I've posted a lot of images in this blog, and at some point, Google started putting those images in a folder in their Picasa Web Albums service. I didn't realize that for a while, because I wasn't otherwise using Picasa Web Albums. Once I figured it out, it didn't seem very important, since the images are just a chronological heap.
But I've posted over 60 pages of designs for block sets here recently, and if someone wants to print them out, it's can be a bit of a hassle.
So, instead click on the picture below or this link, and there you will be. Click on the first image you want to download, click on the "download photo" link at left, click on the right arrow above the image, continue.
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| Block Play |
I wish I could at least have the images sorted in reverse chronological order, so the newest images would be at the top instead of the oldest.
And I wish that you could get from an image to the blog post for that image. The best it offers is there is a link to get to the blog from the album page -- nothing more specific.
Enh.
The title picture for this post is another Anchor Stone Constructions design, which I would call a belvedere but is known in ASC as a tower, design g26. Well, a belvedere is a kind of tower, so that's not wrong.
This is a Kleine Gernegross construction, which means that the square cross sections of stones is a snit under a half inch, as is the diameter and height of the cylindrical pieces. The whole thing is a bit fussy for such small stones, and the result is rather wobbly -- the more so because the horizontals extending out to the balcony aren't touching the pieces resting on the column. Probably due to an irregularity in the surface I was building on -- the design is correct.
If I build it again, and I probably will, it will be with full size stones, not the tiny ones.
Yet even so, good block play.
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2 comments:
I thought you might find this design interesting :)
Alan, with your experience in block toys, do you have any recommendations on marble runs? I've been looking at a few (Haba, Quadrilla, Tedco, Scalino, ...).
The Quadrilla set seems very popular on the net, but I've seen it first hand in a store and I can say I wasn't impressed.
The Ball Track Haba sets look more of what I had in mind. I like the simplicity of the blocks. To me, the simplicity will foster imagination far more than complex plastic sets with motorized parts.
The one I'm really leaning towards is the Tedco original Blocks and Marbles. Unlike the Haba and Quadrilla series, the Tedco blocks are made from "real" hard woods. The thought of blocks with heft is appealing. It seems like a gift that would truly stand the test of time. (ie: no glued parts or brittle plastic that will deteriorate).
I like the Scalino set too. They look very nice, but like the Quadrilla series, they seems far too cost prohibitive for me.
On a side note, Cuboro blocks look very novel. Like Tedco blocks, they're hard wood (I think) and solid. But I have my druthers on how well they function. Seems like you'd need a very flat surface and all the blocks would need a tight tolerance in order for the marble to roll freely from block to block. They look interesting, but to build a functional run might be a challenge for young kids, which leads me back to the simplicity of the Tedco blocks. Not to mention, the Cuboro blocks are VERY expensive (I think).
Anyway, if you have any experience playing with any of these quality marble runs, let me know.
I have quite a bit of a plastic series that is compatible with Lego Duplo which I used to build & play with, but the marble noise has become more of a problem as my disability has increased.
I look at the wood stuff once in a while, and just haven't been all that tempted -- though I may have made the same error I initially made with Wedgits, of looking too much at the result and not enough at the process.
Sorry not to be able to help.
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