A fly, a spider and a mosquito. The set on photo is not a genuine K’Nex, but a Chinese clone with very similar pieces.
Chinese Kid K’Nex
Tiko Tower Crane
A small Tiko tower crane model.
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.
K’NEX 35 Model Building Set – Helicopter
This 480 piece K’NEX kit includes both large and small flake-like parts. It also has thick and thin rods, plus some rods that connect the big and small flakes together. These special pieces aren’t in every K’Nex set. As with the other K’Nex sets, you can easily assemble some crafts with actual moving parts. In this case, the rotor blades can rotate, just like blades of a real helicopter.
The kit comes with a big storage box, handy for keeping your unfinished creations safe. You can put your half-made toy in it and finish it later.
Like other K’Nex sets, these pieces lock together well. You can easily take apart your creations and build something new. The regular K’Nex pieces are sturdy, so your crafts can handle lots of play. The mini K’Nex crafts are a bit more delicate. This 480 piece K’NEX kit includes pieces of both sizes.
While the crafts can be big, some pieces, especially the small ones, are tiny. That’s why K’Nex can be risky for very young kids who might swallow the pieces accidentally. It can also be a bit tricky for little kids to put together. That’s why it’s recommended for kids aged 7 and older.
SEAHORSES
An underwater scene made from K’Nex – a sea corall, a crab, and four seahorses.
Clics Big Set – Boat
This boat has flat mosaic sails and shows both 2D and 3D Clics building styles. The manufacturer proposes this model for the biggest Clics sets – like the 560-piece set.
ClicsToys, a Belgian company established in 2001, operates its very own factory located in Kempen, where they craft the popular Clics building blocks. These building sets mostly have square pieces, all sharing identical form and shape. What sets Clics apart is their ability to connect smoothly at the edges, allowing flexible joint movements.
Using these plastic squares, the creative possibilities are endless, even though Clics sets usually offer relatively few extra pieces and accessories. Some sets may include wheels and decorative panels, but few extra items. The true strength of Clics lies in the generous number of pieces in their sets, allowing you to make even biggest creations with ease. The pieces of Clics are too big to swallow and easy to hold, so they are safe, but some connections can be too tricky to younger kids. So the most sets are recommended for children who are 3 years old or older. However, these sets will be interesting even for the 10-years-olds.
The fundamental building blocks in Clics are square, which naturally leads to the cubic or brick-like structures. However, the great advantage of these blocks is the ability to connect them at various angles, making diverse shapes. Careful assembly can even give you triangular or sloping figures. Nevertheless, the most robust and tough structures in Clics are cube-shaped. Additionally, you can create flat mosaics by combining pieces of different colors.
K’NEX Imagine – Apple
A simple, but charming K’Nex Imagine craft. The greens rods are flexible.
K’NEX Kid Education Classroom Collection Set – Cards
This set contains building cards the kids can follow to build different models.
Clics Glitter Carousel 90 Pieces
I really liked the construction set because you can assemble very, very many things from it. You are really only limited by your imagination. I saw online what people make from it and decided to buy it and try it. I bought it for my 5-years-old daughter. The piece connection is stiff, but you get used to it with time. She did everything herself, I only suggested and corrected if somewhere the parts did not fit completely. But I think she really could have done it without my help. I just really wanted to assemble the carousel faster.
I just really wanted to see if it’s really possible to make a working model from a construction set. By the way, she started assembling it herself, even before I joined the construction. And she independently, without my help, figured out how to circuit and assemble the baskets for the carousel.
Making the roof of the carousel was more difficult. It’s strange that about no one wrote about this. We assembled it just like the scheme suggested. But the outer elements wher we inserted the tubes kept disconnected. Since we had to bend the tubes with force to connect them (a child would not be able to do this at all), they simply tore out the outer parts from their places. I never managed to make a circle. I had to wait for my husband – he, as an engineer by vocation, made it simpler (not as shown in the scheme). First he connected the outer parts with tubes, and then inserted them inside the resulting circle cross (middle of the roof).
The carousel is really spinning! And my daughter now refuses to take it apart to assemble other versions of the carousel. Now he rolls his bunnies and other toys in it. And I really want to assemble other carousels – I’ll have to order another set like this 🙂 In general, it’s a set with a great potential!
HOUSES Building Set In Package – Pilsan
Unopened box of the Turkish Pilsan building set. The box itself looks like a house, and I think that it is very cute.
Clics Glitter Spin Around Set
Everything about this set is fine, but connection the gears and the axle (and there are three of them in a set) are very stiff! A connection like that is difficult to assemble EVEN FOR AN ADULT! So the children can’t play on their own! The idea behind the whole Clics Glitter Spin Around is good, but poorly executed. I, as a mother, was very upset about this part. As a result, the adults of our family had to put on and remove the wheels on the axle several times themselves. After this, the child was able to completely assemble both carousels and trains on her own. Now we play and have fun. 🙂
But my daughter was glued to this set for two days. She made all the models herself (she is 5 years old), I just helped bend and insert the arcs for the carousel. This set has an auxiliary part, a rotary block, it’s a very interesting thing. Thanks to it you can build carousels and other spinning attractions.
The second set I bought was a Glitter Bucket set, which is just a common Clics set with some glitter pieces. It has wheels, but no axis pieces. So it’s very similar to the medium-sized non-glitter sets.
