TINKERTOY Building Manual: Graphic Instructions for 37 World-Famous Designs

Great nephew loves building with the old tinker toys and will love all the graphic pictures.

I was terribly disappointed by this book. It falsely proclaims itself a "building manual" for Tinkertoys. The author, editor, and publisher should all be ashamed to be associated with this joke on children. The illustrated designs are fraught with errors; many where copied from an error ridden instruction sheet included with modern Tinkertoy sets made in Asia. Obviously the author felt it unnecessary to actually build the designs illustrated. There are numerous incidents of impossible angles, wrong lengths, and unrealistic use of connectors.This book uses a modern Tinkertoy set with larger rods and hubs. Just for reference: you have a modern set if the orange sticks are the longest and a vintage set if the purple sticks are the longest.I reviewed the first eleven models in the book, before getting too disheartened to continue. Excluded the first model, making a necklace on a string, exactly one of the following ten models can be constructed as illustrated: the bridge. Of the remaining nine models eight had inaccurate piece lengths, six had inaccurate angles, six had inaccurate connectors. Four models had all three types of errors. The remaining more complex models are more of the same error ridden designs.While some original Tinkertoy designs allow for slight bending at the joints; attempting many of the designs in this book would break rods. Other designs show parts magically hanging in midair; the dinosaur's nose is one such example. The author's use of connectors exhibits a complete lack of understanding of: which holes are for rod connections, which holes are for free spinning axles, and the angles between holes (multiples of 45 degrees); this leads to many impossible fantasy designs, take the Tee-Pee for example where impossible 70-70-40 degree triangles and other unrealistic angles are illustrated.As a child of the sixties I played with tinker toys for days on end; even today I recall that vintage Tinkertoys had set relationships between the pieces. Two rods of a shorter length and a next longer rod would form an isosceles right triangle with the longer rod as the hypotenuse. This works because Tinkertoy's wooden hubs have eight evenly spaced holes 45 degrees apart. With a vintage set there are many additional possible triangles, several additional hub types, and very short rods (used for gears and complex models)After looking through this book I went to an online auction site and bought a few vintage Tinkertoy manuals for my son. After trying to build a few complex vintage models with a modern set I went back online and bought a couple of vintage Tinkertoy sets.

I didn't read the description OR the cover. So I didn't expect a CD, but then when we got it, my son pointed out that the cover advertised a CD, and I was surprised that it didn't have one.I also didn't know quite what to expect--was it a pamphlet? A book? I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a good sized book.So I didn't know what I was getting, really, except that I knew it would go with my son's Tinkertoys set, and I was pleasantly surprised. I do wish the CD was included if it advertises a CD.I got this for $6, so awesome price!

A very nice book. Easy and complicated Tinkertoy projects. Clear precise pictures. Should progress as the child ages.

My 6yr old daughter LOVES tinkertoys. She makes some incredible "inventions" When I saw that this book/cd was coming out I was so excited and purchased it for her. The book is easy to flip thru but they show you the end product first and then 2-3 pages of how to put it together. Problem is, there isn't a finished product at the end so you have to go back 3 or so pages to see the first picture to see how it all fits together. It wouldn't be such a pain but the book isn't spiral bound so you need have a weight on it if you are trying to build and look at the same time. My daughter was getting frustrated. The interactive CD is not interactive at all. It is the basically book pages on a CD-ROM. I was thinking it might be a little more involved. Overall the concept is great and the building ideas are fun but I think the book could have been a little better.

I have to agree with some of the previous reviewers:Some of the designs are incorrect and violate the laws of physics such as the "duck" and the "dragster." Wood rods are not flexible and do not bend without breaking. You have to be innovative and change things so that they resemble the drawings in the book. The diagram's rods are colored randomly. They should be consistent and have a legend in the book specifying the length of each rod color.This is not a step by step building manual like the vintage tinkertoys used to have. You can tell that the author never tried assembling these designs to make sure that they work. He just assumed that because they are licensed by Hasbro they have to work, wrong!Most of the drawings in the book are just conceptual artistic designs. You have to improvise a lot to make the pieces fit without breaking them.I also agree that the book should have been spiral bound to make it easier to look at the pages.In summary, if you like to build things this book will give you some ideas or maybe you don't need it. If you need a step by step instruction manual, skip it.

Like that they still make this toy, but not the same wooden pieces as the ones from the 60’s. Grand kids like to play and make things. Will probably buy more sets to expand.

I bought this for my grandsons who love tinkertoys! I think they will enjoy it!It is missing the cd advertised on the front cover.

I had no instructions with the used tinkertoy set I bought so this book was very helpful.

The original tinkertoy manual had a great ferris wheel in it. This is not it. I was very disappointed in the building sets.

Grandsons will have fun