However, the following year strips and girders were painted dark green, the plates Burgundy red, while the wheels and gears remained brass. Initially plates were a light red and items like the braced girders were a pea-green. In 1926, to mark the 25th anniversary of his patent, Hornby introduced "Meccano in Colours" with the familiar red and green coloured Meccano pieces. 7 Meccano Outfit was introduced, which was the largest set of its day, and the most sought after because of its model building capabilities and prestige. The first sets under the new Meccano name were numbered 1 to 6. But manufacturing methods were improving all the time and by 1907 the quality and appearance had improved considerably: the metal strips were now made of thicker steel with rounded ends and were nickel-plated, while the wheels and gears were machined from brass. The first construction sets had parts that were rather crudely made: the metal strips and plates had a tinplate finish, were not rounded at the ends and were not very sturdy. Īdvertisement in Pears' Annual Christmas, 1920 The word "Meccano" was thought to have been derived from the phrase "Make and Know". Hornby also established Meccano factories in France, Spain and Argentina. To keep pace with demand, a new Meccano factory was built in Binns Road, Liverpool in 1914, which became Meccano Ltd's headquarters for the next 60 years. In September 1907, Hornby registered the Meccano trademark, and in May 1908, he formed Meccano Ltd. As the construction kits gained in popularity they soon became known as Meccano and went on sale across the world. The parts for Hornby's new construction kit were initially supplied by outside manufacturers, but as demand began to exceed supply, Hornby set up his own factory in Duke Street, Liverpool. It was more than just a toy: it was educational, teaching basic mechanical principles like levers and gearing. The only tools required to assemble models were a screwdriver and spanners (wrenches). The perforations were at a standard 1⁄ 2 inch (13 mm) spacing, the axles were 8-gauge, and the nuts and bolts used 5/ 32 inch BSW threads. It was a model construction kit consisting of perforated metal strips, plates and girders, with wheels, pulleys, gears, shaft collars and axles for mechanisms and motion, and nuts and bolts and set screws to connect the pieces. In 1901 Frank Hornby, a clerk from Liverpool, England, invented and patented a new toy called "Mechanics Made Easy" that was based on the principles of mechanical engineering. History Īn early Meccano set on display in the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood Meccano maintains a manufacturing facility in Calais, France. In 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master. In 1990, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents. In 1913, a very similar construction set was introduced in the United States under the brand name Erector. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, and plastic parts that are connected using nuts and bolts. Meccano is a brand of model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. For the British company founded by Frank Hornby, see Meccano Ltd. For the Dutch architecture firm, see Mecanoo. For the Spanish musical group, see Mecano.
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