Obituary – Andreas Konkoly
Born in Budapest in 1918. Married Clara in 1949.
Died 18 June 2003.
Andreas
Konkoly started model building at age 10 with European building systems and
bought his first Meccano set in 1952. Built the No 4 set up to a No 10 set by
1956. First published in Meccano Magazine in 1958 with a three speed and reverse
gearbox and has 21 other entries in the Meccano Magazine. A biographical in the
Meccano Magazine June 1972 mentions prizes awarded for his models at
International fairs and television appearances in Hungary.
In his lifetime, Andre published approximately 250 modelplans. These could be purchased directly from him in Hungary by way of black and white photographs accompanied with typed instructions (often carbon copies) on very thin paper in English written as a second language. He developed a method of explaining the construction of his models by listing the parts in order of attachment which is uniquely his but which was most effective. I have successfully built a lot of his models which can be taken as a compliment as a ‘follow the plan’ type of modeller. Some of his models have been republished in a number of Meccano Club magazines.
Andre’s models vary from the complex to the plain but I think he will be remembered for his pioneering work on Meccanographs alias Guilloche or Designing machines, clockwork motor models such as Horse and Chariot, MM March 1965 and Meccano Bunny on Tricycle, RMG December 1990 and the way-out models such as The Living Face, CQ 1989 issue 5 and Hungarian Centipede, Meccano Magazine, April 1971.
A number of Andre’s models had their origins in normal toys and gadgets which he then converted to a Meccano format and sometimes to fit inside the limits of a Meccano No 10 set. (Cyclic Colour Mixer, CQ December 1991; Meccano Sailor, Meccano Magazine June 1972).
Although he lived in Hungary during the communist regime, he had access to photographic facilities “My photo expert can make for me the technical photos of the models – I have not in my hands – only on the end of Sept.” (letter 17 July 1987), and overcame currency restrictions by having buyers of his modelplans remit payment to addresses outside Hungary.
His occupation was "the spreading of technical periodicals in Hungary" and he was able to travel extensively through Eastern Europe and even into Egypt (MM April 1977).The photo showing Andre and wife Clara “in our home” (letter 1 November 1987) implies a reasonable level of wealth.
Andre was a Meccano character whose epitaph will be the models he put into print for the benefit of current and future generations of Meccano modellers.
R. Bruce Neilson,
