Author: Jane

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Waffle Blocks Giant

We used about 1800 pieces building this Malysh waffle blocks giant.

Waffle blocks are very popular type of plastic building blocks. In these sets, each piece have pegs and square holes, and you can connect pieces in multiple ways to build both 2D and 3D crafts. The bricks connect to each other seamlessly, almost like in a jigsaw puzzle, so you can make endless combinations in any order you want. There are many brands of waffle building blocks, Gakken and Plus Plus are the most popular and well-known ones. This, however, is rarer Malysh waffle blocks set.

Blocks by different manufacturers may look different. In Plus Plus sets, for example, all blocks are exactly the same, the only difference is color. This old ex-USSR set, however, has pieces of differnet shapes, and some extras, like figurines or wheels. There are also a number of long, bar-like pieces that help connect waffle blocks together. You can stack many waffles on one bar, which helps to create thick and solid crafts.

The waffle blocks themselves are small, each side of a block has only one or two pegs. Some blocks has H-shape and no pegs at all on some sides. This is a downside, because you can’t connect anything on these sides. Sometimes, however, these pieces are very handy, because you can stuck them in small openings to support the craft around it. It all other regards, it is a typical waffle block building kit with small pieces.

Waffle Blocks Giant
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Quercetti Isotta Discovery Car Top View

Another look at Isotta Discovery Car by Quercetti.

This is one of the simpler Quercetti gear sets. It has big and colorful pieces and allows you to build a mechanical toy car. The frame is transparent and shows all the mechanisms. This toy has 2 steering wheels, a 3-piston engine unit, a gearbox with 2 gears and a neutral setting, a differential unit, and a steering wheel. The fan on the car’s front end also rotates. Kids can see how all these mechanisms work.

This car shows how the wheels steer when you turn the steering wheel. You can see how the piston engine or gear transmissions work. Since the manufacturer recommends this set for 3+ years of age, all the tiny pieces are locked inside the bigger parts. This way, children can’t swallow or lose them. And, educational quality aside, it’s a good toy car to play with.

This is a building kit because you will need to assemble the pieces yourself. However, there are little to no different building options – the car consists of very few bulky pieces. The chassis is small, and there is only one way to place all the parts on it to connect them. Quercetti Isotta Discovery Car is a good educational toy, but it’s not very fit for creative building.

Quercetti Isotta Discovery Car Top View
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Quercetti Isotta Discovery Car

Isotta Discovery Car is one of the simpler Quercetti gear sets. It has big and colorful pieces and allows you to build a mechanical toy car. The frame is transparent and shows all the mechanisms. This toy has 2 steering wheels, a 3-piston engine unit, a gearbox with 2 gears and a neutral setting, a differential unit, and a steering wheel. The fan on the car’s front end also rotates. Kids can see how all these mechanisms work.

This car shows how the wheels steer when you turn the steering wheel. You can see how the piston engine or gear transmissions work. Since the manufacturer recommends this set for 3+ years of age, all the tiny pieces are locked inside the bigger parts. This way, children can’t swallow or lose them. And, educational quality aside, it’s a good toy car to play with.

This is a building kit because you will need to assemble the pieces yourself. However, there are little to no different building options – the car consists of very few bulky pieces. The chassis is small, and there is only one way to place all the parts on it to connect them. Isotta Discovery Car is a good educational toy, but it’s not very fit for creative building.

Quercetti Isotta Discovery Car
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Waffle Blocks Spaceship

Waffle blocks are very popular type of plastic building blocks. In these sets, each piece have pegs and square holes, and you can connect pieces in multiple ways to build both 2D and 3D crafts. The bricks connect to each other seamlessly, almost like in a jigsaw puzzle, so you can make endless combinations in any order you want. There are many brands of waffle building blocks, Gakken and Plus Plus are the most popular and well-known ones. This, however, is rare building blocks set.

Blocks by different manufacturers may look different. In Plus Plus sets, for example, all blocks are exactly the same, the only difference is color. This old and rare building blocks set, however, has pieces of differnet shapes, and some extras, like figurines or wheels. There are also a number of long, bar-like pieces that help connect waffle blocks together. You can stack many waffles on one bar, which helps to create thick and solid crafts.

The waffle blocks themselves are small, each side of a block has only one or two pegs. Some blocks has H-shape and no pegs at all on some sides. This is a downside, because you can’t connect anything on these sides. Sometimes, however, these pieces are very handy, because you can stuck them in small openings to support the craft around it. It all other regards, it is a typical waffle block building kit with small pieces.

Waffle Blocks Spaceship
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Waffle Blocks Bridges

Yet another Malysh building set craft we made.

Waffle blocks are very popular type of plastic building blocks. In these sets, each piece have pegs and square holes, and you can connect pieces in multiple ways to build both 2D and 3D crafts. The bricks connect to each other seamlessly, almost like in a jigsaw puzzle, so you can make endless combinations in any order you want. There are many brands of waffle building blocks, Gakken and Plus Plus are the most popular and well-known ones. This, however, is rarer Malysh building set craft.

Blocks by different manufacturers may look different. In Plus Plus sets, for example, all blocks are exactly the same, the only difference is color. This old ex-USSR set, however, has pieces of differnet shapes, and some extras, like figurines or wheels. There are also a number of long, bar-like pieces that help connect waffle blocks together. You can stack many waffles on one bar, which helps to create thick and solid crafts.

The waffle blocks themselves are small, each side of a block has only one or two pegs. Some blocks has H-shape and no pegs at all on some sides. This is a downside, because you can’t connect anything on these sides. Sometimes, however, these pieces are very handy, because you can stuck them in small openings to support the craft around it. It all other regards, it is a typical waffle block building kit with small pieces.

Waffle Blocks Bridges
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Rotating Gears

Daughter turns the handle and watches the rotating gears.

These gears by Quercetti has all the essential thing you’d desire in a gear system. Firstly, their construction quality is top-notch, and the pieces have robust and solid design. The set also has a seamless gear interface, so they interlock securely. With this reliable connections and sturdy pieces, the set allows you to build machines that can perform real work.

The set includes several base plates that fit together like puzzle pieces. Nearly half the time these are in use at our house, kids made colorful boxes from them. So, they’re not just basic pieces but are interesting decorations in their own. The second set of pieces has support structures, which are tubes and joints that interlock to create sturdy poles. These pieces come in a consistent size, without the frustration of dealing with components at slightly different heights, a problem we’ve encountered with other sets in the past. The support connects are sturdy, so that the structures stay intact once they’re built.

In addition to the gears, this set also comes with attachments like chains and rubber bands. You can use them to connect groups of gears that would otherwise be separate. Also, you can use them with other toys and building sets.

Rotating Gears
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Taikon Basket

A small basket with a lid made from our favourite Taikon set. All our family built it together. It was very fun and calming.

Building straws are a popular and unusual type of building set. These sets include long, hollow flexible tubes that connect to each other at their ends. Since the tubes themselves have no special connecting devices, the set also includes special connecting parts. These parts are very small hard and rigid, and they have long pins that you can insert into the straws. The number and the positions of these pins can vary, so different connectors hold the straws’ ends at different angles. Because the tubes are flexible, this simple principle allows you to assemble countless shapes and crafts.

These sets are very unusual because they allow you to create any geometrical form you want and use the bent lines. The final craft will always be hollow, lightweight, and almost symbolic. However, you will still recognize these shapes, and they look more detailed and solid if they have more straws. Also, the straws are soft, so you can shorten them with a pair of common scissors if you need to. Sadly, there is no way to fix the straw after it was cut. Since the long straws bend more smoothly than the short straws connected in a row, the long ones are very valuable in these sets. So you have to be careful if you want to cut something.

Taikon Basket
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