Editing Erector Set (section)

{{Short description|Brand of metal toy construction set}}
{{redirect|Erector|the album by Whitehouse|Erector (album)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=July 2017}}
[[File:Erector Set Ad 1922.JPG|thumb|upright|Print advertisement for Erector Set, circa 1922]]
[[File:Early Erector set.jpg|thumb|An early Erector set]]
'''Erector Set''' (trademark styled as "ERECTOR") was a brand of metal toy [[construction set]]s which were originally patented by [[Alfred Carlton Gilbert]] and first sold by his company, the Mysto Manufacturing Company of [[New Haven]], [[Connecticut]], in 1913. In 1916, the company was reorganized as the [[A. C. Gilbert Company]]. The brand continued its independent existence under various corporate ownerships until 1990,{{Citation needed|date=November 2024 |reason=See the talk page}} when [[Meccano]] bought the Erector brand and consolidated its worldwide marketing with its own brand. The coverage here focuses on the historical legacy of the classic Erector Set; for current developments under the "[[Erector by Meccano]]" brand name, see the Meccano article.

Basic Erector parts included various metal beams with regularly spaced holes for assembly using nuts and bolts. A frequently promoted patented feature was the ability to fabricate a strong but lightweight hollow structural girder from four long flat pieces of stamped sheet steel, held together by bolts and nuts (US Patent 1,066,809).<ref name="Watson" />{{rp|78}} Flat or curved pieces of sheet metal in various shapes and colors could be added to the structural skeleton. Hardened steel rods and screw clamps allowed the construction of hinges and the transmission of mechanical power via rotating parts such as [[pulley]]s, [[gear]]s, [[wheel]]s, and [[lever]]s.

Unlike some earlier wooden construction sets, Erector could be used both for static structures and for dynamic structures incorporating [[mechanical linkage]]s and other moving components. Modular, standardized construction sets like Erector provided the ability to build a model, then take it apart and build something else, over and over again.<!-- Text changed 2013/12 {{disputed-inline|Gilbert and Meccano?|date=June 2013}}--> Both AC-powered electric motors and battery-powered DC motors became available, usually equipped with gears to increase their [[torque]] and effective mechanical power. Later sets added miniature light bulbs and simple switches to control electrical power.
<!-- Give examples of types of simple and complex structures and machines that could be built, mention extensive booklets of plans that were included with sets -->

Erector is a versatile constructional medium. In addition to building models, it is used to prototype new ideas and designs.[[File:Erector Set.JPG|thumb|Some components of a modern Erector Set]]