Not even kidding here, Erector sets are great toys for building young minds, and fun toys for older engineers. I would definitely be in for a couple at this killer price.

Wow, these Erector sets actually look safe and fun to play with. The ones that I had as a kid were practically out of the random parts bin at a hardware store.

They still make erector sets?

My brother, back in the 70's, had a really nice, huge one. Hundreds of pieces, not even counting the tiny screws and nuts. Motors. Gearboxes. Beams. L-brackets. You get the idea. I played with it as much (if not more) as he did.

I'll have to study these and see if they're even remotely as cool.

This set got terrible reviews at amazon..well the Xtreme one did. I wanted that one but no more. Plus, it's $25 at amazon and they have free shipping so same price. A better deal on the space chaos and turbo.

tsfisch wrote:They still make erector sets?

Kind of... They are less classic erector pieces and more plastic and aluminum prefab shapes.

Anyone interested in a bit of the history of Erector check out James May's Toy Stories. He covers Erector (Meccano)in the series. It is interesting to see what happens when he takes a classic set to a modern school (complete with original instructions) and asks the kids in the class to build the set. None of them are even close to capable. He explains that Meccano purposely left out instructions in their original sets to give the kids even more of a challenge and make them use their imagination and brain. Unfortunately the sets in the past few years are even more dumbed down than they were even 5 years ago.

polyxavier wrote:This set got terrible reviews at amazon..well the Xtreme one did. I wanted that one but no more. Plus, it's $25 at amazon and they have free shipping so same price. A better deal on the space chaos and turbo.

Agreed. Was looking for 7 yo and decided after the Xtreme review it wasn't worth the headache. Parts not fitting on 1 means not on others.

It's all Lego's and K'Nex these days.
My cup(boards) runneth over.

skent7511 wrote:Agreed. Was looking for 7 yo and decided after the Xtreme review it wasn't worth the headache. Parts not fitting on 1 means not on others.

Yeah, I'm worried that the only thing this shares with Erector sets of the past maybe is the name.

I bought a non-brand Erector-type set a while back here on Woot, and goddang, was it frustrating! None of the parts fit! The instructions were doo-doo! That was a big disappointment to me and my five-year-old kid. We got like one wheel built and then just chucked the thing. I've had better times hooking up electrodes to various body parts and subsequently energizing them.

Now, I don't know if that's the same story with this particular Woot today, but I am wary! In this life, heartbreak is always only an instant away, and we must remain eternally vigilant.

EDIT: after reading the Amazon reviews for this set (three out of five stars, only two reviews, one five star and one one star) I'm considering taking a chance on Space Chaos. I'm probably headed toward the town of Heartache in a semitrailer of Desire that's lost its air brakes, but hey, that's how I roll.

defibrillator wrote:I'm probably headed toward the town of Heartache in a semitrailer of Desire that's lost its air brakes, but hey, that's how I roll.

Seriously, I want to borrow this phrase sometime. May I?

Also, I've been told - This is NOT the same set as you (generic you, no finger pointing!) might be finding elsewhere. Similar piece count, but ours has a Plastic Storage case! FYI, this has a $20 retail value and there are no sets like ours out on the internet.

theguruguys wrote:Kind of... They are less classic erector pieces and more plastic and aluminum prefab shapes.

Anyone interested in a bit of the history of Erector check out James May's Toy Stories... He explains that Meccano purposely left out instructions in their original sets to give the kids even more of a challenge and make them use their imagination and brain...

James May shouldn't believe everything his dad told him.

I'm headed toward the town of Heartache in a semitrailer of Desire that's lost its air brakes, but hey, that's how I roll.


I just printed it out and stuck to my bulliten board!!!!

My wife once ordered me an Erector Set, but all that arrived was a bottle of blue pills.

theguruguys wrote:Kind of... They are less classic erector pieces and more plastic and aluminum prefab shapes.

Anyone interested in a bit of the history of Erector check out James May's Toy Stories. He covers Erector (Meccano)in the series. It is interesting to see what happens when he takes a classic set to a modern school (complete with original instructions) and asks the kids in the class to build the set. None of them are even close to capable. He explains that Meccano purposely left out instructions in their original sets to give the kids even more of a challenge and make them use their imagination and brain. Unfortunately the sets in the past few years are even more dumbed down than they were even 5 years ago.

That's sad. Kids anymore just aren't inclined to be at all mechanical anymore. That's because even their dads (if they're even in the picture) aren't either. I read an article the other day saying that today's young homebuyers are likely to laugh at the realtor when he shows them the workbench in the garage, and say "I'd have to figure out which side of the hammer to use".

Sad. But let's go play some Diablo 3, shall we (cries softly)

inkycatz wrote:Seriously, I want to borrow this phrase sometime. May I?

Not only may you borrow it, but I GIVE IT TO YOU. YOU NOW OWN IT. I TRANSFER AND ASSIGN ALL RIGHTS TO YOU. GO WITH GODSPEED.

inkycatz wrote:

Also, I've been told - This is NOT the same set as you (generic you, no finger pointing!) might be finding elsewhere. Similar piece count, but ours has a Plastic Storage case! FYI, this has a $20 retail value and there are no sets like ours out on the internet.

Ok, thanks for the info!

Aww, my first deleted post. Sorry moderators, didn't know Beavis and Butt-head was too risque.

OK, factoring in reviews, etc. someone tell me which one or two of these to buy

-Tim

tsfisch wrote:OK, factoring in reviews, etc. someone tell me which one or two of these to buy

-Tim

Space Chaos, but the jury is still out whether or not you'll be happy with it. Myself, I rolled the dice.

delete

tsfisch wrote:That's sad. Kids anymore just aren't inclined to be at all mechanical anymore. That's because even their dads (if they're even in the picture) aren't either. I read an article the other day saying that today's young homebuyers are likely to laugh at the realtor when he shows them the workbench in the garage, and say "I'd have to figure out which side of the hammer to use".

Sad. But let's go play some Diablo 3, shall we (cries softly)

I agree with both you and the person you responded to... Today I fixed a battery connection on an airsoft gun for a kid that brought it back because he mangled the battery connector... it took me a whole 3 minutes to repair using a paperclip (to make the connector round again) and a pair of pliers to reshape the connector. Kids don't have the slightest idea how to do anything on their own anymore, and I am only 24 years old. The difference is my parents and grandparents let me try to figure things out for my self before putting it on someone else. My grandma just passed away and while cleaning out the house, I found my erector sets from when I was a kid. This was the next level of legos and turned me into the "fix just about anything" person I am today. Just another great gift (from a gift) my grandparents gave me... I am certainly going to teach my children how to fix things, because in the future, it will be an even more profitable business than it is now...