Then the fun began. I have to say I was surprised at how much I got into it. At first I wanted to give each “square” (never really square) a different colour from its neighbour as in a patchwork quilt. Then my sister Pam visited. She found a human-like figure in one of the designs, and brought it out with her colour choices and thickened some lines….

Well, duh! She showed me that you can take this much farther, if you have a true artist’s eye. Colour outside the lines!

Anyway, here are some examples that I’ve done. If you find this inspiring, you can buy my colouring pages right here. Give me encouragement and I’ll make more!

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You can buy very nice blank cards and envelopes, pre-cut and folded, and draw designs on them. I found the Strathmore brand in an art supply shop, and I’ve seen them in office supply stores as well, or you can find Strathmore cards and envelopes on Amazon.

There are many different sizes of cards and a variety of paper types to choose from. Some have a textured surface, some are made of recycled fibers, some have “deckled” edges where the fibres hang out as if they were torn, as you can see in the photos. They all work. There are different colours too, from white to black. Some gel pens will mark on black.

I used metallic gel pens for most of these cards. They’re from an inexpensive set of gel pens I got on Amazon, though you could get them anywhere.

I added a matching design on the front and/or back of each envelope as well, making sure to leave room for the address. It was hard to draw over the deckle on the flap of the envelope, although it looks nice.

I’ve been pleased to use my cards for birthdays and thank-you’s, and they would also be suitable for sympathy cards. Even for Christmas, especially using stars. Here is an old video of mine on how to make a 5-pointed star with Spirograph. (That video now has 108,000 views and 525 likes. Wow, just wow.)

Shop Wild Gears at this link.

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My jaw dropped when I first saw that Kahootz was bringing out a die-cast metal version for Spirograph’s 50th anniversary. So I was delighted when they offered to send me a set to review.

[Disclaimer: I was not otherwise paid to write this article or create the video; I only received one Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set from Kahootz Toys. Links to Amazon are affiliate links; if you click them and buy something there, I may get a small kickback – my financial reward for building this website.]

I saved the unboxing for the camera, so the video shows my genuine reactions, real-time fumbles, oohs and aahs.

My conclusions:

It’s a really classy set with the feel of quality, and very nicely packaged. The wheels feel, and clink, like the coinage of a country where a pound used to weigh a pound. (Hello, UK?) They shine like gold bullion. The metal tin has a pressure-fit lid, like a cookie tin, and flocked liners hold everything in place even when you shake it.

There’s no problem with warping as in the new plastic sets; the metal pieces are flat and will stay that way as long as you keep them out of Mount Doom.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, there’s just One Ring. Does it “rule them all”? Maybe not. I enjoy having all the different patterns you can make with more rings. (If you’re really hooked on gazillions of permutations and combinations, check out Wild Gears).

However, I realized as I made the video that most people will be perfectly happy with just one ring and a smaller selection of wheels. It’s still an awesome toy for adults and kids (over 8 or so). Many people might even have more fun with a smaller set like this, if they find that too much choice makes it harder to get started.

It would make an absolutely brilliant gift for someone who had Spirograph as a kid.

Spiro-putty is included as with the plastic sets. However, small pinholes, like in the old Spirograph sets, have also been made in all the wheels. Pins are not included, but you can buy map tacks if you really want to do it the old way. If so, see my article about using corkboard as a better working surface than the corrugated cardboard of the old sets.

You can still use whatever pens you want, the same as with the plastic sets.

[UPDATE Nov. 25, 2016: I should also mention here that the opaqueness of the gears makes it harder to see what you have done, compared to using clear plastic gears. You can hear my surprise in the video below when I experience this for the first time. As Dhaval Shah, a correspondent from Solapur, India, has pointed out, it’s harder to see if something is going wrong. This issue is more significant with the larger wheels. How big an issue this is for you would depend on your goals. The element of surprise might be part of the fun, especially for more casual users.]

My only disappointment with the Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is that, like the new plastic sets, it is not engineered quite as well as the old sets. The way the holes line up with the teeth, and the spacing of the holes from the edge of the wheel, are less precise than the old Spirograph. The consequences can be seen in the red drawings near the bottom of this review. This is a rather minor point for most people, however, and does not detract from the fun and educational value to be had.

Serious spirographers are still better off finding a second-hand Super Spirograph (try eBay) or exploring Wild Gears.

But for the average person aged 8 to 88 and up (and younger kids with help), this Die-cast Spirograph Collector’s Set is a fantastic drawing set and a wonderful gift.

Here’s the video:

The post Video Review: Unboxing the Spirograph Die-cast Collector’s Set appeared first on SpiroGraphicArt.

Available from my CafePress shop – click this link to go to it.

Secure shopping from CafePress.

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