Customer Reviews

Tinkertoy Classic Jumbo Set

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I had tinkertoys when I was a kid in the 70's. I wish I knew what happened to that set. In over 15 years of play, I only had two parts break from being stepped on. Now I have a son of my own who requested Tinkertoys for Christmas. I was disappointed right away that everything was much bigger than the 'classic' ones. Of course, doesn't bigger mean better and more durable? Five minutes out of the can, the first rod broke in my 6 year old's hand. I thought he was just being too rough so I tried a few connection tests. Within minutes, I had several more rods cracked and a wooden connector and an end cap split. My son loves building with the ones that haven't broken yet and doesn't want me to take them back, but I don't want to wait for them to split too. I want the good old 'classic' perfect size, durbable toys. Bring them back! I'm going to take this set back and take my chances with the plastic version. If that fails, maybe I'll make my own. I miss the 'real' Tinkertoys.

I was willing to pay a premium price for this toy based on the Tinkertoy reputation and our prior experience with Tinkertoys over two generations. My recent purchase was very disappointing. The quality of the pieces was inconsistent so that some of the rods and spools fit nicely, and others fit so poorly that the resultant structures fell apart at the slightest touch.
Tinkertoys have always provided creative play for our family in the past, but imagine witnessing the frustration of a child who has designed and built a Tinkertoy "project" only to have it fall apart. I was embarassed that my gift was so poorly manufactured. I tried to contact Hasbro regarding this issue, but was not accorded the courtesy of an answer.

The product description did not make clear what "jumbo" means. I expected an extra-large set of classic Tinkertoys that would work with the remains of an old set. But "Jumbo" refers to the size of the pieces, not the size of the collection. Big pieces are probably better for little hands, but we had been hoping that it would mesh with the odds and ends of old Tinkertoys that my husband had left over from his childhood.

That said, the toy remains a great creative do-anything building set, appealing to both the actual child (age 4, in this case) and the "inner child" (age 40-something). I didn't have Tinkertoys as a kid, but I sat down to play with them as eagerly as my son. However, we ran out of pieces all too soon, and I can see that we're going to want to supplement the set if his building craze continues. Also, one of the rods already has a splinter splitting off after one day of play, so I don't think they're as durable as a parent might wish.

Total hit for the 3 and up set. And I do mean "and up," adults like to play with this toy too. Just wait -- you buy this for a kid, the kid builds something and brings it to you. And then you start adding parts, moving things around, before you know it, you've made something new.

The pieces are well made and feel good in the hand. They all go together in satisfying ways, and the things you can build somehow all feel well constructed.

Classic wonderful toy for people who like to build. Some pieces are choking hazards, so 3 is the minimum age, and then only for kids who don't put things in their mouths.

My little brother just turned four. For the last year he has been creating gravity defying structures using his wooden blocks. His new Tinkertoys set allows him to expand on his creations as his imagination blossoms. The reason I offered a rating of 4 for durability is: the dog chewed up one of the rods! Nonetheless I am planning on getting another box to supplement our (I mean his) Tinkertoy set.

I've searched lots of toy stores, yard sales and so many more places to find the classic Tinker Toys for my almost 4-yr-old. He loves to create simple designs with them, and is getting more creative every time he plays with them. His favorite creature to make is the elephant (at least, that's what HE says it is!). Definitely a real find. Thanks for making the Classic Tinker Toys available!

This past Christmas I wracked my brain trying to think of some things to get my four year old son. One day it dawned on me that I can remember having Tinkertoys as a kid and loved building stuff with them.. matter of fact, there were a lot of pictures of my mother and I doing just that.

So I headed out to the local Toys r Us looking for them and could not find them.. went to a store clerk and had a lengthy discussion with someone half my age that I was NOT looking for Lincoln Logs.. but Tinkertoys! I ended up having to order them through Amazon/Toys r Us.

Christmas day arrived and once everything was opened (and the novelty of his new Power Rangers began to wear off), he turned his attention to the cannister that he had unwrapped but not opened. Upon opening them he immediately dumped them out and started putting them together. I sat down with him doing the same.. but the best part was that my mother was there that morning and she sat down and started building as well, just like she did with me when I was that age.

The Tinkertoys themselves are pretty much just as I remember them.. still made of wood.. and still just as durable. If your little one likes to be creative and build things.. then get these.. and help them expand their imagination and creativity!

We got my son this set last Christmas when he was 3 1/2y.o and he plays with this all the time still. It's great if your kid likes to build. This is the one toy of his that has sustained the test of time - it is constantly all over our family room. The only down side is that we are constantly cleaning them up. Kids seem to love to pour them all out. He can make more complicated things then we can now.

I can't tell just how glad I am to see this great toy return to the market. Some years ago I tried a web search, unsuccessfully, to find TinkerToys. However my probe did turn up lots of pages of comments by engineers, scientists and other professionals who fondly remembered hours of fun and learning with TinkerToys in their early years.

I remember such fun times as well and I agree that the toy is a great primer to a technology oriented profession (I am an engineer also).

My daughters are still under age 3 but I am taking no chances and I am ordering a set now to save for next Christmas when one will be old enough. (Excited? Yes. My wife can't believe my excitement either, especially at 4:00 AM doing the Christmas 2000 e-shopping. But she never had the good fortune to have grown up with the toy. It's like finding a long lost friend.)

Thanks a million for bringing TinkerToys back. I look forward to hours of fun with my kids while playing with it.

Just awful. I threw it out!
It was purchased for my four year old grand daughter. I sat down to build with her as I remembered Tinkertoy and loved it so much from my childhood.The holes in the circular shapes were all irregular in size and it was frustrating finding the rods that would fit in. I should have sent it back for a refund. This is nothing like the original tinkertoy in quality or construction.

I rated it as one star because it would not accept a perfect zero.

Phyllis