tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-134449902012-02-16T09:51:04.162-08:00Construction with toy building blocks and such, for fun or therapy <br> Ankerstein, Unit Blocks, fischertechnik, Kapla, Froebel, Lincoln Logs, et al <br><i><small>Copyright Alan Winston, Seattle -- all rights reserved</small></i>Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.comBlogger2291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-54929184957265164202011-11-15T13:49:00.001-08:002011-11-15T13:57:50.534-08:00

Is there anything in Block Play that is so satisfactory to so many senses as Ankerstein? The colors, heft, the tactile delights, the always surprising delight of the scent of linseed oil, sand, and chalk? Few things provide so many pleasures to build with. Today it was back to basics, set #6, a plan from the accompanying booklet, built with deep pleasure & photographed with only the light from

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-5997528631534572902011-10-05T20:43:00.000-07:002011-10-05T20:43:38.262-07:00

While doing a bit of uncluttering today, I ran across a plastic bag of Lincoln Logs. Not sure what set, and no instructions, so just built. Nice little bit of therapeutic play in a difficult week. Lincoln Logs are always Good Block Play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-69914145523277844422011-09-27T16:26:00.000-07:002011-09-27T16:42:33.795-07:00

You say "tomato" and I say "Wedgits" ... the box says Switchbotz and I say "Hurrah!" Longtime friends here know of my enduring affection for Wedgits - I've built with them on the beach, in the woods, in the hospital, in the dark. I like Wedgits. Today, as I often do, I visited my favorite neighborhood toy store (Seattle's best toy store! I got Melvin there. But not to be confused with my

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-66919240069979306132011-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:002011-09-22T12:40:57.332-07:00

Melvin & I were playing dominoes this morning, when Melvin got bored & started building things with the dominoes, so we decided to get out a block set. Since I've been reading about British railways quite a bit lately, we chose a Lott's Lodomo set, and built the railway Signal Cabin from the instruction sheet. Earlier this year, I got rather involved in studying Sears Houses & their ilk, long

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-33866771532946853882011-07-10T12:13:00.000-07:002011-07-10T12:19:27.202-07:00

I do love old blocks. Tumble-finished wood from either side of the Czech-German border is especially nice. This small set is Czech.Good block play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-74438230977912021552011-07-07T16:50:00.000-07:002011-07-07T16:50:26.839-07:00

Peg Blox were made by Lincoln Logs in the era they were part of Playskool. More or less a unit-block variation with TinkerToy-like holes and dowels to hold them together & build various objects.I've had an incomplete set for some time, missing several blocks, all of the dowels, and the instruction sheet.I recently came across an instruction sheet image that I was able read well enough to find out

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-9221367569480484282011-07-02T20:27:00.000-07:002011-07-02T20:27:00.860-07:00

CoinStruction sets were introduced several years ago with the gimmick of using coins as the construction elements, held together by a variety of clips that were the only elements, aside from instructions for the models, inside the boxes.At four bits for a package of fifty, pennies are cheap, if you are looking for sturdy little disks, but even then, kids might abscond with them. Using dimes &

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-84275447157945478352011-06-27T18:36:00.000-07:002011-06-27T18:36:35.468-07:00

Hurrah! I made the additional slotted blocks for my sparse sampler of Mobaco, as I mentioned in my last post, and I am quite pleased with how Mobaco works, with cardboard wall pieces & such sliding into grooved wooden posts.Cardboard & wood. Great fun.The baseboard should be cardboard as well, apparently in an olive-green color, or tan in earlier editions. My substitute for the time being is 6mm

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-51252068241899797572011-06-25T15:59:00.000-07:002011-06-25T16:23:51.876-07:00

A nice little crane from the not-quite-recent fischertechnik Basic Mechanics set. The crane boom moves up & down by a screw drive between the pillar & the crank stand. The power is directed from the horizontal crankshaft to the vertical screw shaft by bevels gears.Seems like the set could be good for introducing kids to some basic mechanical processes. As I finshed it up & prepared to photograph

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-30801691414495064472011-06-21T17:25:00.000-07:002011-06-21T17:36:13.714-07:00

Old construction sets can be a delight. Especially old wooden construction sets. Especially German construction sets. One of the great joys of the Internet is that it has become so much easier to indulge esoteric interests such as this.One of the challenges of the Internet is that when one buys an old construction set through the familiar marketplaces, it is very likely to arrive incomplete &

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-59921598831470738052011-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:002011-06-01T13:20:23.230-07:00

After my first experience with Varis Architect, I quickly ordered a larger set for further exploration and combining options.I decided the 87 piece set was probably too big for therapeutic use, so went for the 63.What arrived was the 87.The seller had a stock problem and substituted the 87, presumably assuming that I would be delighted with the generosity.Ah, well.It was too big for me to attempt

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-15354674375544816382011-05-29T13:01:00.000-07:002011-05-29T13:21:43.872-07:00

The Ankerstein GK-NS, or Grosse Kaliber - Neue Serie (large caliber - new series), are pretty much the same as our familiar GK-NF, or Grosse Kaliber - Neue Folge (large caliber - new series), except for the large arches have a notch out of the upper corner. Sometimes that makes a difference, though not so much here, where the large arch isn't used.One small difference: in the boxes, the notches

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-79845431980126233712011-04-21T15:51:00.000-07:002011-04-21T15:51:46.418-07:00

For a number of years, I have coveted the log building sets from Varis Toys of Latvia, but was daunted by price & shipping costs.When Varis added the Architect line, I was even more intrigued, but still held off.But I finally broke down & ordered (via a UK seller on Ebay) the smallest set, with just 25 pieces.It arrived yesterday, and is a delight.The pieces are 20mm pitch (a little over 3/4 inch

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-1558480670233033692011-04-14T14:42:00.000-07:002011-04-14T17:17:20.841-07:00

Third prize in that Czech Anchor contest went to Petr Marek for this věž s balkóny, or tower with balcony, again built with favorite Ankerstein Set #6. I don't seem to have printed out the second prize winner - I vaguely recall that it wasn't shown & I haven't found the contest again on the web pages to confirm. I think the contest is now gone.The image above may hurt your eyes, or may be the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-4752204988747441632011-03-26T21:49:00.000-07:002011-03-27T07:52:07.218-07:00

For Earth Day, we participated in the 8:30-9:30 pm "lights out," getting by with two candles, the occasional cell phone screen or pocket flashlight.I dismantled yesterday's Czech bridge & put stones back in box according to the packing plan. I think it would have taken more candles to actually build something.Then I did some construction with Froebel Gift #3 blocks. That worked, even though the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-59614120007548549822011-03-25T15:32:00.000-07:002011-04-14T14:50:29.914-07:00

With my limited Czech, and some help from the Czech-German dictionary I keep next to my desk, most s věžemi is "bridge with towers." I downloaded the page this picture was on from the Czech Anchor site quite some time ago, where it won 1. misto (first prize), for Miroslav Koutný, in a contest. Well deserved - it may be the nicest bridge built with Ankerstein that I have ever seen, especially if

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-67604374007381984852011-02-19T12:07:00.000-08:002011-02-19T12:47:18.632-08:00

Foxmind's Architecto is a challenge block set, a three-dimensional verson of Tangrams, similar to MindWare's Blik-Blok, subject of my previous post.Compared to Blik Blok, Architecto, has fewer blocks, has fewer challenge designs, the blocks are plastic instead of wood, and it costs more.So why do I overwhelmingly recommend Architecto? Because it is simply superior to Blik Blok, with fewer if any

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-40908576680871472012011-02-19T11:57:00.000-08:002011-02-19T13:10:21.651-08:00

Many of the examples from the block sets which provide such things provide not just marketing examples or construction encouragement, but also provide some degree of challenge as the builder attempts to figure out how the construction actually goes together.Sometimes that is inadvertent, but sometimes as with MindWare's Blik-Blok, the block building challenge is the actual purpose of the set. One

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-30785383531776613332011-02-14T09:09:00.000-08:002011-02-14T09:37:51.286-08:00

I like Valentines Day, so here is a small post with a Starter-Set/Heinzelmännchen design (original design by William Seppeler, in Anchor Stone Constructions) with a Valentines red background.Happy Valentines Day. & Happy Block Play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-66406319179940119212011-01-20T14:02:00.000-08:002011-09-27T14:33:40.134-07:00

Mini-Wedgits have proven a good choice for my hospital kit, for which I set the criteria compactness, low complexity, readily replaced, easily cleaned. They have been fun to play with, and a fun little window-ledge personalizer & brightener. Good block play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-58789145865282398532010-12-31T20:33:00.000-08:002010-12-31T20:54:14.213-08:00

New Year's Eve in Germany is known as Silvester, after the feast day of Saint Sylvester, though the celebrations actually go back to the pagen Rauhnächte, and it is a noisy, raucous night of celebration.I tend not to go for raucous or noisy, though I hear fireworks outside as I type this, so obviously even in Seattle there are those that do.This year, my celebration is inspired by a brochure that

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-23395815217414370852010-12-25T07:39:00.000-08:002010-12-25T07:42:41.201-08:00

Christmas Greetings to all those that celebrate the day.The gold foil paper may or may not provide a 'Christmassy look," and doesn't succeed pictorially, to my eye.The stereo pair, best of several first Blockplay efforts with a very special Christmas present 3D camera, doesn't entirely succeed either, from an esthetic point of view, but there you are.It more-or-less succeeds as stereo, and I am

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-51121049001759984492010-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:002010-11-12T10:18:07.376-08:00

I keep an automatic change-watch on the update log of the CVA plans & info archive website, which gives me intermittent small pleasures and occasional real treats.A recent example was the introduction (to me at least) of a new Ankerstein "Starter-Set" - which on closer examination turns out to be our old friend the Heinzelmännchen, with a new box label and plan sheet.I'm am being cautious not to

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-63987615174056329522010-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:002010-09-26T12:28:39.795-07:00

While some of my wife's brothers were working on building her a potting shed (below), I found some of their cutoffs and built a small tower.Most of my constructions lately have been small Froebel Gift 3 exercises, and my tower reflects that.I did do some Mini Wedgits block play the other day though, and suspect I will be back at it soon.Seems likely, if even a half dozen two-by-four cutoffs are

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-18946154489689031392010-08-15T20:59:00.001-07:002010-08-15T21:07:21.650-07:00

I like ghost Wedgits.This particular iteration is my white Wedgits from the Class-Pak illuminated only by ultra-violet flashlights.Fun.Good block play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-25651924904673726482010-08-04T16:28:00.000-07:002010-08-04T17:10:41.974-07:00

I think that in the years I have had them, Ankerstein have been some of the best value of any purchases I have made. Expensive, but big bang for the buck. Durable quality, enduring pleasure.So why so long an absence here?A few months ago, Chris Baldwin of The ToyHouse died in a canoing accident.That couldn't help but take away a chunk of my pleasure in building with Anchor.I never met him in

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-64511970374168335922010-06-15T16:56:00.000-07:002011-02-19T12:55:46.298-08:00

The SepToys seven-faced blocks may be three dimensional, but most of what is done with them is pattern making, based on the shape of a single side - most often the trapezoid.This can be seen in this tweaked down-on view of the above construction, where only the reflectivity gives away that these are not flat trapezoidal tiles.But there is enough exploitation of their three-dimensionality to

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-88178595005617282452010-06-01T19:48:00.000-07:002010-06-01T19:55:43.551-07:00

At first glance, these look like Wedgits, and indeed the original design is a product of the same fertile Swiss toy company, Naef Spiele AG. Wedgits are based on the Diamant design, these are based on Cubicus.And there you have it, as you can easily decode from the Naef names, this construction set is based on cubical shapes, while Wedgits are based on the rhombus (or diamond) shape. As it turns

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-24381325105609494352010-04-04T17:55:00.000-07:002010-04-04T18:00:13.414-07:00

Lott's Tudor Blocks, Revised Series, dates from the 1950s, and is delightful. The Sea-Side Cottage (their hyphen) is one of eighteen sample designs provided for the 31 bricks and cardboard roof piece.The booklet also shows eighteen additional designs are shown for the larger Box 2, and the booklet cover and box lid show designs for set 4. Inspiration for more buying, as well as more building.For

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-909031169800476802010-03-30T16:44:00.000-07:002010-03-30T16:51:56.926-07:00

Wedgits are a reliable turn-to when my Block-Play is blocked.And at times like that, I am often especially appreciative of the several single-color sets which make up the Class-Pak 90 Piece Kit.At times, I will go with Black or Blue or Green or White, all of which are easy on the yes. But sometimes the Yellow or Red is just the thing.Good Wedgits.Good Block Play.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-48514964440680427482010-03-17T14:42:00.000-07:002010-03-17T14:57:24.313-07:00

A year or three ago, Ankerstein introduced a pair of new sets as Märchen 1 and Märchen 2 (Fairy Tales 1 & 2), which intrigued me greatly, but if they were ever offered in the United States, I missed them.A week or three ago, the printed materials for these sets showed up as scans on the CVA repository site. Look under Vorlagen => Neue Fabrik => Märchen.Not just the booklet pages are there, with

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-82733393766509828622010-02-27T16:57:00.001-08:002010-02-27T17:15:40.793-08:00

I make no claims today for quality of my work, either in construction or photography. But you may note that it has been a while since I posted, and under those circumstances, it seemed to me that getting anything built, photographed, and posted, was the objective.We can deal with quality later.This is a Bayko set No. 0 example - the Poultry House.It really should have some chickens.Part of my

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-35034218890569781192010-01-07T21:50:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:28:56.429-08:00

There were Ankerstein copiers all over, some well known and others not so well known.Tomola may fall into the least known category, or if not, the least known are ones I still haven't heard of.The box says they are made by "The Beton and Ceramic Factory Limited Co." of the Ujpest district of Budapest, Hungary.I am inclined to believe that "Beton" is the same as the German word, which means "

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-29047959505745923092009-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:002009-12-24T09:09:27.973-08:00

This bridge is from the K'nex Building Bridges set, which progressively explores a dozen bridge designs. Some of the later ones are more impressive, but I was more interested in making a stereograph than a bridge.If you look at these images with a stereo viewer or by merging the two images with a free-viewing technique, it will be in 3D, ala the View-Master many of us enjoyed as kids, and some of

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-33030916709182324772009-12-10T15:33:00.000-08:002009-12-11T19:50:41.616-08:00

Okay, I admit to being in a rut. This is another design from the LINCOLN LOGS Building Manual, by Dylan Dawson. But this time it is using Frontier Logs, and shows some modifications because of that.Frontier logs are round, without the top & bottom flats of modern Lincoln Logs (I call this "lantern-shape," because the crossection resembles the shape of the glass globe of an old railroad lantern -

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-82637412455377481912009-12-06T20:31:00.000-08:002009-12-06T21:42:35.478-08:00

Lincoln Logs are currently made in two series: Classic, as shown at right above, in the structure built & illustrated for Friday's post, and Nostalgia, center above.The Nostalgia line is all wood, with dark-colored logs, and happily resembles what Baby Boomers played with as kids, except with an improved roof slat system, and the newer logs with the flat top and bottom faces.The Classic series

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-2820437867468823382009-12-04T14:04:00.000-08:002009-12-05T18:55:47.204-08:00

Building from an existing design and building freestyle are not necessarily the same activities. "Creative play" seems to get all the good press, so it seems only fair to say something more here about building from example designs other than "I like it."Sample designs may be considered to serve several purposes: Marketing - show how the blocks (or figurative "blocks") might look in play, to

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-11490862121204795492009-12-02T09:29:00.000-08:002009-12-02T10:39:29.213-08:00

Just before I shut down & went to bed last night, I discovered new plans for Ankerstein Set 6 on Burkhard Schulz's Anker Bauvorlagen.The downloadable PDF booklet contains three excellent plans, "Brücke - Uhr - Leuchtturm" (Bridge - Clock - Lighthouse), by a longtime friend of this site, William Seppeler of Anchor Stone Constructions.The plans demonstrate yet again (cf the Czech Anchor site) that

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-62149023981000365952009-11-26T16:28:00.000-08:002009-11-27T08:14:27.735-08:00

I am often thankful for bridges, and often thankful for building toys. They are good therapy.Holidays are stressful, so I have been doing a lot of the things that help me cope. Block Play is an important part of that, and I have been building quite a few small constructions - with Lincoln Logs or Tinker Toys. Haven't much felt like photographing and blogging them though.This afternoon I thought I

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-3290648792344753842009-11-20T21:12:00.000-08:002009-11-20T22:48:30.372-08:00

This is mostly an Ankerstein construction, but the bridge is not, and that is mostly what this post is intended to be about.In their Golden Age, many Anchor Block sets were available with metal bridge parts. Many of the online plans feature bridges.I have various old metal bridge parts in various sets. They look old and bent and rusty. They go well with the old weathered and worn stones in those

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-77182024999876580722009-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:002009-11-16T16:10:27.595-08:00

There is an evocative feel to Tinkertoys, for adults who played with them as children. A tactile memory. A pleasure.These may not be the colors of the Tinkertoys I best remember from my childhood, but they are the size and they have the feel.At my grandmothers house, between the two upstairs bedrooms, there was a space that was more than hallway or landing, and less than a full room. It had a

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-13221825306713193852009-11-15T16:36:00.000-08:002009-11-16T14:50:48.651-08:00

I am really not good at developing my own designs, but I managed to do this. From a single set: Roy Toy's natural wood Earth Friendly 250 piece bag.First I built the design buildings for the set (bottom image), then after an overnight break, dumped the big bag of parts out into a box lid. I played for a while with how they might go together. I got frustrated several times by not quite being able

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-53853932695854388472009-11-12T16:21:00.000-08:002009-11-12T17:55:09.844-08:00

Wedgits in the Woods.My Mini Wedgits 10 piece pocket subset works really well for this. I wouldn't have had anything larger or less robust with me.Good Block Play.Addendum: Yesterday, I mentioned Stönees rock-shaped building "blocks," and after I posted today, I realized that they might be another Block Play option to provide I useful & fun subset small enough & robust enough to carry in a pocket

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-33704195385971860902009-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:002009-11-27T06:46:13.276-08:00

How many blocks is enough? How many different block shapes are enough? How fancy do the blocks need to be?It often seems that "more is better" is the universal response - eg Legos or Archiquest. Today we look at the other end of the spectrum, and find out that - at times at least - eight blocks, a single shape, and the simplest shape, are enough.This is Froebel Gift 3 - part of Friedrich Fröbel's

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-70050602156014017472009-11-08T17:37:00.000-08:002009-11-09T13:31:34.577-08:00

One of my projects this weekend was going to be building from two Roy Toy sets - first the two intended buildings, then something from them combined.So above you see the #4 cabin and the smaller #3 cabin side by side. Well, you see them after Webster got out of the way.But when I went to fool around with the parts, I realized that there weren't enough of the 3 1/2" #2 logs.Umm ... I've got over

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-35296619962684368912009-11-04T18:06:00.000-08:002009-11-05T18:36:24.387-08:00

Back during the depression, Roy Toy was one of many toy makers that sprung up, mostly to keep a business alive and employees employed.Many of these toys have seen a rebirth in later times, out of nostalgia for classic toys and classic qualities. Some have come and gone again. Roy Toy is one of those that has stayed around and can still be purchased.I've posted here about Roy Toys before, but it's

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-31643352072823317202009-11-01T15:32:00.000-08:002009-11-01T16:10:22.103-08:00

Ja, they look a lot like old-fashioned Lincoln Logs, but they are made by Maxim, not by K'nex (it's true - K'nex now owns the Lincoln Logs product line).These are Tumble Tree Timbers, and I am kind of fond of them. This structure is one of four that can be built at the same time with the 300 piece set, which has reasonably decent plans for three of them, including this one. So I have no excuse

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-60511656635283103742009-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:002009-10-31T20:02:34.926-07:00

Happy Halloween! ... with more Ghost Wedgits from my Wedgits-10 project.I know this is repetitive, but how could I resist on Halloween itself?We'll be back to blocks & stones & such very soon, but with a lingering gratitude to Wedgits for their help in getting me through my cataract surgeries (with a root canal thrown in).I am looking forward to interesting times ahead, re-exploring some

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-20054122869728578772009-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:002009-10-22T13:47:05.534-07:00

We have a nice crop of toadstools coming along for Halloween.There seems to be a Ghost Wedgits construction lurking in there as well - part of my 10-piece project.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-14322261029220168452009-10-21T15:15:00.000-07:002009-10-21T15:40:59.040-07:00

How better to celebrate my second cataract surgery yesterday (and patch off today) than with a nice Anker Bridge?I know I've built this before, and thought I had blogged it before, but a quick search doesn't show an earlier incarnation. Either way, this is what I am posting today, so enjoy.This is from the manual that comes with the current Anker Set 6, and is built with the stones from that

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-31401400103096135432009-10-19T12:27:00.000-07:002009-10-19T15:32:23.496-07:00

Which Wedgits are most Wonderful? That would, of course, depend on how they will be enjoyed. But I think I finally have a recommendation for perhaps the majority of cases, and certainly what I would recommend as a gift if I had no further information about the recipient.For Part I, I recommend the Starter Tote: it is a great set of parts with a great deck of design cards - and for now at least,

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-72874527428386374132009-10-13T17:29:00.000-07:002009-10-13T17:38:24.921-07:00

Sometimes when I am looking around a toy store for some new plaything for myself, I frown over a "12 and older" suitability - it may be difficult enough to not get much play. "9 and older" is safer, though there is good scope for toys for younger kids. But when I run across the notation "adult supervision required," I do not consider that a problem - I am an adult, after all. Such can be the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-58700651534741642402009-10-11T22:11:00.000-07:002009-10-11T22:11:00.160-07:00

This morning I was thinking that maybe I should do a post on the whys and hows of Wedgits' appeal and versatility. How the elegance of the geometric dissection of an octahedron - into ever smaller octahedrons and rhomboidal sections thereof - delivers pieces that nest cunningly into one another in several entrancing ways - even interlocking sturdily - and can also be extended with compatible

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-8536093046138292572009-10-10T12:49:00.000-07:002009-10-10T12:56:51.582-07:00

Anchor Stone blocks again, at last, after another long drought. I am sure at least some of you are breathing a sigh of relief - Ankerstein builders seem to represent my largest bloc of readers.This design is from the second LaVelle booklet, available for download, along with the rest of the huge CVA archive, from cva.flying-cat.de (look under Vorlagen for plans). With minor tweaks for my

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-77215238559533248592009-10-07T19:04:00.000-07:002009-10-07T19:46:52.494-07:00

I think I've mentioned that I like cards. Several times. More than that, probably.I have a nice collection of European playing cards. German-suited decks with suits of acorns, leaves, hearts, and bells. Spanish-suited decks, Italian-suited decks, even French-suited decks. I like the various different suit systems. I like the ancient designs. I like cards.I like doing Block Play from design cards.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-80077943462044624932009-10-06T16:29:00.000-07:002009-10-06T16:36:11.955-07:00

A great deal of the charm in Wedgits is the challenge factor of working out how to build something, both in terms of the puzzle of what goes there and in working out the manipulations to get it all in place. Hence my fondness for the card decks and booklets.This particular design, d-15 from the 100 Advanced Design Cards, I thought for several years was not possible.I finally figured the trick out

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-7280109896598517032009-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:002011-09-22T11:42:39.614-07:00

I was back at the beach today with my Mini Wedgits and my assistant, Melvin. If you are curious why Melvin looks so bedraggled, see the story & more pictures. Until things got wild, it was good block play. :)

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-64009693930734646222009-10-03T16:28:00.000-07:002009-10-03T17:05:16.883-07:00

I got the opportunity to play a bit with the pink & purple Activity Tote.This is the first time I've built from designs intended for a building board. Until now, I've built regular designs on a building board (often a benefit) or free-styled (not my forte).I liked it.For all the the P&P Tote designs, the board is the base. For some of the Starter Tote designs, the building board is actually in

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-37949418393379112282009-10-02T03:31:00.000-07:002009-10-03T17:05:37.507-07:00

The strong primary colors of standard Wedgits can be a bit of a challenge for adult block builders to accept, even without the sensory issues some of us have.One must see past the toddler colors to get the most from Wedgits - they more are about shape, abstraction, tactile feedback. See naef and nova68 for the same shapes in designer colors and natural woods, The naef Diamant creates a much more

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-25274755200788479172009-09-30T16:02:00.000-07:002009-09-30T17:40:53.776-07:00

Last night I thought I had found a Wedgits design (card D-5 from the 100 Advanced Design Cards) that could be built with standard size Wedgits but not with Mini Wedgits - not that it wouldn't go together, but the fit wasn't quite good enough to keep it from tipping over backwards.This is an example of a structure that is basically unsound, but will work if you are careful enough and the fit is

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-52953732319072152172009-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:002009-09-30T16:26:49.628-07:00

One of the niftiest things, of many nifty things, about the new Mini Wedgits is that I can carry a set of them in a jacket pocket, with the 18"x24" design sheet (folded 3.5"x9") slipped into an inside pocket.Plastic Wedgits are much more durable than wood or artificial stone blocks, and the heavily plasticized design sheet should stand up to any weather I am likely to build in. It was spitting a

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-89870765392586596932009-09-22T14:22:00.000-07:002011-09-22T11:40:56.616-07:00

The new Mini Wedgits version of Wedgits work just like the big ones, but are only 3/5ths the size. That's 60% linear - in volume they are only 22% as big and weigh about 25% as much. I got in trouble for denting our dinner table with the big guys, but with the red Mini Wedgits only weighing 7/10 of an ounce versus 2 3/4 ounce for the standard red, and only having 60% as far to fall for the same

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-41507919078465920552009-06-20T18:45:00.000-07:002009-06-20T19:12:52.414-07:00

Lott's are very British. So is Wind in the Willows. So what could be a more appropriate accompaniment than Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad? I spotted these figures in a game at a thrift store a few years ago, and knew I'd use them with Block Play eventually.For several months now, I seem to have been on a British theme, not just in my occasional constructions with Lott's and Bayko, but reading

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-30224012226721566732009-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:002009-05-23T15:39:10.975-07:00

The half-timber constructions of the Lott's Tudor sets continue to call me - I've been reading about vernacular architecture in England & Germany (and a little France) with a special focus on half-timber construction (Fachwerk in German).But call as they might, I have had trouble stirring myself to actually build, for a variety of reasons. Bad head, mostly.But some gentle nagging (in the form of

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-23443776294040391292009-05-02T12:47:00.000-07:002009-11-16T16:12:46.664-08:00

The biggest challenge of building something in miniature is usually the choice of what to omit. It is simply not possible to build an exact replica in miniature - especially with simple construction toys. How much can you leave out and still have a satisfactory model of the original?I can get stuck in the planning phase forever, trying to figure out how to make a model better. This is one of the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-18431802063139889502009-04-26T16:26:00.000-07:002009-04-26T16:36:32.118-07:00

Yesterday in a favorite neighborhood used book store, I picked up a nice pictorial of Pavilions, which is British for the building alongside a cricket pitch. I'm not particularly interested in cricket, but I enjoy the architecture of small vernacular buildings, and the pavilions at village cricket pitches can be quite small and vernacular. From there they range up to large and ornate for the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-8430119268511693052009-04-21T17:05:00.000-07:002009-04-21T17:15:25.592-07:00

It was so warm & sunny today that I took my Ankerstein #4 set along and found a picnic table in the park to build on. The design isn't from the GK NF book that accompanies current sets, though. Instead it is from the #4 NS (Neue Serie = New Series) of notched-arch fame.Since the large Arch isn't used in this structure there is no difference in bricks, so it doesn't matter which set is used. Not

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-65174482145461734262009-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:002009-04-20T13:48:14.867-07:00

The Bayko constructions I have posted so far has been what is known as Plimpton Bayko, and have all been from a 1950s set number 1. Plimpton made different sets before WWII and in the immediate postwar period. After the 1950s, the Bayko line was purchased by Meccano, and underwent modification.Unfortunately, Meccano was itself having problems, and the Bayko line did not survive.This can all get

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-82048615175564055802009-04-18T11:10:00.000-07:002009-04-21T17:01:12.431-07:00

Today I am indulging in a little bait & switch. I built a bungalow with Lott's for my tradional title photograph, but want to talk about Anker.Because - unfortunately - the Ankerstein set I want to talk about is very hard to find. If I have ever seen one for sale, it has gone for more than I could afford to spend on it.But the Ankerstein company has recently changed hands, and the new owners

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-56850743746244796752009-04-14T20:52:00.000-07:002009-04-14T20:52:06.645-07:00

This is a set from the Post-World War II Lott's line, but reprises the pre-war "New Series."The pink windows strike me as yucky, and clash with the embossed brickwork and the roof. I have contemplated repainting them. The windows on the right end are transparent plastic with blue-painted framing to match the painted stones.If I had thought through the lighting a little better I would have put a

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-81793286770981174312009-04-09T21:59:00.000-07:002009-04-21T17:00:20.584-07:00

Recently I bought a small batch of Lott's Tudor Blocks, more or less as a pig in a poke -- I couldn't tell which stones were included, nor did I know which stones I would need to actually build from the plans.But there was a "Set 1" instruction booklet and a brochure describing the Lott's Bricks line, so it was tempting. And in truth, the benefit I get is from block play is often from the total

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-6613490702157516902009-04-09T14:48:00.000-07:002009-04-09T15:27:42.966-07:00

I've built this structure before, but with the smaller Kleine Gernegroße set.Today I just wanted to build something, anything, that would break the long drought in my Ankerstein block play.So I grabbed my Heinzelmännchen set, glanced through the designs under the lid -- both factory supplied and internet downloads, and chose this one, which is William Seppler's h12. He and his web site are the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-87556157498914778882009-04-07T09:25:00.000-07:002009-04-07T11:09:23.390-07:00

We had snow April 1st. Seventy degree sunshine April 6th. A while ago I did Bayko in the snow, today I'm sharing Bayko in the sunshine.This time of year has long been difficult for me, with seasonal mental health problems and such. The weather is good for photography in terms of light, but the photographer gets uncomfortable & fidgety and the results show it.It may not be seventy degrees outside,

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-66394483225127442242009-01-17T12:06:00.000-08:002009-01-17T16:08:26.279-08:00

Back to basics: Today I built a straightforward plan from the Ankerstein Set 4 booklet included in current production.Well maybe not entirely straightforward -- the notched arch of the NS sets is substituted for the the standard GK-NF arch, but that is a minor adjustment.I haven't built with Anchor Blocks for a while, and as always when I return, the scent and feel of the stones is a evocative

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-16013023329685811682008-12-18T09:33:00.000-08:002009-04-21T17:02:16.671-07:00

I keep enjoying Bayko, and during recent snow have been enjoying thinking about photographing a construction in real snow -- not something to contemplate with wood blocks or Ankerstein.I'll need to disassemble this quickly and dry off all the metal parts to avoid rust, but still ...Christmas is coming, and Bayko has a nice Christmas look which is very much enhanced by fresh snow on the roof.Good

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-83749793778931495962008-12-09T16:06:00.001-08:002008-12-09T16:59:46.334-08:00

I am a big fan of Klutz books, from potholders to melty beads to games. But a long time favorite was their Lego Action Contraptions. Now it is out in a new edition and is a prime candidate for a Chistmas gift.Why Lego doesn't do a nice project set with their Technik parts, something along the lines of fischertechnik Universal? Not that I think it wiuld be better than fischertechnik, but some

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-8587068891766900722008-12-08T17:35:00.000-08:002009-04-21T17:02:54.146-07:00

The other day I built and blogged my first Bayko structure, but didn't manage to say much about it. Today I returned to Bayko, to build the larger structure shown above. If anything, I enjoyed this project even more than my first.I've known about Bayko for years, and was aware of the attractiveness of the structures, and the intriguing style of assembly (right).But it took me until this last

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-1090448115529741722008-12-06T04:59:00.000-08:002009-04-21T17:03:17.756-07:00

A small construction using an old British Bayko set.I got this set a few months ago, after having coveted one for years. They seem never to have been imported in the US.Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the "complete" set wasn't, and many pieces were broken, so it took me until last night to actually get up gumption to try building something.Quite different from anything I have built with

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-13223329672712161282008-11-15T15:42:00.000-08:002008-11-15T16:34:43.157-08:00

I got a small fischertechnik set in the mail the other day. I was a little disgruntled at first because the "new" set had only been packaged in a bubble envelope and arrived thoroughly smooshed.But I didn't really expect any damaged parts, and indeed there was no damage to anything but the outer box.fischertechnik parts are tough.But I'll need to make a stiff box to slide into the smooshed ft box

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-86796775114477158792008-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:002008-10-22T13:30:32.106-07:00

Anchor Stone Constructions has broken a long drought both there and here by posting a new Heinzelmännchen design, for which I am quite grateful.Not that I couldn't have built an older design -- there are several I haven't built yet, and many more that I would like to build again -- but timeliness has its own impetus, and building a new design the same day I discover it has some real appeal.And I

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-60278741377805718702008-08-17T14:41:00.000-07:002008-08-17T14:48:57.080-07:00

This Anchor project from the NS 8 designs may be the most difficult I have built yet.Or it may simply be a side effect of coming out of a bad mental health episode.Part of my theory of blocks and mental health challenges is that it is good to be able to step back in complexity without too much change in what I was trying to do.That may have been what I was unconsciously already doing with last

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-67647342617551779962008-08-10T11:11:00.000-07:002008-08-10T12:55:14.767-07:00

We return again to the NS trove of plans.For today, I am making myself an NS Set 2 counterpart from the half-size Kleine Gernegroß set and some supplemental stones.For the unavailable pair of 69Ge "pez" stones, I had to make stand-ins from wood. For those following along at home, these should be a snit less than 1/8" x 1/4" x 1/2".As an experiment, I am referring to KG stones by their GK

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-90741549800239226162008-08-07T17:17:00.000-07:002008-08-07T17:41:41.555-07:00

This afternoon I built with Set 8 for the first time in a while, after a warm-up this morning with my recolored Kleine Gernegroß (below).I may favor small constructions, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying large (for me) ones now & then.This Set 8 church is Dorfkirche St. Martin, UE 49, from the designs that Burkhard Schulz posts each month, coming from various sources.Many of those designs

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-18645650223862854892008-08-05T14:41:00.000-07:002008-08-09T17:59:44.091-07:00

I didn't take the picture above, and didn't build the buildings, but both still have something to do with Block Play.The town seems to be Saaleck, Germany, and the picture was taken for me by a friend on a bicycle trip. My interest in trains was the motivation for taking the picture, but the result is something much greater than just a nice train picture: The valley and the village and the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-81792194137760176372008-08-04T15:16:00.000-07:002008-08-04T15:20:57.324-07:00

When I posted on Anker Set NS 4 a few days ago, I said it looked like all the NS 4 designs could be built with GK NF 4 (the current production set) with only minor modifications, and possibly with the need to borrow one or two 19R stones (1 x 1 x 1/2) which come filling the notches in the NS large arch, and looked to be used elsewhere in some of the designs.Shortly after posting that, I found

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-44340528434806169242008-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:002008-08-03T10:10:34.827-07:00

I see this morning that The ToyHouse is now taking orders for Anchor Set 30A, expected in late September.This set expands your Set 30 to Set 32.The classic GK NF numeric series has only one more expansion set after this, to take the collection to Set 34. Well over 3000 stones, well over $3000, weighing up toward 200 lb. That is a hobby for grownups with deep pockets.My own interests remain at the

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-18385874608991544982008-08-02T11:01:00.000-07:002008-08-02T13:30:38.565-07:00

Serpentiles is an absolutely wonderful single-player puzzle game which has both physical and mental characteristics of Block Play.I have played with a lot of connecting tile games (there enough to fill a large book), but never found one as addictive as this one. The aspects of good block play are surely a major factor.The tiles here are square or the size and shape of two squares together (like

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-1626901841376540662008-07-31T15:14:00.000-07:002008-07-31T15:35:30.213-07:00

At some point Richter's felt obliged to create intermediate sets in range 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 or 1 - 3 - 5 - 7.Either the series was deemed too widely spaced, or it may have been primarily a matter of getting the large arch into smaller sets - even though Set 4 doesn't include the #98R large arch, set 2½ does.The odd numbers were not available, being used for Kleine Kaliber sets, so the intermediate

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-43348799902663655762008-07-29T21:38:00.000-07:002008-07-30T10:46:26.772-07:00

When I posted on Bing set B-4, I only included the design pages for that set, plus the smaller set design that actually appeared as the title image, but I suggested I might return with examples from Bing sets that came after B-4.So today's photos are of the two Bing B-5 designs included in the B-4 booklet to tempt customers onward and upward. Built here with modern Anchor Stones, to preserve my

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-47318460350012255282008-07-27T18:18:00.000-07:002008-07-27T18:31:37.411-07:00

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

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-23260850615606809902008-07-27T15:33:00.000-07:002008-07-27T15:41:32.681-07:00

In the heyday of stone construction sets, the Ankerstein sets from originator and market leader Richter had several imitators.Some were British and American (including A.C.Gilbert, of Erector Set and American Flyer fame), which mostly got into the market when German imports were stopped during the first and second World Wars -- some even acquired Richter subsidiaries which had been declared enemy

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-65872691158067415282008-07-25T13:31:00.000-07:002009-04-21T16:59:23.129-07:00

The Anchor Große Kaliber - Neue Folge (GK-NF, large caliber - new series) sets that we have been looking at were preceded or paralleled by several series of stones, and followed by Große Kaliber - Neue Serien (NS, "new series" also, but a different German term; the GK tends not to be used since Richter had dropped the KK or Kleine Kaliber 20mm stone series).A new post-Cold-War company restored

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-5832027529713290902008-07-25T07:17:00.000-07:002008-07-25T07:17:00.525-07:00

I am beginning to think that the Number 4 Anchor set is an ideal size.Many Anchor builders have a view that you've got to go waaaay up there in the big sets with hundreds and hundreds of stones for interesting building, but they are interested in building large, detailed, realistic representations of actual buildings.That's fine, but I prefer building more schematic, iconic allusions to styles of

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-28267897148369648872008-07-24T08:55:00.000-07:002008-07-24T09:17:20.417-07:00

I like Wedgits.For a long time after I started seeing them in toy stores, I was not interested. What you built didn't look anything like "real life," and to me, at that time, the constructions tended to look rather similar.Then I wandered into a shop with a display where you could build things.Wedgits feel so good to play with. The pieces slide to together with such tactile grace. The assemblages

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-77640793355092685122008-07-23T17:37:00.000-07:002008-07-24T08:38:52.216-07:00

I have a half-finished Wedgits blog entry that mentions the importance of how something builds, not just what the end result looks like. Once you have built with a construction set a few times, your appreciation of the set's vocabulary & syntax can make it possible to look at a design and anticipate the special enjoyments in building it.When you look at this structure, perhaps the finest William

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-348409017999998882008-07-22T10:35:00.000-07:002008-07-22T10:35:00.426-07:00

Another fine design from the ASC blog and my attempt to to take a break from blogging Anchor Blocks crumples into dust. The delightful insets are what did it. :)But I have started a post on Wedgits, and hope to do a post on fischer technik soon, so we should be seeing more variety.

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-68431358573905234342008-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:002008-07-21T16:28:02.422-07:00

This glorious compilation of photographs and descriptions of various type of toy buildings may not include the kind of block structures we build in this blog, but they are certainly kin, and the book will appeal to most of those who find their way here, and be a must-have for many.Some of what is included is obvious - dollhouses, buildings for toy trains ...... but there are some surprises,

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-36344345629303199102008-07-19T16:17:00.000-07:002008-07-19T21:47:20.504-07:00

Yet another consecutive post on Anchor Blocks?Well, yes. But still a bit of a change of pace. I promise I bring back some variety soon - in the meantime, there are the blog archives at right.I've been focusing on newly conceived designs lately, but today's post looks back almost a century to a Richter company design.Occasional blog posts have shown individual pages from old Richter booklets, but

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-13890319654577239892008-07-16T17:22:00.000-07:002008-07-16T17:26:32.084-07:00

Ja, I know this blog is supposed to be about the blocks, not the scenery, but I rather like this image even if the Ankerstein structure is out of focus. The ship was moving briskly along, so I didn't have much time for focus experiments. I prefer this image, with the ship in focus and the structure not, over vice versa. There are more pictures of the structure below, and they are in focus.It

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13444990.post-9456860323848065962008-07-14T15:57:00.001-07:002008-07-15T04:59:57.597-07:00

The smallest of the Anker Block standard series is set 4. With the addition of set 4A one has set 6, albeit in two small box instead of one standard box, and with a few extra duplicated stones to fill out the box rectangles.Which means that all set 4 plans can be built with set 6, with many leftover blocks. That's what I did here, inspired by Mr. Seppeler's latest design. We are trusting him on

Alanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11040774790050777890noreply@blogger.com0