🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep10.185451.24357@news.media.mit.edu>, fredm@media.mit.edu (Fred Martin) writes:
|> In article <BuDCu6.Czq.1@cs.cmu.edu> nivek@cs.cmu.edu writes:
|> > Fischertechnik is kind of superadvanced Lego or Meccano
|> > set. They're from West Germany but are sold by some toys stores in
|> > this country.
|> 
|> Have you played with any LEGO Technic (TM) parts lately?  They are
|> pretty darn complex themselves---universal joints, differential
|> gears, crown gears, bevel gears, worm gears, gear racks, etc.
|> 
|> I take exception to your inference that Fischertechnik is
|> "superadvanced" beyond LEGO Technic parts.


Okay Fred, 

Maybe not anymore, but certainly it was in past years! See, I had both sets,
and let me tell you, Lego weren't for static structures!  Much of the
Fischertechnik stuff is designed for devices using beam construction, like
bridges and cranes and cement factories and things.  But they also had a full
set of gears and linkages way back, so nyah!  Now, this is all from when my
Dad gave me some sets in the late 70's, so I imagine they've made some
improvements.

Seriously though, Fischertechnik is designed in it's original form for a
different purpose and a more advanced crowd, whereas Lego was originally for
the younger crowd.  Since then, F't. has retrofitted with simpler stuff, and
Lego with more complicated stuff, probably to dig into each others' market
shares.  Both are pretty nice prototyping toys though, but I think
Fischertechnik is more durable (except for one design flaw): it's a less
brittle plastic, and it doesn't depend on tight fitting pieces to hold it
together, but rather uses quarter-turn fasteners.  i.e. when you drop a FT
project, it isn't bound to shatter into it's primal bits!

If you haven't played with these, give it a try--they're really useful!


|> LEGO doesn't have a slip ring though.

Weh'hell, that says it all, doesn't it?!

-Olaf