Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Wood Roadster Toys: Part II Continue reading the Original Blog Post
I bought my son every one of the hot rod Automoblox that my local toy store had on their shelves before he was even born. I admit, they were mostly for me...
I got this exact roadster from Automoblox for my at the time 3 years old godson. He's 4 now and still loves it. I'm also thinking of getting that huge pick-up truck and trailer combo. And secretly keeping it for myself.
My dad bought the (unbeknownst) very first edition Automoblox for my now 12 year old son, for his second Christmas. Once opened, we discovered the connectors didn't work very well at all. A few weeks later I found an article about Patrick Calello and Automoblox which talked about the (very cool) genesis of the company and the struggles of getting to market. One struggle mentioned was the issues with the factory manufacturing the plastic connectors, they didn't fit or work very well at all. I then realized we had a full set of the very first run of Automoblox! I sent off a congratulatory e-mail to Patrick, and shortly later was blown away to get a direct response. We dialogued back and forth; he offered to send new, improved connectors. I countered with the odd request for original packaging so we could restore them to near-mint condition. He lined us up with his folks, and a few days later I signed for a box with our request filled. We still have those three restored cars stashed away as something special to us, and I had a cool interaction with a really cool guy at the helm of a very cool business. Long-time Automoblox fan, JML
Hey, I like that black and red roadster with chrome engine. The one on the site looks like it's only available in yellow. Chaz, it was cool to watch you guys build that carousel however many years ago. What an awesome project, serious skills (it would probably be deleted for being OT these days )
Here's a couple of wooden "toys"(?) that I have acquired over the years. I would love to know who built the first one as it is unsigned. Bought at an antique shop in my home town about 15 years ago. Supposedly came from an estate sale in Chicago. Made entirely from wood except for the pneumatic lines(two pieces of electrical wire)and a paper emblem on the grille. The bulldozer is fully functional including the tracks which are made from small pieces of wood pinned together. The second is a Model A sedan delivery that was made by a local man who has since passed away. This may have been his last project as the rear door open and the side doors are marked but not cut out. It was also just rough sanded when I got it. The truck is a bit O/T but the sedan delivery fits and I wanted to include it because of the fantastic detail for a wooden model
These are pix of some of the cars I built for my Grandkids. The bodies are made from 3 pieces of 1" pine. Axles are 1/4" rod. Wheels are pine also. I built them purposely for kids to play with so they are pretty stoutly made. The '46 pickup is my version of my full size pickup. Kids don't play with that one. I have built several more but haven't located the pix yet.
I was just interested to learn more about the Automoblox. I was givin the 3 hot rod set a couple xmas's ago and had fun mixing and matching the parts. I am surprised at all the great wood working talent out there. Really cool stuff.
here is a rocking roadster I built for my grandson..........not fancy, but gave him a few grins before he outgrew it.........