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Product Details
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Product Description
Hypotrochoids are mathematical curves traced by a point in a circle (your pen) rolling around the inside of a bigger circle. These curves have been studied by mathematicians for centuries. This drawing set makes it fun and easy to draw these designs and you can create endless designs using the gears provided. The set includes two hypotrochoid templates each with three gears plus one ea. red blue and green pens. The whole set comes inside of a reusable tin.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Durability:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I saw this shrink wrapped and bought it on impulse in a store. Now I'm on eBay, looking for the real thing. If you had the big set when you were a kid, just put your $ toward the original product--there are still plenty on the market.
1. Although the kit contains six disks, they are actually 2 each of three different sizes.
1A. The gears are opaque, so if your design is smaller than the gear itself, you can't tell when you've completed a repeat.
2. Although the kit appears to have three master "holes" or frames, two are the same size, so you only get two different masters.
3. There's no gear teeth around the outside of the shape, so you can't make designs any bigger than the inside of the frame.
4. Not sure why colored pens are such a big deal; basic gel pens work just fine for me.
So--If you've never played with a spirograph, this set might get you started. If you want the real thing, go get a vintage set (check the reviews on here for the current, 2010 or 2000 version--not as good as the 1969 kit).
1. Although the kit contains six disks, they are actually 2 each of three different sizes.
1A. The gears are opaque, so if your design is smaller than the gear itself, you can't tell when you've completed a repeat.
2. Although the kit appears to have three master "holes" or frames, two are the same size, so you only get two different masters.
3. There's no gear teeth around the outside of the shape, so you can't make designs any bigger than the inside of the frame.
4. Not sure why colored pens are such a big deal; basic gel pens work just fine for me.
So--If you've never played with a spirograph, this set might get you started. If you want the real thing, go get a vintage set (check the reviews on here for the current, 2010 or 2000 version--not as good as the 1969 kit).
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Morbius
Amazon Verified Purchase
Durability:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I didn't know that the mathematical description of these patterns was "hypotrochoid", which is a new word I hadn't heard before. Although I admit that "Spirograph" is easier to pronounce and spell, the Hypotrochoid Art Drawing Set accomplishes the same functionality as the Spirograph at 1/5 the price. That way, when your child loses interest in the set, as all kids eventually do, you've saved that other 4/5 of the purchase price to use for other toys. Excellent!
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By CindieLou
Durability:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The pens cracked just above the tip within 20 minutes of using this toy - with only two adults using them. Kit comes with 6 "gears" but it's really 3 sizes, two of each. In a more complicated set two gears with the same size but different holes would make different shapes, but they're too simple for any difference. It's a cheap kit, yep, but I wish I'd put the money towards a better set instead.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Durability:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My 4 year old son loves this "toy". He has been making "spirographs" for his teachers and friends. He just loves it.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By HDGodley
Amazon Verified Purchase
Durability:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted this so I could remember the fun I had as as a child with a similar type toy. I really do enjoy making spiral images with this kit. (I'm a kid at heart!)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
This works and is fun to doodle with, but it really isn't that versatile. It comes with 6 gears, but in pairs of the same size, which is pointless. So really you get 3 gears. It also has 3 circles where you can put the gears, but two are the same, so really you have two circles you can use. So basically you have 2 size templates and 3 gears. Also, there aren't any gears on the outside, so there's no way to make larger designs. In fact, you can't even make a design as large as the ones pictured on the box! The box has pictures that are more varied in size than what you can do with this kit.
So basically its a fun novelty item, but not really as cool as I thought it would be from the box.
I am considering just getting a spirograph like I had as a kid, but most of the reviews I've read say the new ones are very badly made. Anyone found one that's better than this art kit?
So basically its a fun novelty item, but not really as cool as I thought it would be from the box.
I am considering just getting a spirograph like I had as a kid, but most of the reviews I've read say the new ones are very badly made. Anyone found one that's better than this art kit?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Adam
Amazon Verified Purchase
The design and quality of this set doesn't seem to be as nice as some of the several-decades old spirograph sets I have used. The opaque gears make it difficult or impossible to see the lines you have drawn so its hard to know when the full pattern is complete. There is a lip on the frame gear that isn't on other versions and just seems to get in the way when you try to pull the gear out of the frame. 6 gears are included but there are only 3 different sizes (I guess this is good if you happen to lose some). The ink doesn't flow very consistently from the included pens and sometimes leaves gaps.
Overall though I think this set mostly works pretty well and can be fun to use even though it doesn't seem to be the best design.
Overall though I think this set mostly works pretty well and can be fun to use even though it doesn't seem to be the best design.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Chicago Dad
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this for my almost 7 year old for Christmas. She finds it difficult to hold the outer stencil still by herself, but enjoys creating spiraling patterns with the help of Mom or Dad. It's great that it packs away in a small tin for travel and has been very useful for keeping daughter #1 entertained at restaurants and waiting rooms. I wish Hasbro would bring back the vintage Spirograph from my own youth. This is a good starter set, but I was left wishing for more.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got It & Wanted More
We liked this set, but wanted more! Ended up also buying the Spirograph design kit which we found at a local retail store. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Mom
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
We wanted a nice little Spirograph-type set, and hoped that this would work. It works okay, and is better quality than new Spirograph pieces, but this had duplicated pieces and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robert Reese
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hypotrochoid Art Set
We bought this set for our 6 year old daughter because we didn't want to spend money on a real Spirograph. Read more
Published 4 months ago by mistysunshine
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reminds me of the Spirograph toy I had as a child
After playing with a similar concept at our local science museum, my son wanted a spiral art set. I remembered Spirograph from my childhood. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Linda S
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
This small set makes lots of different patterns!! Very good quality. I love the case for storing it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by kottte
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super cool
Reminds me of a toy I had growing up. As long as I hold it in place my 4 year old boys are great at it.
Published 5 months ago by Diane Devine
5.0 out of 5 stars
FUN
My boys LOVED playing with this. My five year old got it for a Christmas gift and he loves it! My 12 year old loves joining in as well.
Published 5 months ago by JJ2011
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you can't find a Spirograph, this an excellent substitution
I was looking for a Spirograph for my young daughter for Christmas because she likes to draw and be creative. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Kelly Keegan
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected
I thought this would be like a little spirograph kit, which it sort of is - but it's really only good for some quick doodling, not really playing with for hours like a real... Read more
Published 5 months ago by H. Wax
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great item.....it works well.....Fantastic
Years past there is a product by Kenner - Spirograph. I saw the Kenner original Spirograph on Ebay for many $$$'s. Read more
Published 5 months ago by lewis
