Younger crowd - Need your help

[tangman99]

I bought my daughter some K'nex blocks for Christmas. These to be precise:

You can build all kinds of things but the blocks suck. They are very shallow and fall apart and just don't hold together very well when you are trying to build more complex things. I remember playing with Legos when I was young and they were great but all the Legos are some sort of theme like Starwars or something. I can't find just the plain sets with lots of pieces.
Is there anything out there that is good quality like legos that let you build many things instead of just one theme? What do you guys recommend that is good quality and for someone around 5 years old.
Thanks

 

[coral keeper]

I have Legos thats bricks and those thin kind, and lot of others. They are old too. The youngest person in my family is 13, so no one in my family plays with them. I'm sure my dad will let you buy them. Are you interested? I got a FULL large basket filled with Legos. They hold very very good when you build more complex things.

 

[coral keeper]

You can also build a soccer stadium with soccer balls and such. You can build LOTS of things with it. I got a full 9-10 lbs of Lego fun!

Here are some pics. The hand is for size comparison.

 

[joebob7]

when i was younger i got a lot od legos at yardsales (if that doesnt sound too cheap

)
an i think at stores like walmart you can just get a tub of legos that has a bunch of pieces

 

[tangman99]

Thanks Coral Keeper but I'm just trying to get some ideas of what sort of quality building blocks there are for sell today. I mentioned legos because that's what I played with about 30 years ago and I know they still sell them but it seems like everything is some theme set. I have no idea what I want to get or if I will just keep these as they may be hard to take away now as she already has them. They were only $20 so it's not that big a deal.

 

[coral keeper]

Ok.

 

[npage]

Have you looked at the Lego Duplo sets? They have themed sets or just simple buckets of blocks.

 

[tangman99]

Originally Posted by NPage
Have you looked at the Lego Duplo sets? They have themed sets or just simple buckets of blocks.
Not just the duplos. The Duplos I saw were larger pieces which she has had for a long time. She is really enjoying the smaller pieces and building some cool things. I'm the one going nuts with them falling apart as I'm trying to put them together.

 

[darthtang aw]

well that is why they are for kids.....adults don't know how to use them.....Come on, have you also tried riding a skate board lately, not as easy as it used to be I assure you...lol....leave the toys for the kids....

 

[tangman99]

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
well that is why they are for kids.....adults don't know how to use them.....Come on, have you also tried riding a skate board lately, not as easy as it used to be I assure you...lol....leave the toys for the kids....
Actually I have and no it's not as easy as it was. Hell I was like 12 when skateboards first came out and I had one pretty much my whole childhood. I even got into roller blades and broke my arm 4 year ago. That's when I learned I don't heal as well as I used to. You might have a point there with the legos. I still enjoy playing with toys with my kids though. Keeps me young at heart.

 

[nyyankeees]

If you are willing to buy items off "that infamous bidding site" there are tons of them on there and most are not badly priced either. I've bought many things off there including LR and LS and never had a problem. Just check the feedback and ratings. I got these pics off a couple of the adds on there...

 

[wangotango]

^ Yeah I think "that site" would be your best bet if you just want bulk bricks. Most Lego stuff now is themed.
-Justin

 

[jrthomas40]

this thread turned out to be pretty funny....rollerblading, skateboarding, legos and the frustration of not being able to build with them....hilarious...lol....hey at least you got the cbr 1000 and a wife to ride with

 

[tangman99]

Originally Posted by jrthomas40
this thread turned out to be pretty funny....rollerblading, skateboarding, legos and the frustration of not being able to build with them....hilarious...lol....hey at least you got the cbr 1000 and a wife to ride with
That is true. The toys have gotten much bigger, more expensive and magnitudes more dangerous.

 

[dlauber]

Ahh, good times.
I have the old 'normal' size blocks that arent crappy and dont fall apart, the perfect peices for building a lego house.
Im pretty sure you cant buy those anymore in stores. Every now and then I take a look to see what they have at walmart, and like you said, its all theme based, mainly starwars.
Its a little hard to be creative when you get a cool looking spaceship because it seems like you look at what you made yourself, then sigh at what you couldve made...but if you made that you dont get the satisfaction of creating.
I hope people can underst and what I meant by that. I wish they would bring back the old blocks for kids. It just gives them alot more room to be creative, and they dont look babyish either.

 

[1journeyman]

"Themed" Legos are a sign of the times... The attention span of kids (adults too) aren't what they used to be.

 

[drpaul84]

i know i have seen a site that sells legos by size color ect ect let me do a little searching and ill get back to you

 

[drpaul84]

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Department.aspx?d=362
here you go, i think its awesome you can buy anything you can imagine...

 

[jrthomas40]

do they still sell....lincoln logs??...those were fun too

 

[prk543]

They don't have the large buckets at toys r us? or on their website? I kinda find that hard to believe. I wish I could say its been years since I bought legos for my self....... but now that you mention it, I haven't seen the buckets of mixed pieces in a while. I have also noted a decline in how sturdy the lego sets are these days. It seems like if you touch them in the wrong place the entire building comes apart.