I have great memories as a small boy sitting in the middle of my parents front room with my older brother making a variety of different structures and vehicles out of Meccano.
To be honest, my gifting was in design. I knew what it should look like and how I think it should be designed and my brother was the hands on man. He was always much better at building and getting his hands dirty; something he carried on with as a trained mechanic and then restoring second-hand furniture.
I have mentioned previously that William is very much like this and although I might not be directly able to help he has his trusted uncle on stand by!
You can imagine our happiness when we were asked by Wicked Uncle to review their Junior Airplane Meccano set!
If you are unaware of Wicked Uncle or want to see another review of ours, then click here or visit their site!
Their site will give you an option for gender, age range from babies to teens and by categories like brainiac or fashion and style. The easy access and then extensive range of toys available allowed a great choice for what to choose.
Luckily we order the toy and it came via express delivery and we received it the following day which was perfect as Uncle N was around at the same time!
It was lovely to see! Uncle N instantly took the box, sat on the floor and emptied all the different pieces out. It caught a rather magical glimpse back to my childhood!
In essence the Meccano is no different from the one from years of old. Simple and clever designed segments that use a simple nut and bolt screw system to attach each segment. However, the biggest noticeable change is the fact that it was made from a pliable and yet sturdy plastic rather than metal. A feature, I believe, that is provided for the younger child.
With this set you had the ability to make 4 vehicles; a racing car, a truck, an aeroplane and a helicopter. William and Uncle N instantly went for racing car!
The simple connective features were easy to use for William and you can see that the age range 5+ is perfect! Accompanying the kit was your own tools which made the construction even better!
With the pieces laid out construction could begin!
The instruction manual was an easy step by step guide that any construction fan could follow. The different pieces were clearly marked and labelled and easy to find and add without complication.
At one point there was William, Uncle N, Aunty D and myself all chipping in and it really felt like a real family toy that you could have as a child.
The finish racing car was neat, cool and all parts moved brilliantly! It was quite difficult to get a photo of it as both of the boys, including Uncle N, were playing with it.
Like any good construction toy it took some time and patience despite the easy to build character. Overall it took an hour from start to finish to make the car so I can see this being a firm favourite with parents who want a solid activity and game time.
We only had time to build one today but the best part of course is that you can dismantle and build another day!
They both decided that they wanted to leave the plane until last as that looked quite cool and I know in my heart that this will be a regular activity that can be shared between them; like any good family toy should!
From a parents point of view it was a great present to have. With the added bonus of no batteries or glue it meant that there was very little fuss! The easy connect pieces allowed the ability to create different designs that literally come alive within the child's hands.
A classic toy that reminds any adult of their childhood and one that takes a disconnect from all the modern technology based toys that are available at the moment. Meccana is and will always be a firm favourite in our house and in many construction and building toy fans for a long time to come!
The fact that he needed help didn't matter that much either. In truth it was a nice activity to do together as a family and especially one that connected not only the pieces but two like minded family members together too!
At £22.95 this is a great little gift to have and one that will bring a lot of opportunities to carry on making and playing after the initial designs are done!
With Christmas close upon us you have until 4pm in Thursday the 22nd to order and get the toy in time for Christmas. Or, take this opportunity to make note and possible point your child in this direction if they have any Christmas money they want to spend and are made about building!
(I was given this product for free to review. My opinions are my own and I am under no obligations to give a positive review! Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of my blog)
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