Meccano

Compared to the other two construction toys, I spent the least amount of time in my childhood building with Meccano. Meccano is much more time consuming to build as you have to fasten each plate and bracket together rather than just clicking them into place. It can also be frustrating to install hard to access nuts in tight spaces. Over time or with play, the nuts also have a tendency to loosen, requiring using the wrench to reach deep into the model to tighten them up, like a bucket of bolts.

I received 3 different sets around the same time, Evolution 4 (which also contains instructions for Evolutions 1-3 allowing for 40+ different models to be built), Evolution 2 (which is redundant because Evolution 4 already had the parts and instructions), and a knock off MekStruct set. The first issue was that I wasn't sure how the flimsy styrofoam trays and cardboard boxes would contain all of my parts, so I made my dad buy me a proper red metal toolbox to store these sets. The next problem was that genuine Meccano used British threads while the knock off MekStruct used metric threads. I didn't know this at the time and ended up mixing all of the pieces together. Worse than MegaBloks in Lego, there was no way that the two different threads would work together and it was difficult to tell them apart. As an adult, I have to look closely at the threads and nuts, the more uniform looking ones are Meccano while the others are MekStruct but still occasionally I have found some parts that make it pass this test and require a test fit.

In the end, in my memory, I only ever remember building one of the Evolution 4 models, a buggy, and the model sat in the toolbox. Occasionally, I must have picked it up and assembled a couple of plates together but that was it.

The only model I ended up building as a kid, rebuilt as an "adult"

I did receive a much larger crane set for Christmas one year from my grandma. I was probably near the upper end of the "age range", but I spent the time putting it together and was impressed with the results and the functions (the transmission to change between modes on the crane was interesting). But again, I left it constructed and did not build any of the other 24 models. 

The one model of the crane I built as a kid, rebuilt, along with the 24 others as an adult.

Meccano can be used to build sturdy models. In university, I did use Meccano to make a simple prototype in the 2nd year design course. I struggled with the geometry and construction, opting to use the MekStruct motor with the built-in drivetrain so I wouldn't have to build the drivetrain from Meccano. I made a camera cable car as well, where I wasn't sure if Lego or K'Nex could handle the weight of the GoPro.

After I rediscovered K'Nex and Lego as an adult, I finally picked up Meccano. Upon opening that red toolbox, I was unimpressed. The plates were of course all sitting flat on each other and it didn't look like there could possibly be enough to make a full set. It was only after counting them and comparing them to the inventories that I realized that they were mostly all there! 

I started building and I enjoyed the challenge of installing nuts in hard to reach places. I enjoyed watching how the brackets were used to allow for the ability to install plates on different faces similar to Studs Not on Top (SNOT) construction in Lego. I also liked "tuning" the models so that the axles spun more freely, panels were aligned better, and gear trains were more optimized. And the sound of the motors and meshing gears. As soon as I completed one model, I would tune it, run it, and then take it apart to build the next one.

I added extra gear reduction to this truck and it allowed the motor to start the vehicle better

As I had multiple Meccano sets that each had multiple models that could be built I had one set to build in Canmore and a couple to build at home, so wherever I was, I could be building! My brother had received a couple of sets in adulthood and I rebuilt those too!

My brother's 30 model "Motion" set contained my favourite builds

One interesting aspect of Meccano sets is that they claim that the sets can build 20, 25, 45 (+ more from your imagination!) models but they actually only include instructions for 10-15 models. The rest are built from examining pictures, similar to a back of the box Lego build. Upon finishing the models with included instructions, I enjoyed the challenge of building these models based off of the pictures. I found the best technique was to build up all of the aspects of the model that are visible in the picture and then use the remaining pieces to deduce what is going on with the rest of the model.

Some modern Meccano sets use plastic panels, a controversial topic among Meccano enthusiasts. I understand there is the worry of less durability, but the benefit of the plastic panels is that the thin ones bend easily to form more contoured shapes and the larger panels have a square, nut shaped recess on one side so that bolts can be tightened without needing the wrench.

Modern plastic Meccano car

Plastic Meccano Excavator with hydrualics

Building these Meccano sets has inspired me to attempt to build some classic Meccano mechanisms like a Meccanograph as well as a Millennium Falcon, the classic "bucket of bolts".