Posted on by — Leave a comment

K’Nex Railroad Pals

Well made set with sprockets, rods, wheels and blocks – 58 pieces in total. It proposes 20 models to build – steam locomotives, trolleys, rail layers, semaphores. There are also some creatures that are not directly related to the railway, but live in forests, fields and swamps, spread out on both sides of the railway track. For us, the set was an additional one – it attracted a nice steam locomotive to our collection. We assembled it and rolled it around with great pleasure. I also liked the blue blocks included in the set, which are compatible with Lego Duplo. Younger daughters enjoy using these blocks along with Knex parts and Duplo. From this set they built the K’Nex Bird – I made a separate post obout it. The lid deserves its own description – it has several holes into which you can insert a rod or place, for example, a small bird on one leg or hoist a flag.

K'Nex Railroad Pals
Buy on Amazon
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Mario-Inex Mini Waffle Block Set

Waffle blocks like this Mario-Inex mini waffle blocks set are popular building toys. They are flat and have matching pegs on their sides. You can assemble these pieces in 2D and 3D shapes, and in different positions.
Pieces of this set have an unusually big number of pegs on them – far more than pieces of Gakken and Plus Plus. The pieces have openings in them, so you can connect the pegs to the edges or the centres of the pieces.

All the pieces in this set are exactly the same in shape in form, with the color being the only difference. The plastic is durable but flexible, so you can fold a piece in two and use it in construction without breaking it. On the other hand, this set doesn’t have arches and other similar pieces, which somewhat limits the building possibilities. The houses are the things waffle blocks make best, and, sadly, there are no options for, say, cars with moving wheels.
This particular set has pieces that are 1.5 inches wide, so they are safe for small children to play with. These pieces are easy to hold and too big to swallow, so the manufacturer recommends them for kids who are 3 years or older.

Mario-Inex Mini Waffle Block Set
Buy on Amazon
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Clics CUBICUS Cubes

Some futuristic cubes from a Clics Cubicus set.

ClicsToys is a Belgian company that was founded in 2001. They operate their own factory located in Kempen, where they manufacture the well-known Clics building blocks. These building sets consist of square pieces, all of which share the same form and shape. They easily connect at their edges, forming joints that can be moved.
Since the fundamental components of Clics are square, the basic forms you can build are typically cubic or brick-like. Nevertheless, thanks to the movable joints, you can connect them at various angles, resulting in diverse shapes. With careful assembly, it’s even possible to create triangular or sloping figures. However, the cubes remain the most robust and dependable structures this set can offer. Additionally, you can explore the option of crafting flat mosaics by combining pieces of different colors.
Using these plastic squares, you can construct flat surfaces and transform them into 3D shapes. Despite having relatively few extra pieces and accessories, Clics offer limitless creative possibilities. Some sets may include wheels and decorative panels, but these are the primary add-ons. On the plus side, Clics sets generally contain numerous pieces, enabling you to create complex structures with a single set.

Clics CUBICUS Cubes
Buy on Amazon
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gears!Gears!Gears! Build & Bloom

Build & Bloom is probably the most pretty of Gears!Gears!Gears! sets. It has 116 pieces – interlocking baseplates, poles, and, of course, gears. There are also flowers and stems that will connect to your craft and interact with the gears. With this set, you can build an upright construction, add the axis pieces, and decorate your craft with the gears. Then you can turn a crank on any of these gears, and watch all the connected gears rotate.

The pieces of this set are big and sturdy, so they can survive many years of use. This set is not very complicated in its concept, so you can give it to the children you are 3 years old or older. You can also mix the parts of Build & Bloom with any onther Gears! set.

Learning Resources is a popular and well-known toy brand from the USA that specializes in STEM toys. Gears!Gears!Gears! is a series of building sets with moving and rotating gears in them. These gears may have different functions in different sets, but you can mix them and use them together. Gears! Gears! Gears! sets show exactly how the gear transmission works, and you can use them as a colorful and simple explanation of the gear physics.

Gears!Gears!Gears! Build & Bloom
Buy on Amazon
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Zoob 500-Piece Set Box

Zoob 500-piece set is a classic Zoob set in all possible ways. It has those typical Zoob pieces with balls and sockets, but no extra pieces. This is a great set if you are interested in Zoob building. It’s more than enough for big and complex crafts. This set comes in a plastic box. It’s is good for storage, but not so great for moving the set around.

Back in 1997, inventor Michael Grey introduced Zoob, a toy inspired by the science of motion and organism development. Zoob represents an acronym for Zoology, Ontology, Ontogeny, and Botany. Each set has rod-like pieces with joint balls and sockets on their ends. Each of these balls has small bumps on its surface, so the joints can both move and stay in a certain position if you need them to.

This innovative toy features a ball and socket connection system, mimicking the natural movement and design found in people, animals, and machines. With just five basic shapes, Zoob offers 20 different ways to connect them together.

Zoob building sets have won awards because they’re different from regular building blocks. They use plastic pieces that snap together, like gears and joints, to build all kinds of objects, limited only by your imagination. After you build something with Zoob, you can actually play with it – the pieces were designed to move after being assembled, so you can have fun with the toys you create.

Zoobs are great for helping children improve their fine motor skills. The pieces are small enough to easily manipulate and put them together. But they’re not too tiny like some other toys, so it’s easier for kids who find small objects tricky.

Zoob 500-Piece Set Box
Buy on Amazon