Models of metal construction sets

Every year the toy industry develops, offering consumers new products to replace old ones. The metal construction set, which was the secret dream of every Soviet boy, seemed to have lost its position to the more colorful plastic Lego sets. However, you should not think that the old Soviet invention has sunk into oblivion; it is still in demand and continues to be produced.

Today's manufacturers have begun to produce it in a wider range, and now it looks like a much more competitive product than before.

Advantages

The popularity of plastic construction sets seems obvious: this material is brighter, more convenient, lighter, and non-toxic, and it is much more difficult to cause injury with it than with a metal part. However, it is the metal set that develops the child much better, and in many ways.

• Plastic parts of construction sets are usually very attractive to children, since they imitate what they should imitate in a particular assembly, but because of this they cannot be used in any other option.
• Iron sets are made from universal parts, allowing children's imagination to run wild and create something original, including through the compilation of parts from two different sets. At the same time, instructions that allow you to quickly assemble something specific are also present.

• The parts of the iron constructor do not have grooves that are simply inserted into each other, so each part has to be screwed to another using screws, nuts and a wrench - everything necessary, of course, is supplied in the kit. It turns out that the assembly process becomes much more complex, and therefore the developing effect is more expressive.
• The iron construction set is not created for boys alone; girls can also use it. Perhaps it will be a little more difficult for a girl to come up with an unusual idea for an interesting assembly, but it is still possible.
• Today, companies produce a wide range of iron construction sets, so choosing something appropriate for a child of any age (from preschoolers to teenagers) will not be difficult.

Flaws

Unfortunately, there are no products that do not have any shortcomings at all, and everyone’s favorite metal construction sets, naturally, also have certain features that may raise doubts about whether it is worth choosing such a gift at all. Children's iron construction sets have a number of disadvantages that you need to know about before purchasing.

• Gifts of this kind are only suitable for older preschoolers, because For children under 6 years of age, purchasing this toy is actually contraindicated. Even if the construction parts are made in fairly large sizes, the set still contains nuts and screws with washers, which are very easy to swallow. Consequently, such a set is often perceived as a school set, while the very relationship with school and responsibilities can reduce the child’s interest in design.

• An iron construction set allows you to make the most unexpected crafts yourself, but this statement is more true for adults, while for kids the task can be quite boring. A child aged 10 years and older will be able to understand complex instructions., and even then only if you have your own formed interest, and there can be no talk of independently designing a new toy at an early age. Consequently, children perceive working with such a construction set at school more as a duty than as an interesting and exciting game, which is why the main value of the set is lost.

• The insane popularity of plastic construction sets for children is largely due to their brightness; in terms of this indicator, they are significantly ahead of any competitors. Today, manufacturers are trying to paint even metal sets, however It is impossible for them to compete with the brightness of plastic competitors. As a result, the child perceives school construction as a not very successful imitation of a game, instead of learning at ease.
• Due to its strength, metal parts have an increased degree of injury. It is clear that a high-quality set should not have sharp points or poorly processed surfaces, but at least one child can throw a large part at another, and the impact can be quite strong. Children, alas, do not understand the danger of such games and fights, and therefore, without hesitation, they can injure a peer with the help of game parts.

Kinds

There are quite a few varieties of metal construction sets - they can be small or large, intended for children of different ages, universal or narrowly focused, and facilitate the assembly of models from a particular industry. If the purchase is made not for a class or circle, but for one child, all these details must be taken into account.

It should be understood that the age recommendations are indicated on the box for a reason. Although a child may be ahead of his peers in development or a little behind them, in general such instructions are very valuable, allowing you to understand whether the baby will be interested and whether he will be able to cope with the task.

At the same time, the task must still be quite complex if parents want to get a clear effect in the development of the child’s mental abilities.

And so that he doesn’t get bored, you will have to choose a set with a certain plot that is close to the child. It should be admitted that such products are largely aimed at boys, no matter how hard manufacturers try to expand the range, the kits still concern mainly the assembly of equipment. But here, too, not everything is so simple, so it’s worth once again taking an interest in the sets offered in our time.

• The theme of the future has always been popular among children, so a set that makes a wonderful transforming robot will be an excellent gift for a child. As a rule, such kits do not require a large number of assembled models. However, the very fact of a transformer presupposes the presence of at least two variations of the finished model, different from each other.

• Children are also very interested in the topic of flight, and although the times of Gagarin’s widespread popularity are long gone, an airplane or helicopter of your own design will still be considered a very smart toy. Many boys dream of taking to the air, and having the right to say that you yourself assembled an aircraft, even a toy one, is a very powerful argument for respect among friends.

• Typical male interests appear in boys even in childhood, therefore The young mechanic will certainly enjoy the opportunity to assemble various wheeled vehicles. A good universal kit provides excellent opportunities for this: you can build a tractor or a tank, a truck or even a simple motorcycle.

You can even play with such a 3D model if you wish, although to a greater extent it is still a sign of the boy’s engineering genius and a reason for his immeasurable pride.

One should not ignore the fact that now manufacturers have moved away from the canon, according to which a metal construction set should be a banal set of nuts and washers. Nowadays, even a metal set often includes parts made from other materials, most often meaning, of course, plastic that can imitate vehicle tires, transparent glass, and much more.

Another popular material for the manufacture of individual parts is rubber, which also makes it possible to achieve greater believability of the assembled models than the classic versions of iron construction sets usually do. However, a revolutionary development is the classic screw construction set with an electric motor.

On the one hand, there is nothing incredible in such a solution, on the other hand, for some reason the Soviet developers did not think of providing for such an option. By adding a simple mechanical motor, similar to those used in plastic toy cars, the assembled models can move on their own!

Naturally, the parts are processed in such a way as to match the motor mounts as much as possible, but the young engineer’s self-esteem after working with such a gift simply goes through the roof: he literally assembled a self-propelled mechanism! After such a childhood, the choice in favor of any technical or design profession should no longer surprise anyone, but such a path in our country is still considered honorable and profitable.

Features of choice

The wide variety of models on the market can confuse an inexperienced buyer, because It is worth paying attention to important details that contribute to the correct choice:

• quality certification is the first sign that the product is worthy of purchase, especially since you can see it without even unpacking the product;
• The age limit on the packaging is indicated for a reason: you should not buy a 4-year-old child a construction set intended for 9-year-olds, and vice versa;
• poorly processed metal parts can cause injury, so they should be inspected for sharp edges or nicks;
• great attention should be paid to the quality of the fasteners, which should not have problems with cuts and threads, otherwise the entire set will be useless;

• when purchasing a construction set for children under 5 years old, the problem of swallowing small parts still remains, therefore the set should not contain fragments smaller than 50 mm;
• although in general metal is much safer than plastic in terms of environmental friendliness, the danger can be caused by the resulting rust or the low-quality dye used, so if there is a strange smell, it is better not to buy the product;

A good construction kit involves assembling numerous different models from one set, but in their focus they should at least partially affect the area of ​​interest of a particular child.

Manufacturers

In certain situations, you should simply trust a manufacturer that has proven itself thanks to its quality products. It is not for nothing that the majority of consumers choose this or that brand: in the age of information technology, any serious defect would quickly become public knowledge, so well-known manufacturers simply do not allow themselves to do their job poorly.