Architectural Construction Toys
December 9, 2002 1:13 PM   Subscribe

Architectural Construction Toys From the art nouveau style of Arquitectura Moderna to the futuristic cities (circa 1969) of Astrolite, this site has it all.
posted by snez (9 comments total)
 
I’m not sure how much traffic this site can handle. So in case it gets overloaded, there are more goodies in a similar vein here and here. Also check out the history of girder and panel sets.
posted by snez at 1:18 PM on December 9, 2002


Great stuff! Especially these. (although i'm sure they're not at all safe)
posted by amberglow at 1:44 PM on December 9, 2002


*DROOL*

Great find, snez, I'll be browsing the rest of the day. Of course, I never had any of thes when I was growing up. I instead amused myself by building Stonehenges with Mah Johngg bricks.
posted by Stan Chin at 1:45 PM on December 9, 2002


I love these. My nephew is just reaching that age for most construction toys. His next birthday should be very happy, indeed.

My personal favorite would have to be Richter's Anchor Stone Building Sets. Some of the models produced are just gorgeous and have a real presence, due to the fact all the blocks are stone. It's also interesting that the sets are produced in a distinctly serial manner - the instruction book for each set requires the blocks from all the previous sets in order to build the new models.
posted by Sangre Azul at 2:03 PM on December 9, 2002


Thanks for the memories, snez. My mom spent most of my childhood convinced I was going to be an architect.

For those whose prefer the other side of teeny-tiny building, here are some miniature interiors.

You too, Stan Chin? I still do that.
posted by hippugeek at 2:24 PM on December 9, 2002


What fun!

I grew up with the usual building toys (Lincoln logs, Legos, Erector set plus Astrolite) but I clicked furiously through the site to find this one. Not destined to be a classic but it encouraged the budding modernist in me.

I love the Maisons Alcaciennes set with the storks -- storks are a popular symbol of the region.

hippu: My mom spent most of my childhood convinced I was going to be an architect.

I spent most of my childhood convincing my mom and anyone else you would listen that I would be an architect.

posted by Dick Paris at 2:46 PM on December 9, 2002


oops! you=who
posted by Dick Paris at 2:50 PM on December 9, 2002


being Christmas season and all, here's a link that sells construction toys
posted by pekar wood at 4:35 AM on December 10, 2002


Wow, marble run sets, I used to make these as a kid out of whatever I could find. /I want.
posted by lucien at 1:32 PM on December 11, 2002


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