Building and creating with blocks

When I was younger I used to build things in Lego.  It was great and you could build anything you wanted as long as you were happy it didn’t work as the real item did.      I, and millions of kids over the years, played and learnt what we could create.  The starter kit for engineering creativity and see what some have done with just the basic building blocks.  (Click image for details)

Then we moved on to Meccano.  That was great too and some of the items worked although there were limits to what you could build.  For example I built a working model crane but my MP5 SMG wasn’t much good.   Here someone built a working clock (Click image to visit site.  Sorry about the music)

Now of course I build real life things instead.  Where legal of course.   No pointy sticks for me.  I’ve always seen myself as an engineer even when I moved into software.

Some however didn’t get past the Lego stage.   Of course I wonder whether its because they feel that moving to Meccano is breaking the law, you do need to use a sharp dangerous screwdriver, or that Lego has advanced so much that it replaces Lego.    Lego certainly has moved on since my days as has Meccano.

There seems to be a few systems out there now where you can practise your creative skills in a modular way.    You would think with this technique available our next generation of engineers and scientists would be streets ahead of where we were when we left school.   Fingers crossed.