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Three-Wheel Bike

An Igrushking kit craft.

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 Igrushking kit.

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.

Three-Wheel Bike
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PLUS PLUS Travel Case Set

Plus Plus offers some travel sets. They have small portable case and small or medium number of pieces. This particular travelling set has 100 pieces and a baseplate taht fit in a small case. Baseplates like this one come in different shapes, sizes and colors, and you can buy them separately. They have sockets, so you can connect the pieces to the plate. It help balance the craft and hold it in place.

Danish Plus Plus sets are among the most popular and well-known “waffle” building sets. Almost all pieces in these sets are exactly the same – except for the wheels and the baseplates. However, even with only the basic pieces, you can build almost anything.

All basic pieces have exactly the same shape and size – they look like two pluses joined together, hence the brand name. Each piece has two pegs on the long sides one peg on the short sides, and the matching empty spaces. The pieces are thick, so the pegs are as thick as they are long. Because of this, you can connect the pieces in any direction, they will hold well all the same. So you can build both 2D mosaics and all kinds of 3D shapes, connecting the pieces vertically, horizontally, or even with an angle. The Danish schools use Plus Plus kits as an educational tool. They help teach kids basic STEAM skills and help them develop fine motorics and creativity.

To add some difference and more variety to the crafts, the Plus Plus brand offers countless sets with different numbers and colors of the pieces. There are pieces of different colors and hues, glowing pieces, pieces with glitter, and so on. The sets also may include any number of the Plus Plus pieces. There are also both small traveling kits and big gift sets.

PLUS PLUS Travel Case Set
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Tiko Guitar

A Tiko guitar for a plush toy. These pieces were the smallest in the set.

Tiko is a vintage building set, just like Tako. But, unlike Tako, Tiko pieces are solid panels of different shapes. They also connect by the edges – each edge has some sockets and some balls at regular intervals. Together, the balls and sockets form joints, so you can connect the pieces at different angles. The pieces themselves have different sizes – some are palm-sized, and others are smaller. But it’s possible to connect the pieces of different sizes, as long as the sockets match. Some big pieces have open centers – and these openings also have sockets, so you can add something there.

Since some Tiko pieces are so big, you can easily make crafts that are as tall as a 10-year-old child, and parts will actually hold together. Or you can make flat mosaics if you want to, and then roll them to make a 3D figure. There are no people figurines or decorations, but the building possibilities are endless. With Tiko, can create abstract shapes, buildings, toy furniture, and even something they can wear themselves. It’s a pity this set isn’t available to buy anymore, but there are some similar toys with the same basic concepts.

Tiko Guitar
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Qubits Ball

This ball is one of the possible Qubits crafts. The multi-triangular pieces are flexible enough for you to use them in a craft in an arched positions. The special shape helps them to hold positions and form a flat surface when overlapped.

Qubits is a small toy brand making very interesting and unusual building sets. Qubits sets have only two types of pieces – rectangular planks and multi-triangular pieces.

The multi-triangular pieces look like they are made from many connected triangles. They can connect to each other with the matching holes and pegs in the triangles’ centers. Each of these pieces has the same shape, but, connecting and overlapping, they create strong, flexible openwork structures. They can create any shapes and forms, flat or 3D. However, triangular shapes are the most sturdy and resilient ones.

There are also rectangular pieces, that can connect with multi-triangular ones both with the edges and with the openings on their surfaces. These pieces can also connect to each other. Both shapes come in multiple colors, often random, colors. Together, these two shapes can create many surprising and fascinating crafts. Sadly, Qubits have no extra pieces like wheels, so the number of moving crafts and toys is somewhat limited.

Qubits are big enough to be safe even for toddlers. However, these sets can be confusing for the smaller children, so the recommended age is 6+.

Qubits Ball
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PLUS PLUS Water Mix Set

Along with the bigger sets, Plu Plus offers many sets of 70 pieces. They color can vary, following specific themes, and there are sometimes colors and hues that are hard to find in the other sets. This, for example, is Plue Plus Water Mix Set.

Danish Plus Plus sets are among the most popular and well-known “waffle” building sets. Almost all pieces in these sets are exactly the same – except for the wheels and the baseplates. However, even with only the basic pieces, you can build almost anything.

All basic pieces have exactly the same shape and size – they look like two pluses joined together, hence the brand name. Each piece has two pegs on the long sides one peg on the short sides, and the matching empty spaces. The pieces are thick, so the pegs are as thick as they are long. Because of this, you can connect the pieces in any direction, they will hold well all the same. So you can build both 2D mosaics and all kinds of 3D shapes, connecting the pieces vertically, horizontally, or even with an angle. The Danish schools use Plus Plus kits as an educational tool. They help teach kids basic STEAM skills and help them develop fine motorics and creativity.

To add some difference and more variety to the crafts, the Plus Plus brand offers countless sets with different numbers and colors of the pieces. There are pieces of different colors and hues, glowing pieces, pieces with glitter, and so on. The sets also may include any number of the Plus Plus pieces. There are also both small traveling kits and big gift sets.

PLUS PLUS Water Mix Set
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Unika Gear Rocket

We really liked the gear construction set from Unika called Unlimited Fantasy. The gears are large, bright, made of elastic plastic, and fasten well to each other. The quality is very good. Our first crafts were snakes that wiggled when they moved and many multi-colored towers. Crafts like this rocket also were very easy to make. You will need two sets or more even for one child; one would not be enough. Children make simple crafts and enjoy manipulating bright details. This set, in my opinion, will be interesting for children aged 3-7 years.

These gears are a version of a popular type of building set. The gears in this one are not rotating on top of some structure – they are the basic building blocks of the set. The gears connect if you interlock the pins, or if you stack them. With these simple connections, you can build different shapes and mosaics.

All the gears have the same shape and size, the only difference is the color. However, there are still many possibilities to build, especially if you have many pieces. The gears can also interlock if you connect them at an angle. Sadly, the possibilities to build a moving toy are very limited, because the gears can’t really move once they connect. There are also no extra pieces or decorations, so the gears are the only things you have to work with.

The gears themselves are rather big, they are safe for the small children to play with. They also can hold together even in a very big craft without falling apart.

Unika Gear Rocket