mechanical toys
Music Boxes Rule The World
If "music box" sounds like a phone app to you, you may want to read this. I know it sounds odd, but people actually enjoyed physical music boxes that had just one melody. Or, at best, a couple of melodies. And such music box toys are available even today for...
Let's Fly Mechanical Airplane Toys
Toys that fly? The RC airplane industry is huge. But we don't talk RC here. We love the good old mechanical stuff. Can airplanes be mechanical? Sure. Some of them even fly. Let's see:
Free flight airplanesFree flight airplanes don't have that much (or any) mechanics in them. They are just...
Toys Using Levers
Along with cams and cranks, many mechanical toys use levers to transmit energy from one side of the toy to the other. There are three classes of levers. The most used and the most useful are the First Class levers. By moving the pivot they allow you to transmit power...
Who Wants To Be a Puppeteer?
Puppets and muppets, why we love them, and how to make a diy puppet.Puppets are the most "direct" kind of mechanical toys in the meaning that energy is directly transferred from your hands to parts of the toy. Marionettes do use strings or rods but still there are rarely any...
Trains! 18 Impressive Wooden and Tin Models
If you liked the article about mechanical trains, you'll love the models below. Most of these toys are classes above the stuff that's sold today on the toy stores. Fortunately some of them can still be find.
Have a look and learn more from the short stories under the photos. You...
String Acrobat Toy: Our Version + Template
And It's Easy: You Can Make One Yourself While Hanging On a Horizontal BarThe string acrobat is a popular string toy. These toys don't fit a straight classification. They have one thing in common of course - a string is used to perform some action. In the end of this...
Here's Why Rubber Band Toys Always Win
They Are Simple, They Are Cheap, They Can Fly and They Can CreepDo springs and gears look a bit too much iron for you? Don't worry. Wind-up mechanics can be implemented even with wooden or plastic gears. But the spring! It should always be made of iron or steel. Or...
12 Great Mechanical Toys + Instructions and Templates
A Superb Collection Of Retro Toy Plans: And Most of Them are Free!Here are they. A bunch of nice mechanical tin or wooden toys that you can make yourself. Gravity toys. Papercraft toys. Lovely toys. I have collected some of the greatest classics and made sure...
Mechanical Trains Are Rolling On The Rails
Made Of Wood Or Tin, They Bring One Old Era At HomeWhen was the last time you traveled by train? Did you take your kids with you? If you've missed to do it, take them next time. Traveling by train can't be compared to driving a car, it's a whole...
Push'em, Pull'em, They Are Always With You
The Mechanical Toys Of Little ChildrenIt's a pity that toddles and young children can't play with most old fashioned mechanical toys. Small parts, chocking hazards, you know. You just can't give a cool wind-up bird to a 2 years old and expect everything to be fine. If by any chance...
History of Mechanical Toys
How It All Began And Where Are Mechanical Toys Today Archytas of Tarentum and His Flying Pigeon - 400 years BCOne of the first mechanical toys ever created was the flying pigeon of Archytas of Tarentum. His toy was wooden and propelled on a wire by escaping steam. Accordingly to Aristotle...
How To Make a Waddle Duck Toy
Don't Shoot The Duck, It Walks The Best It Can!The waddle duck is a very simple mechanical toy - it does not have even a cam mechanism. The waddling duck is powered by simple physics - gravity power and friction. The video below explains the physics in great details and...
Mechanical Wooden Toys Are For All Ages
The warm wood material and metal gears can team together for great toysMoving crocodiles, dynosaurus, cars and machines made of wood? Why not, if they are mechanical toys? Most of the time when talking about mechanical retro toys we have used to think about tin and wind ups but the
...The Magic of Automata and Mechanical Toys
Mechanical toys impress with simple yet ellegant gearsHave you forgotten the toys from your childhood? You could get a drummer, wind the spring with a little tin key and it would start beating the drum with almost perfect movements. Then when it stops drumming you could get the key, wind...
