Tinker Toy 200-piece Plastic Construction Set

by Playskool

Product Features

• construcction set

Product Details

• Item Weight: 6.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000231G30
• Manufacturer recommended age: 10 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,552 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

There probably isn’t a whole lot that can be said about Tinker Toys that hasn’t already been said a hundred times in a hundred different ways over the years. And that familiarity is a testament to the toys durability. That durability, in turn, testifies to the popularity and quality of the toys. Included in this wide drum container (complete with a metal top in a nod to the old school Tinker Toy traditionalists) are 98 plastic rods, 44 plastic spools, and 30 plastic connectors. Some who remember the old-fashioned wooden Tinker Toys may pine for that material to return but the plastic really is much more durable. There’s a design guide to get you started, if that’s necessary, but as always you are limited only by your imagination. --Charlie Williams

Product Description

The construction toy that's been a favorite for generations! Features easy-fitting, durable plastic pieces to make all kinds of exciting creations. Build and play with many different large-scale structures using the enclosed design guide - or your imagination! This is a Toys R Us Exclusive.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Toy, September 14, 2004

By 

M. H Shamp (Columbia Falls, MT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tinker Toy 200-piece Plastic Construction Set (Toy)

I picked this set over the other 105-piece set offered here because there are so many more pieces for the money. Once I get it, I notice that this is a different set with somewhat different pieces, and all the pieces are made of plastic, while the other set is made of wood. I don't mean this to be a bad thing, because there are a few ingenious-looking connectors that you can turn to change its angle of connection, and I doubt it can be made in wood the same way. I bought it for my 5 year old son who finds it a little difficult to poke the sticks into the connectors because they fit rather snug, but after a while he got used to it. He isn't used to it not having instruction like Legos, though, so he just looks at the picture on the can with frustration until I build it for him. I then take digital pictures as I dismantle the project so that he can then use them as instructions. He does OK. The set is bright colored and sturdy, and it makes a beautiful and realistic Ferris wheel that stands about 2.5 feet tall, complete with ride chairs that remains vertical as the wheel spins.

Besides not having instructions, my other complaint is that the entire set fills only half of the can if you just dump everything in, and the can is made out of paper (except for its top and bottom). I think they wouldn't have gone broke if they made the whole can in tin, and it would have lasted a lot longer. Overall, I am happy with my purchase, but I may consider buying the other set too.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An improvement over the wooden ones!, November 26, 2005

By 

Hekate "vjb3" (Greenville, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tinker Toy 200-piece Plastic Construction Set (Toy)

I was wary of getting plastic tinker toys, but we've been pleased with how they've held up. I saw numerous reviews on the wooden once with complaints about breaking and splintering, and we haven't had any pieces tossed out yet after more than a year. These are the only toy in our house that is played with each and every day, by both of our children. We make lawn mowers (my son's favorite), snow blowers, baby swings and strollers(for my daughter's doll), airplanes, buildings, scooters, umbrellas, flowers, animals, you name it. My 2 year old has no trouble manipulating the pieces to make simple things (the flowers and umbrellas are her specialty), and my 4 year old gets more and more creative about how he accomplishes things. Definitely worth the money and tripping over them all of the time. My husband and I are getting better at making things too... he's downstairs making a BBQ grill out of them now!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some advantages over wood, October 11, 2005

By 

J. Rosio "BackToBasics" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Tinker Toy 200-piece Plastic Construction Set (Toy)

True -- the old time wood tinkertoys seem more "real" somehow -- but my guys like the plastic because it's easier to play with. The rods fit better into the little holes, making spokes or windmills easier to create. Great colors too. We have both this and wood tinkertoys and they are interchangeable. We have found that the plastic breaks more easily but it does take intentional and considerable effort... (as does the training process toward good toy stewardship).