Your favourite childhood toys

[Punkawallah]

A pack of balsa wood sheets/blocks. Used to spend many a happy hour cobbling together various flying machines, finding out which worked and which didn’t, reproducing historical types. My proudest effort was the He162.

 

[oldwheels]

The only thing I remember is a trike with the cranks attached to the front wheel. Set off aged about 3 from my grandparents house in Pathhead on my first long trip. Got over the viaduct and the police got me and took me back.

 

[Dirk]

A crawling 'tank' that we made from a wooden cotton reel, a pencil, a rubber band, a section of candle and a matchstick.
Had hours of fun with them.
Anyone else remember them?

 

[MontyVeda]

Apart from the bike, which was used mostly for my training myself to be a stuntman when i grew up... it's was mostly Lego, Action Man, trainset, Connect 4 and the Race 'n' Chase racing car set, which is still in my Mum's loft, along with my brother's TCR

 

[Illaveago]

Airfix plastic kits were the first kits where you learnt to read instructions and how to assemble things . This then progressed onto balsa wood kits like Keilkraft and Veron where you were more involved in actually making of the parts which would hopefully fly afterwards. I can remember that I wasn't very successful in making my Keilkraft Stuka . After spending hours making and painting it it didn't fly very well. It would flip over onto it's back and crash without any visual forward movement!

 

[mistyoptic]

I got one of these steam traction engines (Mamod TE1A) for Christmas 1967.
View attachment 713096

I had (still have) one of these. too. Was very excited to see, at a recent model engineering show this stand showing that the brand is alive and well.

 

[Sharky]

No particular favourites, but there were a few fads that were popular in my time..

Yoyo's, hoola hoops AND clackers (before they were banned)

 

[postman]

Subbuteo and a game which had two steel rollers

 

[cyberknight]

Airfix models were a passion too, i often think about doing them again but its finding the time to so it justice

 

[Mo1959]

Just remembering a few more I liked. Good old Etch a Sketch was fun and anyone remember a golf game with a little golfer on the end of a stick. You could even change the clubs. Just pulled a little lever and he hit the ball.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I got one of these steam traction engines (Mamod TE1A) for Christmas 1967.
View attachment 713096

Mine is still in its box - along witha lumber wagon

The wagon is in perfect condition

I do get the traction engine running every now and again

not at all sure how safe that is but "what could possibly go wrong"

should use it to teach the kids about history and engineering - but I'm not sure
a) they would be suitably impressed
b) not sure how safe it is - they are good and not being silly with hot thing - but what if it explodes!!

 

[vickster]

Tortie, I still have him, could do with some restoration!
Cost about 20p from a bring and buy 50 odd years ago

Otherwise, action man and play people (now Playmobil)

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As far as favourites was concerned then it varied on age and the time

I remember a Jonny Severn gun thing
fired plastic bullets, hand grenades and rockets

we had lots of fun shooting at each other in my hall - which ws quite big with lots of shelter

also some track and cars - sort of like Hot Wheels but metal and hence heavier and faster

with the 3 of us together we could combine our tracks and get a track down my friend's stairs - round a steep curve into the lounge, over a loop and under the sofa
at speed

at otehr times - as an only child living miles away from friends - trike, go-kart (rod driven - only I could drive it!) and other stuff was heavily used

one summer there was a lot of scrap wood around and I spent many hours building forts and houses using a hammer and some nails


Of, course, one I was old enough I spent time out on my bike

many many years later my Dad asked me about it - they had no clue how far I used to go
they thought I just went to West Kirby or something when CHester was not unusual - far further - and not by the quick route!

 

[stephec]

Apart from the bike, which was used mostly for my training myself to be a stuntman when i grew up... it's was mostly Lego, Action Man, trainset, Connect 4 and the Race 'n' Chase racing car set, which is still in my Mum's loft, along with my brother's TCR

I can't believe I forgot about my Hornby.

For those of a certain age, around the late seventies Hornby made a plastic baseboard approximately 5 x 3 that was vac formed in three pieces that clipped together, allowing a double track loop with sidings to be built.

I had a steam train of unknown class, but I know it was a 4-6-0, painted in LNER green with a couple of coaches, and on the other track was a HST, I wasn't too concerned with historical accuracy. 😂

 

[mistyoptic]

Mine is still in its box - along witha lumber wagon

The wagon is in perfect condition

I do get the traction engine running every now and again

not at all sure how safe that is but "what could possibly go wrong"

should use it to teach the kids about history and engineering - but I'm not sure
a) they would be suitably impressed
b) not sure how safe it is - they are good and not being silly with hot thing - but what if it explodes!!

There’s a safety valve so should be safe