K'Nex pieces
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When the first K'NEX Box was release in the U.S. market in 1993, there were roughly 20 different K'NEX Pieces. Since then new varieties of pieces have been added regularly. Now they are difficult to number. This page, though incomplete, lists many of those pieces as possible.
Types of Connections
There are three primary ways in which a rod may be joined to a connector:
- Most commonly, the rod's head is inserted into a connector's slot which holds the rods together.
- A rod may also be "snapped in" perpendicular to a connector. It is harder to insert and remove rods this way, but they are for the most part immobile. There are four grooves on rods which allow for rods to be attached in this method in four different directions. They can be slid in the slot, but the heads on the rods stop from further sliding.
- Most connectors have an eye through which a rod may be threaded. The rod will slide out unless a connection is made using one or both of the previously mentioned methods.
Special pieces, commonly called 3-D connectors, connect differently.
- They connect using the first and second ways mentioned.
- Their hole has been removed and instead, a special locking system is put in.
- This locking system allows two 3-D connectors to be directly attached and kept in place.
- The locking system is the basis for all 3-D creations
Rods
The rods come in many sizes. Standard rods, from smallest to largest:
- Dark Green
- By far the shortest, with no room to snap anything in fashion perpendicular to the rod.
- Used only to connect two connectors end to end; It is too small to be connected in any other way.
- Alternate colors: black
- White
- Can form the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs made up of green rods
- If nothing is attached to the end, three connectors can be snapped on. If there is a piece on either end, only two can snap on
- Alternate colors: silver, gold, black, teal, purple and blue (used for Lost Mines figures)
- Blue
- Can form the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs made up of white rods
- Six connectors can be snapped on
- Alternate colors: metallic blue
- Yellow
- Can form the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs made up of dark blue rods
- "Metallic version" is dark gray
- Alternate colors: gold (used for Lost Mines sets), dark gray with black spots
- Red
- Can form the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs made up of yellow rods
- Alternate colors: metallic green, tan (a stronger version), golden yellow (the heads on this rod are longer because they are special to the Original K'NEX Roller Coaster)
- Grey
- Longest of the rods
- Can form the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs made up of red rods
- Alternate colors: Black (made of carbon; a stronger version), neon orange, Blue, and Light Grey. (as seen in the "Starburst Spinner" K'NEX Building Set)
Flexi-rods come in four sizes. From smallest to largest:
- Size comparable to a white rod
- Comes in a dark purple color only (same dark purple as the gray-sized flexi-rod)
- Size comparable to a blue rod
- Comes in a sky blue color only
- Size comparable to a yellow rod
- Comes in a bright and normal orange and a neon red
- Size comparable to a gray rod
- Comes in lime green, a dull yellow, a neon yellow, a dark purple and a light purple
Light Up Rods (used in the Light Ups 30 Model Building Set) come in two sizes:
- Yellow Light Up Rod
- Size almost comparable to the red rod
- Also used on the Light Module
- Blue Light Up Rod
- Size almost comparable to the gray rod
- Used on the Light Module
Also note that rods can be combined with connectors to take the place of longer rods. For example:
- A connector with green rods on opposite ends is equal in length to a blue rod.
- A connector with white rods on opposite ends is equal in length to a yellow rod.
- A connector with blue rods on opposite ends is equal in length to a red rod.
- A connector with yellow rods on opposite ends is equal in length to a gray rod.
List of Connectors
- Dark Gray (Alternate Color: Dark Purple)
- one slot for a rod and one hole
- Orange (Alternate color: dark brown)
- Two opposite slots for rods and one hole
- Light Gray-45 degrees (Alternate colors: light gray with blue speckles, neon orange)
- Two adjacent slots for rods and one hole
- Red-90 degrees (Alternate colors: dark gray with black speckles, neon red)
- Three adjacent slots for rods and one hole
- Green-135 degrees (Alternate colors: metallic grey-green, neon yellow, neon green)
- Four adjacent slots for rods and one hole
- Yellow-180 degrees (a.k.a. half-moon) (Alternate colors: light gray, gold)
- Five adjacent slots for rods and one hole
- Orange tabbed (No Alternate Colors)
- This connector is the same as the yellow connector except for the tab on the flat side
- The tab is used to connect tubing on the K'NEX Roller Coaster, Big Ball Factory, and Trampoline Tower
- White (Alternate color: black)
- Eight adjacent slots for rods and one hole
- 3-D Connectors
- Dark blue (Alternate color: metallic blue)
- Seven adjacent slots for rods and one slot to slide another 3D connector into
- Purple (Alternate color: metallic silver)
- Four adjacent slots for rods and one slot to slide another 3D connector into
- Dark blue (Alternate color: metallic blue)
- Light Module (also used in the Light Ups 30 Model Building set and discussed in the Rods section. No alternate color)
- Largest of all connectors
- Eight holes for the Light Up Rods
- Lights up the Light Up Rods
- One hole in the middle also for Light Up Rods and other rods
Other Pieces
- Gears
- These pieces slide over a rod's hole and may be stabilized by a tan lock.
- Four distinct sizes
- Yellow (alternate color: black)
- Red (Alternate colors: yellow, metallic gray)
- The yellow and metallic gray gears have larger teeth which allow for 90 degree angles to be made
- Blue (Alternate colors: Gold, dark gray)
- Black and light gray variations connect to the very tips of rod heads, but are used for stablization rather than gearing. Can also be used as wheels.
- White worm gear
- This gear only works with the electric motor which can be bought from K'NEX or found in numerous older sets
- Tan Locks
- These pieces have one slot a rod may be connected into, but no hole
- A protrusion is used to lock into gears, connectors, or wheels to prevent them from spinning on a rod.
- Hinge
- This is actually two pieces: A blue piece and a black (or green) piece
- Both pieces are similar to the gray connectors, but the hole and the area around it is half the width
- One slot on each for a total of two
- Can be interlocked to form a hinge which can produce angles from 45 to 315 degrees
- Motors
- Battery Pack (2 piece) -most common
- Comes in an older, square version, an old version with an extended cord, and a new version with rounded sides
- Pull-back motor
- Uses a spring inside to power vehicles or rotating pieces without batteries
- Remote control
- Most commonly seen in Cyber K'NEX, but also found in an old robot set
- Utilizes a remote to control multiple motors for complex movements
- Electric Motors
- These motors use an adapter to plug into the wall
- Quieter and more torque than a battery pack
- Battery pack (1 piece)
- This is K'NEX's newest motor
- These motors are high in torque and can be found in new sets like Storm Mountain, Shark Run, and Loopin' Lizard
- Solar Motor
- Only one set ever contained this motor
- Utilizes sunlight and is sent to a unique motor which drives lightweight vehicles
- Roller coaster pieces
- Special track pieces called track-ties are used for the construction of the newer roller coasters.
- These pieces have two extended slots, one recessed slot, a hole, one 1/4" tab and two 1/2" tabs.
- These pieces are normally placed on two flexi rods via the extended slots, and two rails of tubing are added on the 1/2" tabs. Occasionally, a rail of tubing may be added to the 1/4" slot or a flexi may be added to the recessed slot to increase track stablity.
- Tubing is a long, flexible piece of plastic.
- It currently comes in purple, red, light red, blue, and yellow colors
- Boosters
- Only found in Rippin' Rocket Roller Coaster
- Propels the car forward via two black, rotating fins
- A variant can be found on the Pirate Ship Park which only has one rotating fin
- Trains
- The train from the Screamin' Serpent had a front car, a middle car, and a back car (All were orange)
- If one buys more middle cars, they may be added to create a longer train.
- Rippin' Rocket cars were lightweight and designed for boosters
- Could not be joined to make a train
- Storm Mountain car was the same as the Screamin' Serpent front car, but it was blue
- Shark run car was made to look like a surfer riding a wave
- Could not be joined to make a train
- Pulleys, Tires, and Wheels
- Pulleys come in a large and small size
- Tires come in three standard sizes, as well as multiple other sizes for special wheels
- Wider wheels have been produced for racier-looking cars, but are not common in today's sets.
The company also offers a variant brand, Kid K'NEX, which is made of a softer injection-molded plastic and is twice the scale of the original K'NEX. It is intended for children ages 3 to 5. Kid K'NEX is incompatible with K'NEX. (Because of the small parts, both K'NEX and Kid K'NEX are not recommended for children under age 3).
Two newer variants are Micro K'NEX, which are (as the name implies) smaller than standard K'NEX, and K'NEX Bricks, which provide building blocks similar to Lego brand blocks[4]. Unlike Kid K'NEX, both Micro K'NEX and K'NEX Bricks have adapter pieces to let them interconnect to standard K'NEX pieces. Micro K'NEX are in different colors from standard K'NEX, generally much more subdued than the bright primary colors used for standard K'NEX.
K'NEX Industries also manufactures and distributes Lincoln Logs under license from Hasbro, Inc.
The largest K'NEX set available is the 6 Foot Ferris Wheel at approximately 8,550 parts. This broke the previous record, held by the Big Ball Factory (3165 parts)