Every year the toy industry develops, offering consumers new products to replace old ones. The metal construction set, which was the cherished dream of every Soviet boy, seemed to have lost ground to more colorful plastic Lego sets. However, one 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 began to produce it in a wider range, and now it looks like a much more competitive product than before.
Benefits
The popularity of the plastic construction kit seems obvious: such material is brighter, more convenient, and easier, and not poisonous, and it is much more difficult to inflict injury with its help than with a metal part. However, it is the set of metal that develops the child much better, and in many ways.
- Plastic parts of the constructor are usually characterized by a very high attractiveness for babies, since they imitate what they should imitate in a particular assembly, but because of this they cannot be used in any other version.
- Iron sets are completed from universal parts, giving the child's imagination an opportunity to play out and create something original, including by compiling parts from two different sets. At the same time, an instruction that allows you to quickly collect something specific is 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 the other with screws, nuts and a wrench - everything you need, of course, is supplied in the kit. It turns out that the assembly process becomes much more complex, and therefore the developmental effect is more expressive.
- The iron construction set is not made for boys alone, girls can also use it. Perhaps it will be a little more difficult for the 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 a preschooler to a teenager) is not difficult.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, there are no products that have no shortcomings at all, and everyone's favorite metal constructors, of course, also have certain features that can lead to doubts about whether it is worth choosing such a gift at all. The children's iron construction set has a number of disadvantages that you need to know about before buying.
- Gifts of this kind are only suitable for older preschoolers, because for children under 6 years old, the purchase of this toy is actually contraindicated... Even if the parts of the constructor are made in rather 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 one, while the very relationship with school and responsibilities can reduce the child's interest in design.
- The iron constructor allows you to independently make the most unexpected crafts, but this statement is more true in relation to adults, while for kids the task can be quite boring. A child from 10 years of age and older will be able to understand complex instructions, and even then - only if you have your own formed interest, and even about the independent design of a new toy at an early age is out of the question. Consequently, children perceive the work with such a construction set within the school walls, rather, 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, according to this indicator, they are significantly ahead of any competitors. Today, manufacturers are trying to paint even metal sets, however it is unrealistic for them to compete with the brightness of plastic competitors. As a result, the child perceives school construction as not a very successful imitation of play, instead of learning at ease.
- Due to its strength, metal parts have an increased degree of injury. It is clear that in a quality set there should be no sharp edges or poorly processed surfaces, but at least one child can throw a large part at another, and the blow can be quite strong. Children, alas, do not understand the dangers of such games and fights, and therefore, without hesitation, they can injure a peer with the help of play details.
Kinds
There are quite a few types of metal constructors - they can be small or large, designed for children of different ages, universal or narrowly focused, facilitate the assembly of models from a particular industry. If the purchase is carried out not for a class or a circle, but for one child, all these details must be taken into account.
It should be understood that age recommendations are indicated on the box for a reason. Although the child may be ahead of his peers in development or slightly lag behind them, in general, such guidance is very valuable, allowing you to understand whether the child will be interested and whether he will be able to cope with the task.
At the same time, the task must still be quite difficult if the parents want to get a clear effect of the development of the child's mental abilities.
And so that he does not 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 still more focused on boys, no matter how hard the manufacturers try to expand the range, all the same, the sets concern mainly the assembly of equipment. But here, too, not everything is so simple, so it is worthwhile to once again take an interest in the sets offered in our time.
- The topic of the future has always been popular among children, therefore a set that makes a wonderful transforming robot will be a great gift for a kid... As a rule, such kits do not involve a large number of assembled models. However, the very fact of the transformer implies the presence of at least two variations of the finished model that are unlike each other.
- Children are also very interested in the topic of flights, and although the times of Gagarin's general popularity are long gone, an airplane or helicopter of your own design will still be considered a very sensible toy. Many boys dream of taking off, and even having the right to say that you have assembled an aircraft on your own, even a toy one, is a very powerful argument for respect among friends.
- Typical male interests are manifested in boys as early as childhood, therefore the young mechanic will surely be delighted with the opportunity to assemble various wheeled vehicles. A good all-round set gives excellent opportunities for this: you can assemble a tractor or 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.
You should not ignore the fact that now manufacturers have moved away from the canon, according to which a metal constructor should be a banal set of nuts and washers. Now even a metal set often includes parts from other materials, most often it means, of course, plastic that can imitate the tires of vehicles, transparent glass, and much more.
Another popular material for the manufacture of individual parts is rubber, which also allows you to achieve greater believability of the assembled models than the classic versions of the iron constructor usually do not sin. 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, the Soviet developers for some reason did not think to provide for such an option. By adding a simple mechanical motor, similar to the one used in plastic toy cars, the assembled models can move independently!
Naturally, the parts are processed in such a way as to match as much as possible with the motor mounts, however, the young engineer's self-esteem after working with such a gift simply goes off scale: he literally assembled a self-propelled mechanism! After such childhood, the choice in favor of any technical or design profession should no longer surprise anyone, and in fact such a path in our country is still considered honorable and profitable.
Selection features
The wide variety of models on the market can confuse the inexperienced buyer, because it is worth paying attention to important details that contribute to the correct choice:
- quality certification is the first sign that a product is worth buying, 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 constructor intended for 9-year-olds, and vice versa;
- poorly machined 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 buying a construction set for children under 5 years old, the problem of swallowing small parts is still relevant, therefore the set should not contain fragments less than 50 mm in size;
- although in general the metal is much safer than the same plastic in terms of environmental friendliness, the resulting rust or used low-quality dye can be dangerous, therefore, if there is a strange smell, it is better not to take the product;
A good constructor assumes the assembly of numerous different models from one set, but in their direction they should at least partially touch the sphere of interests of a particular child.
Manufacturers
In certain situations, you just need to trust a manufacturer that has proven itself thanks to quality products. The majority of consumers choose this or that brand for a reason: 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 badly.
Among the Russian brands, it is worth highlighting the "Tenth Kingdom", which focuses mainly on products designed for school labor lessons. One cannot but pay attention to the products of the Samodelkin brand, which took its name in honor of a Soviet cartoon character assembled from parts of a similar designer. Russian designers are of good quality and fairly affordable prices.
The imported sets also deserve respect. Although Western toys are traditionally perceived as something bright and beautiful, and, let's be honest, superior to their domestic counterparts, even Americans have variations on the theme of our iron construction set. Another thing is that similar products look much more beautiful, for example, from the outside, the perforation made for screwing in the bolts may not be visible.
On the other hand, such a construction set is usually less versatile, since it is a kind of Lego, only made of metal. A good example of such a product can be called the kits produced by the American company Meccano. Such a toy would take its rightful place in the nursery. However, it will be fair to assume that imported products will cost parents much more than Russian ones.
But the quality of Chinese products is often as low as the price. It is not worth arguing that absolutely all Chinese metal designers are harmful, fragile or poorly processed, but such complaints are not such a rare occurrence. Decent samples come across, but the big problem is that the average Russian consumer does not remember Chinese brand names, which is why a product from China is always an abstraction for him.
In recent years, such metal constructors have become increasingly popular in Russia, including thanks to various delivery services for purchases directly from China at literally bargain prices.
It should be remembered that such an acquisition is always a risk of spending money, albeit small, on a product that did not deserve consumer attention at all.
For an overview of the metal constructor # 7 (manufactured in the Russian Federation, Nizhny Novgorod), see the following video.
