Jigsaw puzzles have been providing hours of enjoyment for centuries and Time Machine Hobby is home to more varieties of puzzles than anyone in the area. We literally have hundreds and hundreds of puzzles to choose from. There are varieties for children and adults, some that take a few minutes to complete as others that will take days. We also take care to stock only puzzles from respected brands like Ravensburger.

Few people know that these puzzles have been marketed for nearly 200 years. Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by painting a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, and then cutting that picture into small pieces with a jigsaw, hence the name. John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker and engraver, is credited with commercializing jigsaw puzzles around 1760. Jigsaw puzzles have since come to be made primarily on a variety of materials. Stop in and browse the stacks in the puzzle area of Time Machine Hobby.

Time Machine Hobby has the largest selection of balsa wood in the Northeast, and that offering is the perfect for chilly day activities. There are few hobbies as enjoyable as scrtach building, and scratch building is a great way to keep busy when the weather won't let you outside..

“The selection is enormous,” Time Machine consultant Dan Kline said. “There are all sorts of sizes and shapes so there is certainly something for everyone. The new stuff still needs to be priced and put out, but that shouldn’t take very long.”

Balsa lumber is very soft and light, with a coarse, open grain. The light weight of the wood derives from the fact that the tree has large cells that contain water. After the water is driven off in an extended drying process (kiln dried for two weeks), the large surface area of the resulting holes gives strength. Unlike dry rotted wood, the surface is made of the usual strong cellulose/lignin mix. As it is low-density but high in strength, balsa is a very popular material to use when making light, stiff structures in model bridge tests and for the construction of model aircraft, as well as full-sized light wooden airplanes, most famously the World War II de Havilland Mosquito.

The balsa wood can be found just beyond the R/C department at Time Machine Hobby.

Educational toys that bring families together are the cornerstone of our mission at Time Machine Hobby. We love nothing more than to provide families with toys and games they can use together, which also have a firm base in education. Moreover, many of our products in these fields are eco-friendly, relying on recycled materials for their construction. This is just another level of care that we take when we decide what goes on our shelves.

Browsing the aisles at Time Machine, visitors will see an impressive display of the architectural building toy Uberstix. Building with a construction toy system is unique, in that while you are having fun, you are also developing spatial and problem solving skills.  As you build more challenging projects you are also building self-esteem and confidence. The first time you build a structure taller than yourself, your perspective of the world shifts and more things seem possible and within reach.  That’s the goal at Uberstix. They want to raise the bar and challenge you to "Think Outside the Blox." By introducing recyclable materials into the equation, it becomes second nature to start looking at the possibilities of everything around you.  Educators call it "Divergent Thinking", but you’ll just call it fun.

Right next to the Uberstix is Time Machine’s selection of Zoob products.

ZOOB is an award-winning building set with a difference—the pieces move after you put them together. So you can play with your creations, instead of just looking at them. Although ZOOB provides instructions and suggestions for models to build, the best part of playing with these sets is exploring, inventing, and discovering how you can build whatever it is you want.

ZOOB’s shape is inspired by the nucleotides (the basic structural units of nucleic acids) that make up DNA. Based on the way things connect, move and transform in nature, ZOOB captures dynamic movement, unlike traditional “stacking” or “hub & spoke” construction sets.

There are as many ways to have fun as there are ways to learn from ZOOB, and it’s this integration of learning and play that makes it so appealing. Like crayons or clay, ZOOB allows kids to learn, explore and create using their imaginations. If they can imagine it, ZOOB can help animate it. Whether it’s dinosaurs and DNA strands, or animals and aliens, they can come to life with ZOOB.

It’s no secret that Time Machine Hobby is known far and wide as the place to go for model train enthusiasts. The shop boasts the largest selection of trains, track and scenery in the area. Additionally, people travel from all over the country just to take in the locomotive action that takes place every first and third Sunday of the month. Time Machine’s model train display features over 5,000 square-feet of track that winds its way around the store and through town landscapes intricately built to look exactly like many towns in Connecticut.

With all of this attention on the store’s model trains it is easy for customers to overlook all the OTHER train products Time Machine Hobby has to offer. That’s right, in addition to the most impressive selection of traditional model trains and accessories in the Northeast; we also boast an entire department built especially for younger train enthusiasts.

Naturally Thomas & Friends is a popular line with our younger customers. We have all of the familiar faces like Thomas, Percy and James; as well as some of the peripheral characters as well. Parents and their children will find several different styles of Thomas trains and track from the die-cast models to all-wood versions. There’s even a Sodor play table set up so kids can have fun while their parents shop.

If Thomas isn’t your child’s favorite, perhaps the Dinosaur Train is. From the wizards at Jim Henson Studios, the Dinosaur Train is equal parts paleontological education, and wholesome fun. Buddy, Tiny and Don are all here along with Mr. Conductor and all his friends. Time Machine Hobby offers locomotives, cars, and entire track sets. There are also plush toys and other Dinosaur Train products to browse through.

Finally, there are the Chuggingtons. Similar to the Thomas & Friends line, the Chuggingtons is yet another terrific product for the younger train enthusiasts. At Time Machine Hobby, we are proud to offer such a diverse array of products for our diverse customers. Whether you’re a 65-year-old who's been into model trains for decades, or a 3-year-old who just really likes Thomas & Friends, Time Machine Hobby has a locomotive product for you.