MEMORIES:
Manufacturer:
Somewhere in the world between the incomparable Legos and the more obscure Radio Shack 50-in-1 electronics kits lay the most underrated construction toy of perhaps any generation. Capsela was more than just building or constructing. Capsela was engineering. Capsela rewarded both the mind that could think ahead and the one that discovered as it went. Capsela’s parts and pieces could occupy any nerd and its final product could entertain any dope.
The Mitsubishi Pencil Company of Japan was the first to manufacture Capsela products. Since then, however, Capsela has seen itself made and made over by a number of different companies in different parts of the world, making its way currently back to Japan where Bandai has released it with reconceived colors and designs.
Capsela’s beauty was found in the clear plastic capsules that joined together by way of geared knobs on the sides to create mechanical sequences. With these foundation pieces, one could build cars, tanks, boats, cranes, gravel loaders… what couldn’t one build with Capsela? Different capsules had different attributes. Some had motors, others had gears for moving the motor power to wheels, propellers, or pulleys. Some capsules had switches or pontoons. Even the batteries were safely encapsulated, protecting those engaged in any aquatic activity.
Capsela products were sold in several different categories for more or less advanced engineers, containing anywhere from thirty to over a hundred parts. Capsela Computer came with a sort of “mother brain,” a multi-function computer capsule around which one could build multi-tasking designs complete with flashing lights. To escape the “educational” tag, Capsela also released a sister series called SpaceLink with a science fiction theme that ironically had cockpits and action figures, but no motors. Capsela Powertram tried to combine the science fiction of SpaceLine with the cool of Capsela.
Although never as catchy or gimmicky as Legos, Capsela had a fierce fan base in engineers, electricians, mechanics, and kids in general. Even some shop teachers used Capsela to teach kids about physics. Capsela tried to please them all, eventually releasing remote controls and voice operation. But the beauty of Capsela was and always will be its simplicity. Capsela wasn’t just your toy. It was your idea.
