Author Topic: Toys of yesteryear  (Read 62509 times)

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Offline squigglev2

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #90 on: January 13, 2018, 11:43:12 am »
I bought 2 of my brothers Airfix “classic car” models for Christmas presents about 4 years back. I (who admittedly doesn’t have much reason for looking for toys these days) hadn’t seen it around in a long while.  I think they enjoyed assembling and painting them.

A repeated favourite Lego one of mine was a bomber plane. I used a bit of cotton so that you could slide the “bomb flap” open and closed by pulling the cords at the back of the plane.  I was quite proud of that “invention” once upon a time…

Another toy that has passed the test of time is a jigsaw. They have actually proved quite useful therapy (both in keeping helping hand movement and in mental challenge) for my father in more recent years. He only has about 6 of this make but the Wentworth puzzles are particularly good. Relatively expensive as jigsaws go but wooden pieces very cleverly (I believe laser) cut. You can’t for example simply pick out the edge pieces with them and they have a few “Whimsy” pieces related to the picture, eg. a church might have an angel that goes in somewhere. They are more challenging than standard jigsaws as a result.  They also do custom ones.  I took a picture of a local church that turned out really well and keep meaning to get the camera out again one day to see if I can get him another “local interest” puzzle made...

Offline squigglev2

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #91 on: January 13, 2018, 01:40:13 pm »
Moving from Lego, another popular with us that I see is still going was fischertechnik (https://www.fischertechnik.de/en) which I guess we found mid 70s. Like Lego, it seems to still exist but to have moved on a bit. At the time or at least with what we had, I’d probably describe it as a cross between Lego and Meccano. Its plastic parts and ease of assembly were closer to Lego but the parts enabled more of the (let’s call them) engineering type structures that (to me fiddly and I never really took to) Meccano enabled. I’m not sure those of us who enjoyed Lego would ever completely outgrow* it but for me, probably around 15 at the time, it did feel like a bit of progression.

* I guess I could still play with plain Lego blocks now although I’ve gone with something more modern to play with recently. I’ve got an Arduino kit to play with. I can to some degree program and do some basics but focus has always been on working out something for a home project rather than having a pack of input and output (eg. sensors and motors) to learn play with and experiment with.  It’s hard really to relate what is around now to my own (b 1960) childhood. I guess one could  argue that one could do more with less back then and that imagination (eg. with the build stuff, a blocky Lego “aeroplane” could seem “real”)  played a greater part but I can also wonder what childhood would have been like for a (in my case only slightly and, like Fester, I also enjoyed outdoor things) more geeky child with the stuff available now back then...


Offline Ian

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #92 on: January 13, 2018, 01:56:56 pm »
Our boys had several Lego castle sets but none quite like this:

[smg id=3389]

These day Star Wars is high on the xmas lists...

[smg id=3388]
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline squigglev2

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #93 on: January 13, 2018, 02:26:14 pm »
Incredible!

Of course while I've focused on things that have lasted and I could still have an interest in, I could also mention a couple of failures (which I suppose could still exist) which were out of the box once, never to be played again.  They would include Kerplunk and Mousetrap which looked more exciting on the TV ads than they really were. But I suppose we were never that good at family games. Monopoly could descend into rows as could a game of cards (not helped by a mother who would not say even remember if an ace had been played in solo whist - a game where you need the help of a partner).

Although that reminds me of 2 other long standing games: We still have a cribbage board but it's years since I played it (or possibly any card game outside of a few patience games) and dad and a visiting niece had a great time with dominoes not so long back.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #94 on: January 14, 2018, 10:11:43 am »
Roller skates were my favourite. Wore out the rubber wheels on mine !
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline gaztrucker

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #95 on: September 12, 2018, 07:10:44 pm »
recently found while sorting out my shed/motorbike workshop a 1960s tinplate "powerhouse" mobile crane truck must have had it since i was a kid not worth anything coz in my younger days i painted it bright yellow and carefully? painted "buckleys glan conway" on it !!!!! brought back a few memories though

Offline SteveH

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Re: Toys of yesteryear
« Reply #96 on: September 12, 2018, 08:04:58 pm »
Buckley's another local family firm still going strong,..... Gaz have you tried the search function on the forum, some interesting comments from the past, good luck.