can be produced for young children from three years old and for older children. They are distinguished by some complexity of assembly and the level of intellectual perception in children.
For beginners, mini-constructors are suitable. They are characterized by a small amount of detail, simple assembly and diagram instructions.
Complete set of metal constructors
Items undergo strict quality control from manufacturing to packaging. Depending on the type and type of assembly, fragments of the designer may include cords, plastic or rubber parts. The kit comes with a set of assembly tools and instructions.
If necessary, special notes and a scheme for a non-standard combination of fragments, the use of elements with electronics, safety rules at the time of the game are indicated.
How to choose a metal constructor
The purchase of a logic toy made of metal should be considered, since the type of activity is serious. It is worth considering some of the nuances that will not repel the baby from further design and self-development.
- Markings on the packaging for mandatory quality certification;
- The designation on the packaging about the age limit;
- Metal plates for inspection should be smooth, without sharp points and raw protrusions;
- Fasteners must have clear cuts and threads without visible defects;
- Details of toys for children under 5 years old should not be less than 50 mm;
- The product should not smell of paint and rust;
- All constituent fragments must comply with security requirements.
Thematic areas
When buying a play assembly toy, parents are often guided by the preferences of the child. It is impossible to attract his attention with uninteresting activities, so manufacturers develop models of metal constructors, taking into account the interests of young inventors. The accepted directions include constructors in a technical and futuristic style.
technical style
Aimed at creating classic models of combat and specialized vehicles: armored vehicles, tanks, military aircraft, cannons, fire and signal vehicles with beacons, police crews and motor vehicles, tower and cranes.
This type of assembly game is suitable for older children to use the finished product in the future as an addition to their own toy collection.
Futuristic style
The direction is typical for the creation of famous cartoon characters. In the configuration of such assembly games there are additional parts made of high-quality bright plastic, cords, elastic bands.
Such a game is suitable for an earlier age category, has large-sized fragments, bright color solutions. Cartoon characters are associated in the baby with positive. Finished goods Can be used as a toy or room decoration.
Which we began to produce at our enterprise among the first. They were created specifically for classes in labor lessons in the lower grades and have been coping well with their function for more than a dozen years.
And, despite the fact that for labor lessons we made a more modern metal constructor "School", the popularity of this series does not decrease. They are still one of the most popular and "sold" among all our iron construction sets for children. They were especially fond of the representatives of the parent committees of kindergartens and schools.
We are already accustomed to the fact that metal construction sets for labor lessons are very often taken for the whole class, group or school, and therefore we reserve them in the warehouse in quantities larger than all other construction sets. The designers of this series can also very often be found on sale under other trademarks, with a different name and in a different package, we have made a lot of them and continue to make them for other market participants.
And, finally, the fact that these construction sets are intended for labor lessons does not mean at all that they cannot be played with at home. They perfectly develop perseverance, logic, spatial thinking and fine motor skills. From each set, both relatively complex models and very simple ones are assembled.
To help you, we have created a “Support” section on the website of our online store, where all the instructions and assembly diagrams for all our designers are posted. There you can restore lost schemes and recharge with new ideas.
We also recommend you to see othermetal constructors , produced by the "Tenth Kingdom" (there are already more than fifty of them), in order to choose exactly the designer that your child needs from the table.
In addition, the undeniable advantage of this constructor is that all parts are packed in wooden box, of course, more durable than cardboard and more convenient for storing elements of a metal designer. Accordingly, the chances are increased that all the details, screws, nuts will lie in one place, and not scattered around your house.
You can buy a children's metal constructor No. 1 in a wooden box in our Tenth Kingdom online store without overpayments at the manufacturer's price. Photos, assembly diagrams and detailed instructions duplicated in the "Support" section.
Metal constructor 2 sells well, but is not the absolute bestseller among our metal constructors for labor lessons. True to its name, it has been a consistent second-seller in the series for almost two decades.
It consists of 290 parts, which allows you to assemble 4 interesting models medium difficulty.
Being more expensive than the metal constructor 1 for labor lessons by almost 82 rubles, nevertheless, in comparison with it, it is a more rational purchase. Metal constructors are generally easy to check "for profitability". You need to take the price and divide by the number of parts. The price of one part in the metal constructor 2 will turn out to be less than in the cheaper metal constructor 1. Apparently, life teaches us to count not only us, but also our customers, which is an indicator of good sales of this constructor, despite the fact that we have long become to produce new designers for the school using new methods of protecting metal parts from corrosion.
By the way, having collected all four designs recommended by the instruction, you can go to the "Support" section. There are laid out assembly diagrams for all the iron designers produced by us. You can pick up some other model that can be assembled from the parts at your disposal.
It will be fair if the person who typed in the search " the children's designer metal USSR" will be included on this page. Why? Yes, because we are practically sure that "the most Soviet metal designer" is produced by us. The fact is that the molds for the suitcase of this designer were made back in the days of the USSR, we bought them in the late 90s from one of the Soviet enterprises, which in the end did not survive perestroika. The suitcase was actually produced back in the Soviet Union. In those days, they did not save on material, a suitcase takes a lot of material, which makes it quite expensive. But this, by the way, is the only drawback of the equipment, it still works like a clock.
In the suitcase you will find 158 elements, from which 5 models of varying complexity are assembled. By the way, the models are also from children's metal constructors from the times of the USSR.
Feeling some remorse from the fact that we are still producing, in fact, a Soviet metal constructor, we are constantly going to take it out of production, but constant orders do not allow this. He still has his own buyer, so he is always in stock in our Tenth Kingdom online store, along with other, more modern metal constructors.
Hello friends. For a very long time I did not do reviews of handicrafts of creative personalities. Everyone could not find time for this, conducting his master classes, traveling around IT exhibitions () and starting his mini-journey and the changes that he wrote about in the blog.
I will send descriptions to the pictures and the works themselves, and the author will announce himself in the comments, if he wants.
The first sets began to be made already in 1901 in England.
Initially, the idea was to create working layouts to demonstrate projects, such as bridges.
But the material from which the layouts were assembled must be universal. This is how the idea of using perforated strips was born. Therefore, their models are unique in terms of the complexity of mechanical solutions and design beauty.
Motor:
Elevator control unit (stacker):
It's like a Tiger tank.
AN-2. It seems like it.
Mini model. The idea is taken from foreigners, but all the details are ours.
Cubism. Angular sides of large and small cubes. The big one is assembled from the standard corners of the designer, and in a small cube I put my parts to connect the sides. The gap is minimal.
I took a retro car from Meccano (red) assembled from our parts except for wheels, headlights and a cover on the hood.
I made templates for the manufacture of cover sheets from different companies. So far, only from the Yunost 4 set converted to a millimeter standard. And sheets from the GDR Construction 100 set. There are some duplicate drawings, this is to fill in the sheet. Some parts are reminiscent of the Mercur set.
Drawn in Word. It seems that it turned out not bad, but it is better to make templates on graph paper. It will be more accurate.
I will take the material from the covers of accounting folders. There are folders with normal thickness. I would like more, but what we have, then we will use it ..
I punch holes with a set of punches for punching holes in rubber. It is not expensive, it costs about 300 rubles.
This is how the retro truck turned out from memory. Eat homemade parts, these are door hinges, wheels and many other reworked parts from our kits. A trial version of making impromptu headlights from ketchup caps. In principle, LEDs can be installed in these caps and power the headlights. It is possible to add this model with hinges on the body and a lifting mechanism for the body. Although lifting mechanism this is for a different type of truck. Or make a roof on the body or put an awning. I think from Lego, add colored parking lights. You can paint the wheels with black paint, it’s like highlighting the outer shoe, as if the model has rubber wheels.
What do people think, can manufacturers be recommended to create such a set?
How do I make loops.
Yes, the occupation is long, dreary and thankless. A little distracted and that's it ... a loop to release.
And so, we take a panel 5x5 or 5x10, better 5x10 where the metal is thinner and easier to bend. We unfold the turns on the panel on the anvil and outline the future blanks for the loops. Everything is visible in the photo.
Well, then it’s a matter of technology ... mode, bend, saw, nails mode, and drive the loops to each other.
Trying to make gear sets.
It turned out such an impromptu ... not famous model aircraft ... Objections and comments are accepted. 🙂
I decided to continue the collection of old tanks from the war. This time it is an English tank Cromvell Mk 4 (A27M). This is the first version of the model so far. I will clarify some small parts maybe I'll add some small details on the tower. I won't install tracks yet. Perhaps I will put them on after disassembling the KV-1. You need to loosen up the wheels a bit more. The tank gun was made from a telescopic antenna.
Where two tanks are together, you can clearly see how the iron coating oxidizes in air. Becomes pale, dull, then begins to darken. Iron on the second tank lay all this time in the package. Designers were bought almost simultaneously. Conclusion: our coatings have poor carcass, although not all manufacturers of designers. Still shame!
Trying to make big wheels 3 and 4 option
Part of my instrument.
Here is the continuation of the retro series. This is a Parisian taxi from the beginning of the last century. This is not a complete analogue of any model. In those days there were a lot of models of this type, and the series of cars were very insignificant.
Mekano has worthy models for re-building, our material and technical base is very small and depends on the amateur's wallet. Not everyone wants to spend several thousand rubles on 3-4 dozen parts.
In short, the model is not yet the final version. I need to do the front bumper and the rear too. Might be worth putting a spare in the back. On the roof, make railings for suitcases.
In short, take another model for assembly from domestic parts for criticism. I tried to paint the wheels from the usual aerosol can with alkyd enamel for interior and external works It turned out not bad, in my opinion.
This is how I remember my childhood. Light, including due to the abundance interesting technique and iron around. Parents, especially dad, from small nails surrounded me very much. interesting things- then the engine from the Cossack to kitchen table, then a color tube TV disassembled for repair, then Mriya's portable radiogram, which could play gramophone records in the air. But most importantly, my parents sometimes bought me various interesting constructors. And the set "Electrical engineering in 200 experiments" was the most memorable for me.
Photo from the Virtual Museum and Directory - Domestic Radio Engineering of the 20th century
Now, unfortunately, they do not do such things, including abroad. I constantly look at the shelves of stores with toys both in our country and when I travel around Europe. There is nothing like it. And this constructor was good because it combined a lot of different parts and components from which it was possible to assemble both toys and conduct entertaining physical and electrical experiments. For example, it was possible to assemble a telegraph.
Photo from Made in Leningrad community
Or an electric motor-fan, or a home-made galvanic battery, in general, the designer corresponded to the name - it was possible to assemble two hundred unique crafts, not counting their invented ones.
And now, when my son is growing up, I also want to surround him with interesting technical things. And one of them is such a constructor. I don’t want to buy incomplete used ones 30 years ago, because incomplete sets are a tragedy :) Yes, and it’s almost impossible to find it at flea markets. But it is quite possible to assemble something similar from the available parts, and without much effort.
First, the base, the usual inexpensive metal construction kits that you can still buy in toy stores.
And secondly, what will enliven this constructor, will add movement. These are motors, wires and batteries. Where to take them? Ha, I'm sure if you have children, you know what Chinese toys are. They are certainly bought as a gift to children by both parents and grandmothers, acquaintances, guests of parents. All these flying dogs, jumping cars, barking planes - all this breaks down in an hour (day, week) and flies into the trash. But in my case they fly into the trash only after extracting the main treasure from them :)
Engines direct current. Taking into account the fact that I have four children growing up, this wealth has accumulated a lot. How can these motors help? But what. Somehow a couple of years ago, my son and I were tinkering with my tools and I suddenly suggested to him, let's assemble a car from a stick. Who wouldn't agree to this? We took a piece of some kind of bar, a motor, nails, a AAA battery and bungled it in 30 minutes.
From nails and sticks, literally, an unsightly self-propelled toy turned out. The child did not let go of her hands all evening, and then showed to all the guests - "Look, what a limousine we made with dad!" That's when I decided it's time to do things like this on a more serious level. First we put together a windmill, a memorable object from our last trip to Europe.
It turned out so cool that there was only one thing left to do: stock up on parts for such crafts in sufficient, industrial quantities :) In the market, I bought all sorts of switches, battery holders, rubber bands. Grandmothers and friends were told that now our best gift is a metal constructor. And after a while, my son and I became the owners of the coolest set possible. You could start creating.
Our next craft is an airplane. Twin engine fighter.
Where there is a plane, there is a helicopter. The son built two additional floors on the rotor, so it seemed to him better.
With this helicopter toy, the child played the longest, because the main rotor was easily used as Circular Saw grinders - a lot of things in the house were cut down by a helicopter - to the delight of my mother :)
Now she walks reluctantly, it is necessary to adjust the mechanism.
But immediately after the manufacture of the stepping machine, as her son called her, everyone was very amused with a cheerful tread :)
And the latest of our crafts. To make it, I bought a radio control kit on Aliexpress, a remote control with a receiver, a motor with a gearbox and wheels, a steering servo drive and a motor control scarf. All these things are available on Ali by the shaft of the most different sizes, capacities, opportunities. We made a radio-controlled tricycle with full control - gas, brake, steering.
There are so many dope in this frenzied tricycle that it is difficult to start without slipping. But it is easy to make a police U-turn.
Below is a video of an unequal battle between a mad car and a caterpillar. My son and I collected a caterpillar for an exhibition in a kindergarten, where we needed a craft from natural material, well, here we have built a real slow caterpillar from coconuts, chestnuts and constructor elements. Due to the slowness of the caterpillar, the video is slightly delayed.
Such wonderful things can be made from an ordinary metal constructor, fragments of old toys and a certain number of purchased parts. The only necessary skill for parents is to be able to solder a little, without it it will be difficult with all these wires, switches and batteries. And, of course, fantasy, but usually children have even more of it than adults, so involve the child, he will tell you what to do.
There is, of course, another way. For example, ready-made Lego sets. Lego has a windmill.
There are all sorts of racing cars and trucks.
In general, Lego has everything, including robots and kits for setting up and programming them.
But personally, I don’t have a soul for Lego. And my son has problems with Lego, once he dropped the toy, and it was shattered into small cubes, it’s very insulting to collect everything again. And Lego costs immeasurably, especially interactive robotic kits with motors or limited editions of all sorts of starships from star wars. Our metal will be more budgetary, even taking into account the purchase of remotes on Ali.
There is also the original metal constructor, Meccano. But again, it is very expensive and it is not easy to get it in our area. Therefore, here is the final photo of our wealth.
