Toys you had as a kid.

[Brumby]

Never had a single block of Lego.

First memory is of a Wyn Toy grader and a conveyor/loader.  Solid (sheet) metal construction, similar to Tonka in its early years.  Don't know what happened to the grader, but I saw the conveyor in the garage on the weekend.  Paint isn't great, but it is intact, complete and still works.
 

Meccano - Red and green steel parts.  Some plastic parts came later.  After a few years, I was allowed access to my father's Meccano, which included various artillery pieces with wooden barrels - plus I also came across a large blue box with some airplane Meccano pieces.  I still have that blue box - but it is in a very sad state and there is a fair bit missing inside it.
 

Then I got the Philips EE20 - and I don't remember there being much else after that.
   

[Tepe]

Fischertechnik

[schmitt trigger]

I also had a Radio Shack experimenter's lab. Don't remember the exact model, but it was very similar to this one.
It was a previous model, as it had no ICs, only transistors:

[BillB]

I also had a Radio Shack experimenter's lab. Don't remember the exact model, but it was very similar to this one.
It was a previous model, as it had no ICs, only transistors:

+1 For the 150-in-1 project kit.   I also had the 200-in-1 kit, and many of the single project kits.  I played with them so much I thought I would wear out those little hook-up coil springs.  I don't remember what happened to them.  I did regret getting rid of them so much, that a few years back I bought them again off of ebay so that I could squirrel them away in a box in a storage room. 

Memories ♫

Pictures of them in this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/your-favorite-electronic-toys-of-all-time/   

[Roeland_R]

This is a birthdaypresent I got from my parents somewhere around 1972

[SeanB]

Had almost the same one. did burn my hand rather badly with a spill of the methylated spirit fuel we used, but a good amount of spray skin ( also included a generous dose on Lidocaine as well) and, aside from having a hairless area on my hand, I survived. Was fun the next day at school writing though with a lobster red hand.

[Gyro]

I had a 'Johnny Speed' remote controlled car. I suspect that kids of today would have a good laugh at the RC technology but I was pretty impressed. BTW this video shows it off at its best - that heavy ribbon cable wasn't nearly as well behaved on carpet!

https://youtu.be/XNQ4onsyYps


P.S. It was bigger than it looks - about 20" long!

[Jerry Chew]

This was something we played in Malaysia back in the 90s. Its basically distributing marbles into different holes...whoever has the most marbles in the end wins.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congkak


spam link removed

[Brumby]

We had this in Australia...



Yes, that was the name it sold under.

[Calambres]

Then I got the Philips EE20 - and I don't remember there being much else after that.
   

I too had it, but it was named "Electronic Engineer":



Germanium transistors (AC126, AF116), Bianchi "mustard" capacitors, carbon comp1/2W resistors    It was mainly the responsible for my interest in electronics. I also had its companion, the Mechanical Engineer previously cited in this thread:



A very intelligent and original type of "Meccano". Much better in my opinion. There were some possibilities using both toys. Lots of fun!

I have very fond memories of them.

[Brumby]

I too had it, but it was named "Electronic Engineer":

So was mine.  The images I used were the closest I could find to the actual presentation of my kit.  The only difference is that exact text on the cover.

[ferdieCX]

A Meccano Nr 6, inherited from a cousin. I gave him it back, when years latter he became kids.
A Rivarossi model train. It took 4 years to buy all the necessary pieces to put it to work.

Then, I received the book for kids " Gerd y su emisora " (" Gerd funkt auf eigener Welle " from the german writer Rolf Ulrici )
That made me interested in Radio, and I tortured my parents to the point that they gave me this wonderful book from Monsieur Aisberg that I still have.

To the book followed the Philips Electronics Engineer EE20 already pictured in this thread.
The Meccano an the electric train became suddenly boring.   

[iainwhite]

Meccano (including the Steam Engine & the Electronic control set)
Hornby Dublo 'OO' railway.
Lego
Dinky Toys die-cast model cars & trucks
Airfix toy soldiers and military vehicles, tanks etc

[BrianHG]

Radioshack 200 in 1 electronics set. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/radio-shack-science-fair-200-in-1-electronic-project-kit-manual/
Radioshack remotecontrolled cars
Mechano sets.

Busted radios / stereos
Busted Hair driers
Busted lamps
Busted trains
Busted light dimmers
Busted switches
Busted walkmans.
Junk Speakers
DC motors
AC motors
Busted clock radios

The list goes on...
Most of the stuff I either fixed, modified to be something else, or, salvaged parts from to make something new...

[PA4TIM]

Highlights:
- Lego,I think I was 4.
- real tools and a toolbox when I was 6
- Meccano, 7 or 8
- Philips EE2003 box when I was 13 or 14 (like the one one the pictures I bought a few years ago on a ham fest)
- at 16 the best gift ever, my uncle had an air-riffle. I wanted one too, from as long as I can remember. My parents did not allow that. At my 16th birthday I came home from school and my uncle was there with a big box, a brand-new 4,5mm BSA Meteor super. I still have it, still use it, and it still looks like new.
- A marklin trainset, I made a big WW2 maquette with a few hundered plastic soldiers, houses with bulletholes, a dose tanks, airplanes above it. I painted the trains in camo colors.
- tube radios, I had a working one next to my bed without the cabinet so  I could see the tubes glow.
- at 18 I bought my first guitar, I played several hours a day, and I still play (a lot) guitar

One toy I really wanted as a kid but never got one, a Steamtractor. I finally bought one in England 25 years ago.

[IanMacdonald]

Philips EE20 was what started me on electronics too. 2x AC128 and 1xAF116 if I recall. The radio worked surprisingly well for such a low semiconductor count. In fact all of the circuits did. Somebody put a fair bit of work into that, methinks.

[Brumby]

Yes, I seem to remember the circuits did perform rather well.  The radio circuits did work without too much mucking around.

The electronic organ wasn't too bad considering the resistors used.  Most notes weren't too far off pitch - except one (for me).  It was noticeably off - but still good enough for playing a tune.

The one I remember most was one (the pilfering alarm, I think) that I "installed" in the doorway of my bedroom.  Two thumbtacks each had a wire wrapped around the shank and pressed into the door jamb and door (at the hinge side) so they made contact with the door closed.  Open the door and contact was broken which resulted in the circuit sounding an alarm through one of the speakers ... which was hanging at ear height on the handle side of the door.  Mum was the one who found out about it.  As well as being completely hidden and inaccessible from the outside, those thumbtacks worked a treat.   

[JohnnyMalaria]

[Brumby]

Is that what Santa left you?

[JohnnyMalaria]

Yep, along with an orange and a walnut. I ate those.

[tautech]

Yep, along with an orange and a walnut. I ate those.

I've got a rock just like that and before I had it it was dads.
Had much fun with it as a kid but you didn't dare bump it when it was doing its job. 

[German_EE]

Interesting how many of us got started with those Philips electronics kits.

[IanMacdonald]

The electronic organ wasn't too bad considering the resistors used.  Most notes weren't too far off pitch - except one (for me).  It was noticeably off - but still good enough for playing a tune.

Main problem was that it didn't have the 'black keys' so there were very few tunes you could play.

[Circlotron]

Meccano (including the Steam Engine & the Electronic control set)

Me too. Had this one for 50 years. Hasn't run for 30. Needs new safety valve rubber ring.

[Harb]

When I was a kid we didn't have a lot of money to spray around on flash toys.....mum and dad both gone now worked really hard just to get us through.....but I always had enough to eat and always had a warm roof to sleep under.......
So what I used to do was go to the Local Tip and find other peoples toys and radio's etc etc and bring them home and fix them........and even today I get a kick out of finding something and fixing it up....probably why I love flea markets so much....they are just my favourite thing.......
Its surprising what people throw out.......even moreso today....every council cleanup day I am amazed by the stuff I see on the footpath......I don't pick it up much anymore....unless its test gear or old radio equipment