My father
and I enjoyed working "playing" with Erector Sets when we
were young. His in the 30's/40's mine in the 60's/70's, and
soon the tradition will pass to my sons. It has been noted that
the great Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, at an early age, built great
buildings with exotic blocks. If "playing" with an
Erector Set is any indication both my father and I went on to study
Engineering.
Please
click on the pictures below to see a larger view
The Erector Set is like the Matchbox
line it has been passed around from Meccano to Gilbert and
now back to Meccano. A girder design (as you can see
in the picture) is some of the differences in the product
lines.
No highly engineered Erector Set design could not be done
without a motor. Through the years the drives have advance
to a point that today they can be radio controlled.
The motor drives to the right are from the thirties through
the seventies. The blue motor was used in conjunction
with the gear-drive and the battery pack to make a complex
"prime mover" for a crane or truck design of the
60's/70's. The older design was 120 volt which limited
it to stationary duty but a electro-magnet (see below) and
axle driven whistle would add to the fun to the 30's sets.
A fine example of a early set made in the thirties is the
Gilbert Erector 8 1/2. This set could come with some options
including an electro-magnet and a whistle drive motor.
The wheels were made of metal (steel or aluminum) and the
steel box was great for storage. Sample designs were
included in the instructions that were standard in all sets.
They would taunted you by showing what could be built with
more advanced sets.
Below
are some excellent books and guides on erector sets
If
you have an old Erector Set that you want to more information
on try one of the books above, my father is the expert, but
I would be glad to help..... please keep me in mind if you
have any vintage toys to sell...
PLEASE VISIT OUR MAIN TOY SITE - CLICK HERE
or ABOVE
Click
on the links below to see more examples Hot Wheels