I had an erector set when I was a kid! You could build some things, but the pre-drilled holes in the metal pieces made it so you could only build certain things, it was hard to get the holes to line up every time.
I used to cut my hands on the sharp-metal-edges of the poorly-punched sheet-metal girders and other parts, and have to go get a band-aid.
If you tightened the metal screws too tightly on the metal girders, it bent them, ruining the pieces. Too loose, and your contraption would fall apart.
Aww, the good old days of 1972.

IMHO expensive smartphones work better, not longer. I always buy more expensive models of Android phones, they never last more than 3 years, usually around 2. My current phone (Pixel 2) is the longest lasting smartphone I've ever had at 2.8 years. However the battery life was beginning to suck so last month I ordered a replacement battery and tools, and followed a youtube video to replace the battery in this unreplaceable-battery phone. It worked. It was a little scary though, and the water-proof seal is ruined now on the phone. I think I can get it to last another year at least, if I don't accidentally break it somehow. The real limiting factor is how long the manufacturer is willing to keep pushing security patches - I understand this phone's support stops late this year, so I will probably get a new Pixel in Oct/Nov. It's not right to go without security patches.