Hello everyone
This is my first post so please be gentle with me 
I am trying to find if there are an alternatives to the Likes of Lego and Mechano for building the physical elements of a project. For example what can be use to construct a robot arm or for mounting servos on.
(Not sure what these type of materials would be classed as so excuse my no technical description)
Cheers
Anything... Got popsicle sticks? Servos have mounting holes on them (most hobby servos).
I've made a robot arm in which the only mechanical things holding it together are the motors, 4 pieces of erector, a custom crappily made wood base, and a load of hot glue!
Anything can be used.
BTW I will be posting images and maybe videos of this arm in the exhibition section once I get it working.
Wood, screws, and glue are a good bet (fairly strong, easily found, inexpensive). You might also try coroplast (corogated plastic - like cardboard, but made of plastic) or foamcore board, which can be easily cut/trimmed with a hobby knife.
Use hotglue for mounting, etc - you can also use double-side foam tape, as well as white glue and epoxies (I prefer JB Weld, but then again I am a redneck).
There's also styrene (found at a hobby shop; I've seen some impressive stuff done with this - when using, if you sand it, wear safety goggles and a dust mask; its hazardous to breath or get in the eyes). There's also a kind of plastic that can be "melted" in boiling water, then quickly formed into shape, then once it hardens, its almost as tough as nylon, and easy to machine. There's a guy out there building a bipedal robot using the stuff for some of the work.
Beyond that, you could use alluminum or acrylic, but they are both difficult to easily machine without proper tools. Thin sheet steel, and other lightweight steel, is a possibility - a small bending brake and some hand shears are all you need to form the metal (wear gloves when cutting it - sharp stuff), plus pliers and such. Use steel wire for other parts. Use acid-core solder (don't use this for electronics!) and a pencil torch to solder parts together (done right, you get a very strong bond). BTW - alluminum can't be easily soldered, but there does exist alluminum brazing rod. You can also build things with brass and copper using soldering or brazing techniques.
Beyond that, there's heavy steel and welding...
wood is #1 for me, acrylic can be handled like wood, but its more expensive and requires more (careful) cleanup work
you would be surprised how non wood some thin plywood with some putty, sanding, and a good coat of paint can look
[edit]oh, just poped in my head, look up polymorph plastic[/edit]
Thanks everyone
I cant believe I didnt think of a couple of those ideas myself - I shall pop down to the local model shops and arts and crafts shops over the weekend.
Thanks again