Product Code Database
Meccano is a brand of construction set created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle , , axles and , and plastic parts that are connected using nuts and bolts. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices.
In 1913, a very similar construction set was introduced in the United States under the brand name Erector Set. In 1990, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents. In 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired by the Canadian toy company Spin Master. Meccano maintained a manufacturing facility in Calais, France until 2023.Roger Marriott (2012) Meccano, Shire Books, Colchester, UK
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. As the construction kits gained in popularity they soon became known as Meccano and went on sale across the world. In September 1907, Hornby registered the Meccano trademark, and in May 1908, he formed Meccano Ltd. 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. Hornby also established Meccano factories in France, Spain and Argentina. The word "Meccano" was thought to have been derived from the phrase "Make and Know".
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. 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 sets under the new Meccano name were numbered 1 to 6. In 1922 the No. 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.
In 1926, to mark the 25th anniversary of his patent, Hornby introduced "Meccano in Colours" with red and green coloured Meccano pieces. Initially plates were a light red and items like the braced girders were a pea-green. However, the following year strips and girders were painted dark green, the plates Burgundy red, while the wheels and gears remained brass. In 1934, the Meccano pieces changed colour again: the strips and girders became gold while the plates were changed to blue with gold criss-cross lines on them, but only on one side, the reverse remaining plain blue. This new colour scheme was only available in the United Kingdom until the end of the Second World War in 1945. The old red and green sets were still produced for the export market and were re-introduced in the UK after the war.
The Second World War interrupted the production of Meccano in England when the Binns Road factory converted to manufacturing for the war effort. The Korean War in 1950 also disrupted production due to a metal shortage and it was not until the mid-1950s that Meccano production returned to normal with new parts being added to all the sets.
In 1955, outfits 00 to 10 as well as conversion sets 00A to 9A were available.
In 1958, the colours were changed slightly to what became known as 'light red and green' but this incarnation had the shortest lifespan as the colours changed dramatically in 1964 to the black and yellow colour scheme. However, this light red and green period did see the introduction of about 90 new parts, more modern packaging, a new cabinet was introduced for the number 10 set, the first plastic parts were introduced, and the "exploded diagram" instructions made their début.
In 1961, a Mechanisms Outfit and a Gears Outfit were added to the range, and in 1962 outfit 00 was withdrawn.
In 1970, electronics parts were introduced, and the current black-coloured plates were changed to blue. The range of sets was reduced by one with the deletion of the old No. 9 set and the renumbering of the old No. 0 to 8 sets to No. 1 to 9. The No. 10 set remained unchanged.
Lines Brothers went into voluntary liquidation in 1971 and Airfix Industries purchased the Meccano business in the UK and General Mills of the US purchased the French business. The French company was known as Miro Meccano. In 1973, outfits 1 to 10 were still available, but new kits were added: Army Multikit, Highway Multikit, Pocket Meccano, and two Clock Kits.
In 1978, the range of Meccano sets was further reduced and changed with the replacement of the No. 2 to 8 sets by six completely new sets, labelled A and 1 to 5. The old No. 9 and 10 sets were left largely unchanged. While some Airfix divisions were profitable, particularly their model kits, they needed to save money. With unions threatening all out industrial action if there were any job losses, Airfix shut down the Binns Road factory,Ward, Arthur, The Boys Book of Airfix bringing to an end the manufacture of Meccano in England. Meccano still continued to be manufactured in France, as the British and French businesses had different owners.
From the early Seventies, Meccano France SA launched and produced their updated Model Range with the world famous rectangular Blue MECCANO Construction Kits Set 1-Set 10 also known as MECCANO Outfits One To Ten featuring the new blue and yellow parts and these ranged from Set One To Set Five with a simple models many of these powered by the M-Series Electric Motors to build then the Set Six To Set Ten with more mechanical parts all types of gears so that one could install more powerful electric motors to move their models too when it became much harder but tempting enough. The original Meccano M-series Electric Motors Model Range are of red and yellow kits to choose from and these included small 6V Motors used in small geared models to 20V Motors for the largest geared models either using R6 to R14 household batteries or even an AC/DC Converter Transformer. These standard Meccano Boxes Model Range were of large proportions until the early 1990s they are still available in used sets sold privately in the UK and elsewhere. These were also sold in conjunction with the smaller "Complementary Sets CX Series" so that the builders could assemble and build even more technical and more realistic working models using real mechanical parts with his own existing normal sets giving a never ending construction ideas and of course more demanding and harder for the owner as the Meccano Sets 1 to Set 10 Sequence can be normally very challenging. Meccano was also provided an important source to help develop Mechanical Sollutions for home made vehicles like Farmtrailers, Yardcranes and in some cases even Go Karts and Racing Cars for fun racing are known to have been built all inspired by Meccano Limited.
Around this same period MECCANO FRANCE launched called the much rarer MECCANO MECANIQUES SET aka MECHANICALS BOX perhaps more valuable to us Meccano Enthusiasts which was a Special Edition Box which was not to build models but allowing to make kits of anything mechanical taken from Car Mechanical Parts from a Gearbox, Steering and Transmissions and so on today this is a very rare original MECCANO Set to find.
In 1989, Marc Rebibo sold what remained of Meccano to Dominique Duvauchelle. Hex key zinc plated steel bolts replaced the original slot-headed brass-plated bolts and the "Plastic Meccano Junior" sets were brought back. With younger model builders in mind, many theme sets were also introduced, including the "Construction and Agricultural" 200-Series & 300-Series, the "Space" 100-Series, and the "Dynamic" 400-Series minisets. The old-style No. 5 to 10 sets remained in production until 1992.
In 1994, additional theme sets were introduced and a Pullback motor was added to the Plastic Meccano System. In 1996, "Action Control" sets with infrared controls were added and 1999 saw the introduction of a "Motion System" range of sets that changed the look of Meccano completely. There were six one-model sets, two five-model sets, and five new sets numbered 10 to 50, the 20 to 50 sets being motorised. A complete change from the normal practice (sticking to a single majority colour) was that every set had its own colour scheme, often in bright neon colours.
In 2000, Nikko, a Japanese toy manufacturer, purchased 49 per cent of Meccano and took on its marketing internationally through its established channels for radio-controlled toys. Development and design remained with Meccano SN, based in Calais, France. Nikko launched a successful range of new sets, including "Crazy Inventors" and the "Future Master" range. Significantly, Nikko radio control and programmable electronics started to appear in the System. However, under commercial pressure, Nikko sold its interest in the Meccano name and System back to Meccano SN, the French parent company, in August 2007. Meccano revives French production BBC News 24 December 2010 During 2013, the Meccano brand was acquired in its entirety by the Canadian toy company Spin Master.
Meccano today is very different from its heyday in the 1930s to 1950s. The target market of youngsters has not changed significantly; however, the mass market, instant-appeal approach does not always satisfy serious Meccano enthusiasts. For example, it is often difficult to obtain original spares.
Many parts were introduced since the Liverpool factory closed under the French-and-Japanese running of the company. These included plastic parts, can motors, and modern battery holders. Metal became an expensive raw material to work with and many of the metal parts were replaced with plastic parts. Allen (hex-headed) zinc electroplated steel bolts replaced the slotted bolts.
Original specialist parts, such as very long (up to ) angle girders, loom shuttles, printing rollers, etc. often required for large Super Models are becoming more difficult to obtain. There are replica manufacturers who satisfy the needs of enthusiasts who wish to build models requiring these parts.
What has remained the same during all these years is the Imperial unit perforation spacing and the inch whitworth thread for nuts and bolts (and other threaded parts). These unchanged standards and complete interchangeability of parts results in many modern models functioning perfectly with Meccano components that are more than 100 years old and vice versa. Indeed, old and new parts can be intermixed with impunity, the only problem being the odd mixture of colour schemes.
In 2015, Spin Master launched Meccanoids, Meccano modular design robots.
In February 2023, Spin Master said the Calais factory would close as it was still losing money. The factory closed on 31 October 2023.
In January 2025, Spin Master announced it was licensing Meccano to British toy company Addo Play under a long-term agreement. Addo Play has agreed to develop, design and manufacture a refreshed line-up of Meccano products. These will include play-sets, junior products and collaborations.
On top of these there were instruction leaflets available for:
Early Instruction Manuals sometimes contained errors due to the poor Model sketches which caused difficulty for small children.
Since this time, enthusiasts such as G. Maurice Morris and MW Models have taken to publishing their own model plans, ranging from small models up to large and complex machines.
These could be run from a mains Meccano Transformer No.T20 1 AMP 20 Volts Set or, in the case of the E15R, a 12 V car battery. Earlier there had been short-lived (and potentially lethal) mains motors designed for DC mains with a domestic lightbulb in series to drop the voltage, followed by motors of the post-War pattern but wound for 4.5 or 6 V DC and suited to lead/acid accumulator power. These, as well as the latter accumulator are now rare if in good condition.
For many years, live steam engines were made and sold under the Meccano brand, although they were not made by Meccano. Earlier examples were just vertical steam engines, typical of the time, sold under the Meccano name. The first to be specially designed for Meccano was introduced in 1929. This was a vertically boilered engine in a chassis designed to facilitate it being integrated into Meccano models.
From 1965 to 1976, Mamod made a steam engine for Meccano, the design of which was based on the 1929 version, with a similar chassis but using a standard Mamod horizontal boiler and engine parts. The model had no official model number, being known simply as the Meccano steam engine. However, it has since become generally known as the MEC1. Even after it was no longer being sold under the Meccano name, Mamod continued to manufacture the same model (with minor differences) until 1985, under their own name with the model number SP3.
There were also at least three different clockwork motors sold under the Meccano brand name ("Magic", No.1 and No.2). The No.2 motor was made for Meccano by Märklin in Germany.
Meccano has always had several compatible products on the market (such as X-Series Meccano, Plastic Meccano, Mogul Toys and Speed-Play). In 2007, a plastic robot named "Spykee" arrived. The robot is controlled using a WiFi interface and has a webcam but cannot climb stairs as is sometimes claimed. It can also be controlled over the Internet and configured as a security camera. The robot is primarily packaged in a single plastic base component and comprises additional bolt-on plastic parts that are present for aesthetic purposes only (i.e. the arms do not function). The robot base does include some standard Meccano hole spacing. By September 2008, the Spykee robot family numbers five, with each robot having different capabilities.
Since the 1920s, construction kits compatible with Meccano were manufactured in the Soviet Union. They did not have a uniform colour scheme, parts could be in any colour. Usually the strips and girders were not painted, and the plates could be either unpainted or painted in red, yellow, and blue. In the 1970s, plastic parts were introduced. The (, "Outlook") plant in Moscow produced some sets which included electrical motors and gears. The largest set of the 1970s–1980s was called (, "Adolescence-3") and contained about 200 parts. The ("Adolescence") series were practically identical to Meccano sets with the same number, but there is no evidence of larger sets (equivalent to No. 4 or larger) being produced. There were instructions for building 44 models. Today, many similar kits, mostly Russian and Chinese-produced, are being sold in Russia.
Unlike the Czech Merkur sets, the Soviet ones used mixed Metric system and Imperial units measurements despite the latter having been abandoned in Russia since the 1920s. The spacing between holes was and the hole diameter was , but the nuts and bolts included were metric.
From the mid-1910s, in the US, there was a system called Erector Set, invented by A.C. Gilbert. Erector was largely compatible with Meccano. A.C. Gilbert died in 1961, and the company went into decline, filing for bankruptcy in 1967. After several changes of ownership, in 2000, Meccano bought the Erector brand and unified its presence on all continents.
For example, in 1947, UCLA in the US installed a differential analyser built for them by General Electric at a cost of $125,000. However, a "proof of concept" model of a differential analyser which made extensive use of Meccano parts was built at Manchester University, England, in 1934, by Douglas Hartree and Arthur Porter: use of Meccano meant that the machine was cheap to build, and it proved "accurate enough for the solution of many scientific problems". This machine is now in the Science Museum in London.
A similar machine built by J.B. Bratt at Cambridge University in 1935 is now in the Museum of Transport & Technology collection in Auckland, New Zealand. After a lengthy period of neglect, a restoration effort began in 2003, and a successful "full run through" of this machine was completed on 16 December 2008.
A memorandum written for the British military's Armament Research Department in 1944 describes how this same machine was modified during the Second World War for improved reliability and enhanced capability, and identifies its wartime applications as including research on the flow of heat, explosive detonations, and simulations of transmission lines.Cairns, W. J., Crank, J., & Lloyd, E. C. Some Improvements in the Construction of a Small Scale Differential Analyser and a Review of Recent Applications, Armament Research Department Theoretical Research Memo. No. 27/44, 1944
The memorandum is now in The National Archives, UK. It has been said that this machine was used in preparation for Operation Chastise, otherwise known as the "Dam Busters raid"; However, after extensive enquiries and literature searches over the last few years, no evidence can be found that the Differential Analyser no. 2, nor any other differential analyser, was used for this purpose.
In 1949, an Erector set was used to build the precursor to the modern artificial heart by William Sewell and William Glenn of the Yale School of Medicine. The external pump successfully bypassed the heart of a dog for more than an hour.
In the 1970s, information theory pioneer Claude Shannon constructed a bounce-juggling machine from an Erector set.
In the late 1980s, with an Erector Set, various old toys, and bits of jewellery, Jack Kevorkian jury-rigged a machine he called the Thanatron (later renamed to the Mercitron.) Three bottles were suspended from a beam: one filled with a saline solution to open a patient's veins, another with barbiturates for sedation, and a third with potassium chloride to stop the heart. The concept was that the doctor connected the patient to an IV, and the patient would pull a chain on the device to start the lethal medications flowing. He called it his "Rube Goldberg suicide device".
In 2005, Tim Robinson displayed his own Meccano differential analyser at the Computer History Museum, at Mountain View, California, US, and Robinson has also built and exhibited two models of Charles Babbage's difference engine, also using Meccano.Robinson, Tim, Tim Robinson's Differential Analyzer (10 February 2005), Robinson's Difference Engine #1 (3 April 2006), Robinson's Difference Engine #2 (7 May 2006). Tim Robinson's Meccano Computing Machinery web site. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
In 1990 Meccano S.A. built a giant Ferris wheel in France. It was modelled after the original 1893 Ferris Wheel built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago and was shipped to the United States to promote "Erector Meccano" after Meccano S.A. had bought out the "Erector Set" trade name and began selling Meccano sets in the U.S. It went on display in New York City after which it was purchased by Ripley's Believe It or Not! and put on display in their St. Augustine, Florida museum. The model, the largest at the time, was high, weighs , was made from 19,507 pieces, 50,560 nuts and bolts, and took 1,239 hours to construct. At this mass and size, some deviation from Meccano-only parts was a necessity, to prevent it collapsing (mainly in the structural spokes). The largest model by mass would certainly be in contention but some models have topped .
In the late 1990s, engineer Mark Sumner utilised Erector to create a working model for "Soarin'", an attraction at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, California and Walt Disney World's Epcot near Orlando, Florida.
A large model, weighing approximately and long, was built in September 2009 by TV presenter James May and a team of volunteers from the engineering department of the University of Liverpool, who created a Meccano bridge spanning the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Liverpool. As with other models of this size and weight some non-Meccano parts were used. It was built from "about 100,000 pieces of real Meccano", taking 1,100 hours, and consisted of a "swing bridge" section, and a "drawbridge" section. See James May's Toy Stories. A contender for the largest model on record was built in 2014 by Graham Shepherd of Grahamstown, South Africa. The fully motorised Krupp 288 Bucket Wheel Excavator (as used on large opencast mining) is complete with auxiliary conveyors. Construction utilised Meccano parts as well as replica and strengthened parts (thickened profile plates and high tensile bolts in areas carrying large loads). Shepherd reports the model as being in mass and tall. It required substantial timber support frames to facilitate final assembly. bagger288meccano.blogspot.com, 14 October 2014
Meccano and Erector remain very versatile constructional mediums. Almost any mechanical device can be built with these systems, from structures, to complex working cranes, automatic gearboxes or clocks.
The International Society of Meccanomen was founded in 1989 in England, nine years after the Liverpool factory closed. This organisation is considered the modern replacement of the Guild system and now has some 600 members in over 30 countries.
Today, over one hundred years since its inception, there are thousands of Meccano enthusiasts worldwide, many clubs and hundreds of websites covering Meccano history, model building instructions and nostalgia. Individuals and companies worldwide still manufacture parts, some long out of production. There are annual Meccano exhibitions around the world, notably in France (at a different venue around May each year) and at Skegness in England (around July every year). Many notable shows also take place in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand each year, to name a few.
Publications devoted fully or in part to Meccano included Meccano Magazine from 1916 to 1981, and numerous Special Model Leaflets aimed at serious enthusiasts, on how to construct very large, complex models and machines. Some models use many more parts than an entire Set 10. The original large models from the 1930s model leaflets are called the Meccano Super Models, often popular at Meccano and other model engineering exhibitions and sometimes used as nostalgic showpieces by retailers. Modern dedicated publications include: Constructor Quarterly, The International Meccanoman and the ModelPlans series of instructions. These feature large model instructions and ideas for enthusiasts. There are also a myriad of club-generated periodicals, featuring Meccano content and keeping enthusiasts in touch.
The careers many people chose were influenced by their experience and knowledge gained from using the product.
Meccano is mentioned in the first chapter of Graham Greene's novel The Power and the Glory.
It also mentioned at some length in J. J. Connington's 1928 detective novel, Nemesis at Raynham Parva (U.S. title, Grim Vengeance, 1929).Pierre Bastien is a French musical artist who has created a large collection of kinetic art experimental musical instruments constructed with Meccano.
In Sydney, Australia an overhead gantry with directional signs and traffic lights erected in 1962 is named the Meccano Set. Consultation on the future of the Meccano Set Roads & Maritime Services Meccano set future on hold Daily Telegraph 9 June 2015
Arthur C. Clarke mentions his childhood fascination with Meccano and his return to it as an adult in his 1989 memoir, Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography.
On 6 April 2013 a new footbridge was opened at Nob End, Little Lever, Bolton, Manchester over the Bolton and Bury Canal. It is made of Meccano parts, including bolts and nuts, accurately scaled up by ten times. Meccano-style bridge opens in Bolton BBC News 6 April 2013
Meccano is the centrepiece of the Mentoring Using Meccano program of School Volunteer Program ACT. Volunteers use Meccano to mentor bright primary school students who need help in improving their communication or social skills, which builds students' self-esteem.
| 1901–1908 | Frank Hornby (inventor) and David Elliott (financier) | Branded as "Mechanics Made Easy" |
| 1908–1936 | Meccano Ltd, UK. 100% owned by Frank Hornby | Frank Hornby bought out David Elliott and rebranded the business. |
| 1936–1964 | Meccano Ltd, UK. 100% owned by Frank Hornby's family | Frank Hornby died in 1936 |
| 1964–1971 | Lines Bros Ltd, UK (quoted on London Stock Exchange) | Argentine rights licensed to Exacto in 1966 |
| 1971–1980 | Airfix, UK (quoted on London Stock Exchange) | Commonwealth rights only |
| 1971–1980 | General Mills, US (quoted on New York Stock Exchange) | Rest of world rights except Argentina |
| 1981–1985 | General Mills Inc, US (quoted on New York Stock Exchange) | Global rights except Argentina |
| 1985–1989 | Meccano SN, France (Owned by Marc Redibo) | Revoked Argentine licence to secure global rights |
| 1989–2000 | Meccano SN, France (Owned by Dominique Duvauchelle) | |
| 2000–2007 | Meccano SN, France (Owned 51% by Dominique Duvauchelle and 49% by Nikko Toys of Japan) | Nikko distributed Meccano outside France during this period. |
| 2007–2013 | Meccano SN, France (Owned 51% Ingroup and 49% by 21 Centrale Partners) | Ingroup: Owned by the Inberg family who ran Meccano. 21 Centrale Partners: Owned by the Benetton family |
| Spin Master, Canada (Quoted on Toronto Stock Exchange from 2015) | Design and marketing in US and Canada. Calais base closed in 2023. | |
| Spin Master, Canada licences brand to Addo Play | Design and marketing in UK. |
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