2005-12-20
american skyline
As a kid, I was always fascinated with the American Skyline Kits. Manufactured and sold by Elgo Plastics, the outfit best known for the American Bricks toys sets, the kits were designed to imitate the sleek design of modernist architecture
from the 1930s.
The sets are comprised of white plastic wall panels of various lengths and styles which slot into connectors which stack to form columns
between the wall units. Panels come in three lengths and are either windows or doors - there are no solid walls.
There are also short foundation parts and steps to allow buildings to have a plinth. Thin plastic roof / floor plates sit on top of
walls which can be finished by balustrading and capping parts. Further set back storys can be built on the roof if desired, anchoring them to the lower building by special column caps.
The sets came in about five different sizes, the smallest allowing someone to build a scale model of the Wrigley Building, the largest, a complex. Toy
enthusiast Geoff Lilliker describes the Skyline set in more detail.
American Skyline was by no means the only building kit set that set about to teach curious kids about high-rise construction endeavors. Architoys, a site devoted to all toys construction oriented, has published an essay on Other building / construction toy sets written by George Wetzel.
[Incidentally, there's a set on sale this week at e-bay if anybody wants to gift me it for Christmas, though I dare say that Bruce would object after seeing the potential for clutter] And although I recognize that envy is a sin, I'm certainly envious of the author of Swapatorium who bought an impressive Kit # 93 for only $1.00 last October.
As a kid, I was always fascinated with the American Skyline Kits. Manufactured and sold by Elgo Plastics, the outfit best known for the American Bricks toys sets, the kits were designed to imitate the sleek design of modernist architecture from the 1930s. The sets are comprised of white plastic wall panels of various lengths and styles which slot into connectors which stack to form columns
between the wall units. Panels come in three lengths and are either windows or doors - there are no solid walls. There are also short foundation parts and steps to allow buildings to have a plinth. Thin plastic roof / floor plates sit on top of
walls which can be finished by balustrading and capping parts. Further set back storys can be built on the roof if desired, anchoring them to the lower building by special column caps. The sets came in about five different sizes, the smallest allowing someone to build a scale model of the Wrigley Building, the largest, a complex. Toy
enthusiast Geoff Lilliker describes the Skyline set in more detail. American Skyline was by no means the only building kit set that set about to teach curious kids about high-rise construction endeavors. Architoys, a site devoted to all toys construction oriented, has published an essay on Other building / construction toy sets written by George Wetzel.
[Incidentally, there's a set on sale this week at e-bay if anybody wants to gift me it for Christmas, though I dare say that Bruce would object after seeing the potential for clutter] And although I recognize that envy is a sin, I'm certainly envious of the author of Swapatorium who bought an impressive Kit # 93 for only $1.00 last October.
IMAGE SOURCE: 1- Wilsonarts Laminates' Statement E-Zine; 2- Swapatorium |
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