QUOTATION:
"Everything that can be invented has been invented". Said by the
Director of the U.S. Patent Office in 1899. (T.M.G. Newsletteer, 6/99).QUOTATION:
"Everything that can be invented has been invented". Said by the
Director of the U.S. Patent Office in 1899. (T.M.G. Newsletteer, 6/99).
ELECTRIC
MAGIC MOTOR: There was an electric version of the Magic Motor. This 20v (?)
mite was the same basic shape as the wind-up one. It was produced at Binns Road
from 1937 to 1940. (Canadian Meccanotes, 6/97) Has anyone ever seen one ?
NO MORE CRAZIES: Andrew
Wells reported on May 6th that the NZ distributors will not bring any more Crazy
Inventors sets into New Zealand owing to disappointing sales recently.
MOTION SYSTEM SETS:
In May, Dick Smith, Wellington, still had some Motion System sets for sale. No.
6520 at $69.80 and No. 8540 (in a purple plastic
box) at $129.00.
LEGO + INTEL = ? :
Before the end of 2003, Lego and microchip maker Intel will form a business
partnership. The new Lego toys with a new generation of embedded chips will be
intelligent robot types. (Bob Galler on "Spanner").
SECURITY AND SAFETY:
These have become important at Australasian exhibitions. Small models need to be
bolted down and members sleep overnight in the exhibition hall to discourage
theft. At one Australian exhibition a child deliberately put her fingers into a
working gearbox and was injured. (I.M., Jan, 1988).
REALISTIC TRIPLE
PULLEY: Peter Matthews in South Africa uses the new plastic 1" pulleys
(P/N26bp) to make a triple pulley. He bolts three together through their slots
with a six hole 1" bush wheel at one end as a fixing boss. Good for triple
band drives. (I.M. Jan., 1988).
WHITWORTH EXCLUSIVE:
The 5/32"
Whitworth thread is little used outside the Meccano system. This nut & bolt
form is not recognised by British Standard 450, yet it has a rival which is
recognised. This is the 5/32"
Whit. ME (Model Engineer) nut & bolt. The thread diameter is the same but
the ME version has 40 threads to the linear inch instead of 32 as on the
versions which we all know as parts 37a and 37b. (Tony Rednall in NMMG Newsmag,
11/95).
VIDEO OF THE
CONVENTION TV FILM: I bought one from Taranaki Television as soon as it was
available and have viewed it twice, so would like to comment briefly: It is a
pity time did not allow for coverage of some other noteworthy models. Also,
interviews with other prominent Meccanomen would have been enlightening.
However, I can safely say the interviewer, Michael Self, "did
our hobby proud". He concentrated on the modellers as well as the
models and elicited a lot of Meccano history and philosophy. As well, he built
up a picture of the diverse sort of people we Meccanopersons are. His summing up
that Meccano is a living heritage, still popular after 100 years, hit the right
closing note. The eerie bit on the film was Don Wilson's disembodied voice
discussing his amazing Catalina Flying Boat model.
QUOTATION: Total
mental and physical inertia are highly agreeable, much more so than we allow
ourselves to imagine. A beach not only permits such inertia but also enforces
it, thus neatly eliminating all problems of guilt. It is now the only place in
our overly active world that does. (J.K. Galbraith, quoted by Peter Finney on
"Spanner"). (Roll on our summer !!).
FORCEPS DELIVERY:
Here is one of Howard Somerville's better (?) puns from "Spanner"
Newsgroup:
Nick Rogers wrote, "The Meccano nut holder is
atrocious to use. You would be better off getting a small pair of surgical
forceps".
Howard replied, "They're more cost effective, too,
especially when you can buy forceps for the price of three."
A FAMILY AFFAIR:
At the Hawera Convention I was impressed by the large number of family groups
who came to see our models. From very young babies in their mother's (or
father's) arms up to elderly folk and everything in between. Many well behaved
children of about kindergarten age, whose eyes just peeped over the table edge,
were obviously enjoying themselves.
CHANGE-OVER HISTORY:
Meccanoids and Space 2501 were the last two sets released from Binns Road.
Hyperspace and Truckers Fleet were designed by a Liverpool team but manufactured
in and released from Calais. Action Packs were made in and released from the
U.K. in 1980. (Oscar Felgueiras and Caspar Mol on "Spanner").
THE LAST WORD: "Never test the depth of the water with both feet and never squat with both spurs on." (From 'The Old Farmers' Almanac', U.S.A.).
