Customer Reviews

Junior TinkerToy Building Set (66 pcs)

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My son loves tinker toys (he is 4), but sometimes he pushes a little too hard on the sticks when putting them together...and they break. Now everyone knows and I realize that anything can break if forced enough, but these should be stronger since kids as young as 3 are considered appropriate for this toy. Some kids do not know their own strength, especially younger children, and the splintering ends that break are not safe. At least three of the sticks have broken within two weeks. Either the quality of these should be improved, or the age needs to be increased. I would recommend tinker toys for children who are responsible and age 7+. I'm worried that a breaking stick might turn in his direction with too much force and injure him.

We purchased this for our 4 yr.grandson - there are 66 pieces, but not all of them are "construction" type - many pieces are not usuable all of the time - we couldn't construct all of the pictured items - not enough pieces. And after we opened it, we couldn't return it. We feel it is over priced for the amount of items in the box. We feel it is a great educational toy - encourages the child to use their imagination - just wish the pieces were more usuable.

Feeling nostalgic, I bought the Jr. Building Set for my 4-year-old son. He loves tinkering and building and seems to have enjoyed this set. We've managed to construct a few of the designs pictured on the tin and in the design guide, along with a few "original" creations, and I think it's helped him with his creativity, and with developing problem-solving skills, etc..

However, that old saying "they don't make 'em like they used to" can definitely be applied here. I remember the old set I had as a kid being pretty solid and durable (had them for years and don't remember any of the pieces breaking). But, the new tinkertoys are cheaply made and manufactured in China. After only an hour or so, some of the round, wooden pieces started to split. The holes in at least half of them weren't tight-fitting, so whatever we built was usually falling apart before we could fully appreciate and enjoy what we had constructed. After a few days, some of the sticks were already broken at the ends, and after a couple of weeks of use, a few of the round pieces broke in half. Most of the small orange, plastic pieces have broken. This is from normal, supervised use.

Also, the design guide included with the set pictures designs that can't be constructed with this set, so it's a little misleading and can be frustrating. There is a note on the back of the tin that says "combine this set with other sets to create even larger structures!" So, I guess the parent is supposed to assume that the enclosed guide is for general reference only and doesn't exactly mean that you can construct everything pictured with this one set.

Overall, I'm not happy with this set due to the cheap quality. If you're wanting to purchase a tinkertoy set for your child, or for nostalgic reasons, I'd recommend trying to find a vintage set in good condition on eBay or elsewhere. I actually purchased a loose vintage set on eBay to replace the parts that have been broken since my son does enjoy playing with them.