Kids Build Bikes and Cars With Life-Sized ‘Construction Toy’

Wouter Scheublin’s Construction Toy is a vehicle construction kit for kids. It is also — if the concept design ever becomes a real product — a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The kit is a lot like Lego Technic, featuring modular splined tubes, bolts, cogs and wheels that can be put together in almost limitless ways. The difference is that Scheublin’s kit results in life-sized toys that can be driven and ridden by kids. Bikes, karts, trikes and (shudder) recumbents can all be put together with some imagination and a little hard work.

I think it’s fantastic — but you knew that, as I’m a bike nut and a DIY fan. I would have loved this thing so hard when I was a kid, and I’d be still be pretty happy to play with one today.
But without parental supervision, little Danny will likely put something together, take it to the top of the steepest, twistiest hill in town and launch himself down it. The amazing machine will lose a wheel at the first corner and poor Danny will be thrown to his doom, ending up broken at the foot of the slope surrounded by Scheublin’s tubes and connections.

But lawyer-bait aside, this oversized construction kit could — with the right parental help — be every nerdy kid’s dream. Note to Mr. Scheublin: If you ever get this into stores, sell it in Europe, or anywhere but the U.S. Over here people like to take responsibility for their own actions.

Construction Toy [Wouter Scheublin]
Pictures: Wouter Scheublin