Models by Kevin's Grandchildren
Connor
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The 3 models shown here were built by my oldest grandson Connor. I started him several years ago with a joint project to build the 1950's model 3.17 Tank Locomotive. At the time he was very much into Thomas the Tank, so when the model was completed, I pasted a photo of him on the front of the boiler to make it Connor the Tank.
The three models were built Christmas 2017, as I recall, and are joint models as well, except for the shovel. He and I built the aircraft from set 5550, to which I added the red triangular plate to give the finished product a bit of pizzazz (I never met a restrained pilot). The motor cycle was actually started by one of the grand daughters; Connor finished it after it had been set aside. I have tried to keep some of the starter 1 or 2 model sets about for short visits and, so Connor asked if he might put the shovel together. He did a bang-up job! |
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Elizabeth
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Elizabeth is no stranger to Meccano; her Dad has inherited quite a bit from his grandfather and together with her siblings she has built or helped to build a few models at home. These two models are from the 1950's Set 1 Manual 0.4 Station Truck and 1.9 Windmill. This latter model was the first that I built Christmas 1960. You will note that the sails , which were originally made from two part 189 at right angles, by sails from an earlier age. I got them from Brian Lilly because I had always wanted a set but also because they made Elizabeth's model look more realistic.
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Felicity
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Felicity is Elizabeth's younger sister and has some rather artistic talents. This model was built about a year ago and is a creation of her own. She has built other things but they were taken apart before being photographed. This is a butterfly or bee. She put it together one afternoon when she was by herself in the Meccano Room and it struck me that the simple lines and placement of the pieces made it a bit of artwork, something along the lines of the wall hangings pictured in the back pages of the Ferris Wheel Set 8257.
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Gregory
Gregory is the youngest of the members in the Granddad's Meccano Club. The car, The Blue Rail, as I like to call it and the Tintin Float plane are joint efforts between him and me. The little vehicle is one of his creations. Simply 3 - 48b for a chassis and a curved 190. While it may look like a 200, it is actually a curved 190. When he saw and understood what my plate and strip bending machine was for, he had to create something curved, hence the plate. Interestingly, the elastics stretched between the wheel shafts don't slow the performance down as much as one might think.
Kayley
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Just before a meal, Kayley was bolting together some straight and curved strips (the green ones in this creation. After the meal she returned to the Meccano room where I watched her sort through the various parts drawers until something 'clicked'. She fished out the nickel 90a's and started laying them up one atop the others. Only problem that cropped up was the length of the bolt to go through them. She also got a little smile on her face and decided that she would give it to someone as a present. Not sure who the intended recipient was but my wife ended up with it. A Posy for Grandma!
Kayley is an inquisitive young girl about 6 years old and the youngest girl in Granddad's Meccano Club. Her first two models are a person with articulating arms and legs (I showed her how to locknut) and a model of different interpretations. This one was to be a fountain, or a splash in a pond but for the most part ended up being a Christmas Tree ornament. After she presented it to me, I showed her parts that would, in future, obviate the necessity to bent parts as much as she had to on this one.
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Laura
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Laura was introduced to Meccano a few years ago when we sat down and built a 1950's model of a Tank Locomotive. She could hunt out the parts and do some of the joining and when it was all done, I put a picture of her on the front of the boiler to make it "Laura the Tank"; she was into Thomas the Tank back in those days. While visiting this past Christmas, she settled down in the Meccano Room and created the chair and the box, which is just the thing for the time of year. It could be used as a gift box, hence the open lid. The chair certainly brought to mind the stacking-style chairs we see every where. Most of my grandkids start out building model 0.3, the Garden Bench. From this model, one can see a connection to these models: simplicity in design and practical in execution.
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Sophie
Sophie has been an imaginative and prolific enthusiast during her infrequent visits (once or twice a year) to the Meccano Room. When she makes it here I believe she enjoys her time at it. Like most of the grandkids, I started her with the Garden Bench, Model 0.3 in the late 1950's Manual. She built it a couple of times and then built a larger version using part 236 (the very large flange plate) as the seat. One can imagine what it looked like.
From there she returned to the basic plan of using part 52 but this time put 4 legs of the same length and added another level creating a bunk bed. The upper level is an earlier part 52 zinc coated, I believe and missing the end flanges. This fit nicely over the 48d stringers joining the upper ends of the bed. She used part 51 as a pillow and build a ladder so one might climb from the floor into the upper bunk. Using a couple of part 11, the ladder was very stable. One of Sophie's sibling needed the parts from the ladder, so it isn't shown here.
The next iteration on this theme is the doll's bed. T%his joins 4 part 52 to make the bed and the legs are part 2's with angle brackets for feet. Tightening the bolts properly kept this in good shape.
One fall, Sophie and a girl friend who visited with her turned their attention to houses. You'll note that the roof isn't finished but she had the final touches assembled and ran out of time to complete construction.
Finally, their is our new pet dog. We live in a building that does not allow pets, which is fine, but Sophie would rather we lived in the last house we owned and permitted dogs. So one day this past Christmas vacation, she closeted herself in the Meccano Room and produced the Dog. It was meant to run us afoul of the landlord and cause us to move somewhere bigger and more animal friendly. While her part in this project is complete, she did tell me that I have to make it move. As you can see I haven't animated the little beast...yet.
From there she returned to the basic plan of using part 52 but this time put 4 legs of the same length and added another level creating a bunk bed. The upper level is an earlier part 52 zinc coated, I believe and missing the end flanges. This fit nicely over the 48d stringers joining the upper ends of the bed. She used part 51 as a pillow and build a ladder so one might climb from the floor into the upper bunk. Using a couple of part 11, the ladder was very stable. One of Sophie's sibling needed the parts from the ladder, so it isn't shown here.
The next iteration on this theme is the doll's bed. T%his joins 4 part 52 to make the bed and the legs are part 2's with angle brackets for feet. Tightening the bolts properly kept this in good shape.
One fall, Sophie and a girl friend who visited with her turned their attention to houses. You'll note that the roof isn't finished but she had the final touches assembled and ran out of time to complete construction.
Finally, their is our new pet dog. We live in a building that does not allow pets, which is fine, but Sophie would rather we lived in the last house we owned and permitted dogs. So one day this past Christmas vacation, she closeted herself in the Meccano Room and produced the Dog. It was meant to run us afoul of the landlord and cause us to move somewhere bigger and more animal friendly. While her part in this project is complete, she did tell me that I have to make it move. As you can see I haven't animated the little beast...yet.
Tyler
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Tyler has dabbled in the Meccano Room for some time but never has enough time to complete a project. This last visit was different because he completed the Bridge shown here. Well done, Tyler. One thing that caught my eye about this model is the basic similarity between it and Model 253 from the 1924 Manual. The Meccano engineers came up with a handsome design while Tyler's captures many of the basic aspects of bridge building.
Tyler was disappointed that I took his Ferry Boat start apart after he left but then turned his mind to bridges. Here's his first design.
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Westley
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Westley is 4 and the youngest of the Grandkids to be admitted to the Meccano Room. His older sister and brother had similarly been admitted because they demonstrated the ability to concentrate on a project longer than others at that age. I'm quite proud of that. So we see here Westley's first go at building something and wouldn't you know it, it's a car! Boys and cars! I let him go at it as I have done with the others but gave him a hand when he had a problem getting the wheels to go on. He really wanted to fill all the holes with nuts and bolts but we reached a compromise. The grandsons have all started with making wheeled vehicles (in the DNA?). I only get to see them in the Meccano Room once or twice a year, so progress may be a bit slow, but I can hardly wait to see what he'll come up with next.
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