Metal construction kit
A metal construction kit , sometimes also called a stable construction kit after a well-known brand , is a construction kit with which models can be assembled from different prefabricated metal parts. These models can either be invented or made according to a template. The parts are perforated sheets, perforated strips and angles made of sheet metal, supplemented by axles, wheel rims, tires, gears and other special parts that are assembled using metal screws and nuts. A suitable screwdriver and open-end wrench are included with the kits.
Development and dissemination
The most famous metal construction sets in Germany are the "Stabil" from Walther, the sets from Märklin and the system that has become known under the name Trix . The “ Meccano ” modular system developed by Frank Hornby was widely used around the world. Its technical standards, in particular the hole spacing of 1/2 inch = 12.7 mm, are now considered the international standard. In all, around 450 brands and systems, often very short-lived, have been produced.
In view of the competition from plastic construction kits such as Lego or Fischertechnik as well as electronic toys, the economic success of metal construction kits has been declining since the 1970s. The production of STABIL construction sets was discontinued around 1970, Märklin METALL and TRIX disappeared from the market after gradual reductions in 1999, but in 2004 the one-time anniversary edition of a thematically oriented Märklin large construction set (excavator) appeared. Only the original in the GDR developed kits of the brand " Construction " and the Czech of the brand " Mercury " continue to be offered to a much improved form, finally, the first in 1942, developed by the brothers Stockmann in Switzerland system of Stokys -Baukästen, located Despite its special features, it is oriented towards and compatible with the technical standards specified by " Meccano ".
A special feature of the metal construction kit system is a series of kits from the GDR, where pneumatics is used for the first time in this kit world, which has significantly expanded the possibilities in model construction. The kits P01 (compressed air compressor), P02 (pneumatic controls and drives) and P03 (electropneumatic controls and drives) from ORSTA-Modelltechnik were designed around 1983 in the VEB Kombinat ORSTA-Hydraulik Leipzig and the kits P01 and P02 were produced in series in the VEB Hydraulik Dippoldiswalde . The P03 construction kit was developed at VEB Industriewerke Karl-Marx-Stadt and only 100 pieces are produced. Computer-controlled robot models were built with this kit.
A renaissance of the metal construction kits is on the way through the activity of companies that manufacture large-scale replicas of Märklin and Meccano parts and thus serve a worldwide fan base. In Germany, METALLUS is now an internationally known manufacturer of such replicas. On the other hand, more and more metal robot kits have recently come onto the market. A German manufacturer with a very extensive range of products is EITECH from Pfaffschwende . This company offers not only the classic metal construction kits, but also drive units and accessories such as solar cells and a fuel cell for alternative energy generation.
Tronico - RCEE GmbH from Bremen has been the first manufacturer to offer colored metal model kits with licenses under the Tronico brand since 2011 . The focus is on licenses in the areas of agricultural machinery, preferably tractors or tugs, construction vehicles, emergency vehicles, and aviation. The licenses for Germany are currently for the brands Fendt , Claas , Massey Ferguson , Challenger , Krampe , Mercedes-Benz , Krone , Linde , ADAC , Case IH , Liebherr , New Holland . The scales are 1:16, 1:24, 1:32, 1:64, 1: 100. The smallest metal construction kit in the world, the micro series in 1:64 scale, was presented for the first time at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2014. These are tractors with trailers that are also produced remotely. Special components have been specially developed for realizing the 1:64 scale.
prehistory
The forerunner of the metal construction kit is the “model kit”, which was developed by Gustav Lilienthal , the brother of the aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal . The Lilienthal construction kit consisted of perforated wooden strips and cladding panels made of cardboard, with which the empty spaces between the strips could be filled. The patent for this construction kit was applied for by Otto Lilienthal, as Gustav Lilienthal was in financial difficulties due to a recently lost litigation involving the stone construction kits that he had also developed . The patent from 1888 states:
"The production of model constructions from strips of different lengths, which are perforated many times in a uniform length division and are connected by means of straight or curved V-shaped cotter pins and associated wedges, while the surface filling is effected by inserting panels into the grooves attached to the strips. "
Now it was only a small step from the wooden construction to screwed metal parts.
In 1892, Julius Weiss from Hamburg registered a patent for a "bridge construction kit" - now made of punched metal parts - under patent number 67599. The box was in 1896 by the company Richter , Rudolstadt actually marketed, but discontinued due to failure after only one year.
The metal construction kit achieved its real breakthrough with the patent from Frank Hornby from Liverpool (GB) (1901), who also included wheels in his system for the first time. Initially marketed under the name “Mechanics made easy”, from around 1908 under the name “Meccano”.
Brands and Compatibility
The number of manufacturers was particularly large in the middle of the 20th century and especially in Germany (East and West). The most important feature for compatibility is the hole spacing, the hole diameter and profile width are secondary.
| brand | Manufacturer | Hole spacing [mm] |
Hole diameter [mm] |
thread | Profile width [mm] |
Sheet thickness [mm] |
material | surface |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashok | ASHOK K. BANERJEE, POBOX 4149, NAVRANGPURA, AHMEDABAD - 380 009 [INDIA] | 12.73 | 4.2 | BSW 5/32 " | 12.7 | Steel, brass, CrNi | painted, burnt black, nickel-plated | |
| Construction | VEB (K) Metallwaren Schmerbach, from 1977 VEB Spielwaren-Mechanik Pfaffschwende / Eichsfeld | 10 | 4.3 | M4 | 10 | steel | nickel-plated | |
| EITECH | EITECH Pfaffschwende / Eichsfeld | 10 | 4.2 | M4 | 10 | 0.8 | steel | Nickel-plated until the beginning of 2017, then galvanized |
| HW | 12.5 | 4.2 | 12 | steel | burned black | |||
| Mercury | Merkurtoys in Police nad Metují , Czech Republic | 10 | 4.0 | 10 | steel | colored, powder-coated | ||
| Märklin | Märklin, Göppingen | 12.7 | 4.2 | BSW 5/32 " | 12.7 | Steel, rarely aluminum | lacquered, powder-coated, burnt black | |
| Meccano | Meccano Ltd. , Liverpool | 12.73 | 4.2 | BSW 5/32 " | steel | nickel-plated, painted in color | ||
| Mekanik | Dörken & Mankel | 12.7 | 4.2 | 12.7 | steel | lacquered, chrome-plated | ||
| Metallus | Rekers digital technology | 12.73 | 4.2 | M4 | 12.7 | Steel, brass | powder-coated, burned black | |
| gull | Möwe-Metall-Baukasten-Fabrik, Mönninghoff and Weiss in Priorei (Hagen) , 1946–1950 | 13 | 4.4 | 13 | steel | blank | ||
| Stable | Walther, Berlin Neukölln, 1911–1970 | 12.5 | 4.2 | BSW 5/32 " | 12.3 | steel | nickel-plated | |
| Staba | Staba - Karl Teutenberg KG Eisenach | 12 | 3.1 | M3 | steel | |||
| Stokys | Stokys Systeme AG Bauma , Switzerland | 12.7 | 4.0 | aluminum | blank | |||
| Sonneberger | Injecta | |||||||
| Thale | VEB metal toys | 12.5 | 4.2 | M4 | 12 | steel | black, red, metal green, metal silver, burnt, lacquered | |
| Trix | Trix , Nuremberg , 1931–1997 | 7.8 | 3.5 | similar to # 6-32 UNC (VK) or M3.5 (NK) | 15th | steel | galvanized / powder-coated | |
| Tronico | Tronico - RCEE GmbH - Mini-Series - 1:32 (from 2013) | 7.8 | 3.5 | 15th | steel | colored, 4-fold lacquered or silver galvanized | ||
| Tronico | Tronico - RCEE GmbH | 10.0 | 4.2 | 10.0 | steel | colored, 4-fold lacquered or silver galvanized | ||
| Tronico | Tronico - RCEE GmbH - Micro Series - 1:64 (from 2014) | 5.00 | 2.0 | 5.00 | steel | colored, 4-fold lacquered or silver galvanized |
See also
Web links
- Metal construction kit museum of the Merkurtoys company in Police nad Metují in the Czech Republic
- Meccano Kinematics
- Exhibition Märklin metal construction kit (Miniaturland Pappenheim)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://stabilbaukasten.lima-city.de/walther/z together.html
- ↑ http://stabilbaukasten.lima-city.de/walther/hist/gruender.html
- ↑ Imperial Patent Office Patent No. 46312 (77)
- ↑ Extensive image database at www.baukastensammler.de
- ↑ Compilation of numerous other technical data for identification on metallbaukasten.de
- ↑ website of EITECH GmbH
- ↑ Merkur Toys ( Memento of the original dated May 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Page to Walther's stable construction kit
- ↑ Product catalog of the STOKYS construction sets
- ↑ Sonneberger metal construction kit
- ↑ baukastensammler.de
- ↑ Web site tronico - RCEE GmbH
