Yeah, the mist is clearing. That stuff you had to pour.... I know it was advertised in Meccano mag... was it "Pyruma modelling clay" or something? 

Yours truly,

Intrigued.

Weren't Spirographs so cool at the time, though. Me uncle brought one over from the States for me cousin the Christmas they appeared and I almost killed the little fella for it.

Just as well I didn't.... he put me up for a couple of nights on me trip back there in May 

I always thought Spirographs were great toys, although my Mum hated it due to the pin holes in her table where you secured the paper
My cousin had the Minibrix system whilst I had Lego and Meccano (I built a cable car that went from floor to picture rail height )

Yeah, all the holes. But all of this has just reminded me of something... obviously nothing to do with the half a dozen beers I had earlier in the evening....

I'm mixing up Sirograph with Etch-a-Sketch. You know, that red tv thing with the two grey knobs. 

Had an Etch-a-Sketch too, George.
Couldn't draw diagonals to save my life but I did manage writing.
Eventually the unit split and all the iron filings (or whatever they were) leaked out

The other educational toys at that time were the Mamod steam engines (traction engines etc.) and the Philips Electronic Engineer kits.

I was happy with my train set and Airfix models, so didn't have either of those.

Best regards,


Joe

Another thought (and I don't think anyone's mentioned one yet) - did anyone else have a 'Superball'
Hours of fun making it spin back & forth, and it used to bounce incredibly high. We used to live next to a crossroads and I'd bounce the ball from one end house wall to another across the road until the neighbour complained of all the 'thudding' noise

Quote from: newportnobby on December 14, 2014, 12:10:16 PM
Another thought (and I don't think anyone's mentioned one yet) - did anyone else have a 'Superball'
Hours of fun making it spin back & forth, and it used to bounce incredibly high. We used to live next to a crossroads and I'd bounce the ball from one end house wall to another across the road until the neighbour complained of all the 'thudding' noise

Yes I has some and they could be dangerous.   We used to bounce them from the top of the multi-storey car park onto the pathway below to see how high it would bounce.  Great fun.

Bayko builder or whatever, is lighting the old rememberance wick.  The stuff was made out of Bakelite and I must have had someone's hand me downs , 2 elder sisters had boyfriends who would try to "buy in" with gifts for the kid brother. Net result was I had lots of the sticky up metal rods bricks and windows for a small house but the pre- built red roof for a mansion. I think I returned to good old Lego pretty quickly and my dreams of the building trade were scuppered.

On the subject of Airfix kits how many of you "terminated" their model planes with a banger wedged into the fuselage ?  My few remaining matchbox toys after the great prairie scandal became crash victims in the jaws of the vice in the garden shed.

Is it time to go back to my room now nurse ?

Quote from: Bealman on December 14, 2014, 11:53:04 AM
Yeah, all the holes. But all of this has just reminded me of something... obviously nothing to do with the half a dozen beers I had earlier in the evening....

I'm mixing up Sirograph with Etch-a-Sketch. You know, that red tv thing with the two grey knobs. 

Funny you should say that as when you posted about spirograph I pictured an etch-a-sketch too even though I had a spirograph.

Talking of bricks (well someone was) can you still get sticklebricks? I had Meccano, set 4M with an electric motor (plus other smaller sets) and I remember I made a steam roller once when I lived in Hong Kong. My brother had shaker maker and made hundreds of ruddy wombles which took over the house!

Spirographs were still around when I was a young'un, so end of the 70's. And I used to envy friends with Etch-a-Sketches.

As for Airfix kits.
Many of mine were destroyed by airgun pellets fired at the planes (on the lawn) from the bedroom window.

Re etch a sketch hope this link works,

http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/allah_sulu/659446/12800/12800_original.jpg

Jerry

I launched some of my airfix kits using A Jettex jet motor. You put in a solid pellet and a coil of fuse into a metal holder and lit it. It burnt for about 10 seconds and propelled the models up a plank of wood, set at an angle by using  a pile of bricks under one end. Just like Fireball XL5.

All the above posts bring back cool memories.  I had a Phillips electronic kit and I think we all must have had superballs! Did I really say that? 

Quote from: Bealman on December 14, 2014, 07:54:25 PM
I think we all must have had superballs! Did I really say that? 

Yes, you did