Children's toys help develop logical thinking, imagination. They improve coordination of movements and fine motor skills of hands, create conditions for further studies with equipment. Indeed, in order to put together the desired figure from separate parts, the child needs to be able to use the instructions, read the drawings. One of the most famous and popular ones is Meccano children's designers. What do they entice little admirers with?
Brand history
Meccano was established at the end of the 19th century. Its founder was Frank Hornby. At first, he simply came up with various designers for his children. Seeing that they were collecting various shapes from bolts and cogs with interest, Hornby patented his invention. In the early twentieth century, a factory for the production of designers for children was opened. Then the name was invented, which over the years has become famous and popular throughout the world. Now the designers of this brand are made in England, France, USA.
Designers "Mekano" are designed to assemble engineering solutions and mechanisms in miniature form. Teenagers liked such products so much that they even gathered in clubs of fans of this brand. A magazine with the same name was published for them.
A quarter of a century after the foundation, manufacturers began to produce red and green parts. Models have become brighter and more attractive. And only in the early 80s plastic elements appeared. They, together with motors, which since 1970 began to be part of some designers, became a new milestone in the development of the brand.
Range
Meccano is a designer whose assortment is becoming more diverse over time.
These are metal parts. From them you can collect cars, planes, ships, trains and buildings. Moreover, each of these mechanisms is present in the Mekano collection in several modifications and variants.
For those who have already become familiar with and have played enough with metal designers, you can begin to get acquainted with electronics. The presence of 6 V motors and a screwdriver will help the child feel like a real engineer.
True, parents complain about the quality of the engines. For some, they burn out rather quickly, although they can be repaired, but, as a rule, it also lasts for a short while.
For young children (from 2 to 5 years), plastic designers are more suitable. They are brighter than metal, there is no risk of swallowing any small parts, such as a nut or bolt. The amount of detail that needs to be collected in order to get the desired shape is amazing. In individual designers, their number reaches 600 pieces.
Models
From the details of the constructor "Mekano" you can create:
- mechanisms, cars, ATVs, planes, helicopters, tractors of various types;
- ships, including pirate ones;
- there are designers to create engineering structures ("Eiffel Tower");
- Of particular interest to children and their parents will cause a robot named Mekanoid.
Mekanoid Robot
This is a movable programmable model. Her height is comparable to the growth of a child. You can program using a regular smartphone. To do this, you need to install the Mekanoid application on it, place it inside the robot. It will do everything you programmed.
You can not put the smartphone in a robot, but control it through the "avatar" on the screen. Moving the arms and legs of the Mekanoid on the display, you make him do it "in life."
Age features
It is very important that the designer gets to the child at the right time. After all, not all children have the same propensity for technology and design. Some begin to reach for an instrument or disassemble toys (a manifestation of creativity or interest in building) from the age of three, while others do not even think of it until graduation. The first will assemble the model themselves, sometimes faster than the father. The second is to give designers, starting with simple ones, familiarize themselves with instructions, and help assemble models. It is to help, and not do everything for them.
Meccano is a designer whose boxes indicate the level of complexity of the assembly. Usually this is a scale with a spanner, the mark on which is at the beginning, middle or end.
Designer Meccano Multimodels "Biplane" (40 models)
Reviews of enthusiastic children and their parents indicate that much more models than forty can be created from the details of this constructor.
The set has 387 plastic and metal parts and accessories that allow you to create small wheels, springs, tracks. Assemble the design will help a special tool. And the presence of a motor will allow you to see the created model in action.
Designer Meccano 6515
The Meccano 6515 designer consists of 252 parts. The main element is metal strips of various shapes with holes. Using nuts and bolts, they are connected to one of the 15 proposed models.
To find out how to do this correctly, the instructions for the Meccano 6515 designer will help. It contains not only a detailed description of the assembly process, but also illustrations of machines that can be created. Having mastered the proposed versions, the child can collect something of his own.
Assembly instructions
Many parents complain that the instructions are not translated into Russian. They have to do the translation themselves or guess what actions they need from the pictures.
Although it should be noted that even without translating the image in the instructions are very detailed and informative. For each model, the details necessary for its creation are drawn. In the second figure, the lines indicate the direction of assembly, along the edges of these lines are parts that need to be connected.
Naturally, the more complex the model, the longer it takes to tinker with it. But all the more interesting is the result.
Reviews
Many children like Meccano - a designer that allows you to play and learn at the same time. Parents note that it is educational and unusual. Especially like plastic kits for little ones. Parents point out the bright appearance of the parts, the compliance of nuts with bolts and other parts. They note that young children especially liked the model with eyes.
Users like the fact that the assembly tool is made of plastic, so they cannot get hurt. At the same time, it is quite functional, that is, it qualitatively untwists and tightens bolts and nuts.
Buyers point out that all parts are made with high quality, without nicks, burrs, have a beautiful and neat appearance, and are also pleasant to the touch. Meccano is a constructor in which even the smallest elements are quite large, so it is easy for a child to work with them, they are not lost.
Some children who were presented with the Meccano metal constructor say that one model is not enough for them to play. They want the kit to contain a lot more elements. This also becomes an obstacle for assembling your own models from parts included in Meccano.
Designer reviews are also critical. There are complaints that the nuts are not thick enough to hold the part firmly in place. If you do it harder, then it starts to scroll, and the model itself becomes a curve. Therefore, you need to constantly correct it. But these shortcomings relate to models created on the basis of their own fantasies, and arise more often among parents. After all, they also want to play, sometimes even more than children.