I defied convention this year. Broke all the rules. I left it as late as I could but, I confess, I opened up my Christmas present early. I knew what I was getting anyway. I had pointed it out in the toy shop window and had made it quite clear that it would be a dreadful 1999 for everyone if I did not get what I wanted.
I could have waited until 25 December before opening my present. Honestly I could. But I had to get my hands on it so that I could tell you all about it before this issue of the magazine went off to the printers.
I knew, even before I began tearing off the wrapping paper, that I was the proud recipient of a special edition Meccano Centenary Crane.
I thought I had long grown out of such toys. In fact I had never owned any Meccano before; I was a Lego child. But after 18 months writing for Cranes Today, strange tendencies have insinuated themselves inside of me. Just as my earlier years spent writing about civil engineering have left me unable to look at a bridge without needing to know how the structure works, so my time with cranes has already regressed me to a state of fascination with mechanical toys. Fascination may be too strong a word, but I am definitely receptive these days, where once I was absolute in my dismissiveness. What are cranes, after all, but oversized – albeit potentially lethal – toys? But hey – I know you need no convincing.
Let me tell you about the Meccano Centenary Crane. The first thing I noticed was the smart, faux-aluminium, plastic briefcase in which it comes. The second thing was a zillion bits of anonymous metal and an eighty-something-page instruction book. Yeek! After I had calmed down I remembered that I had assembled flat-pack furniture before. This couldn’t really be much harder, I reckoned. I let the nuts and bolts run through the palms of my hands to drop back into their allotted compartments of the briefcase. I decided I needed a wet wintry Sunday to begin the task of assembling this thing. As this was not such a day, the briefcase was lovingly fastened and tidied away. It is a process that has since been repeated a couple of times already but, truth be told, I have yet to settle to the task. There have always been leaves to rake, dogs to walk, rooms to re-decorate.
I have, however, studied Meccano’s promotional literature so I know that – one day – I will have a 60cm-tall crane made of silver and metallic grey metal which, thanks to a battery operated motor and two clutches to drive either the jib or hoist motions, can lift 2.5kg. The body of the crane will rotate on ball bearings (though only if assembled correctly, I fear) and the four adjustable feet will allow modification of the crane base.
The event that is being commemorated by the Centenary Crane is the invention of “the most successful construction toy of the century” (to quote Meccano Toys Ltd) by Frank Hornby. He began work on the system in 1898 and patented the toy in January 1901. The Centenary Crane, therefore, is just something of a warm up for the 2001 Centenary of Meccano celebrations. It is a fitting place to start, for as the manufacturer says: “The Centenary Crane is inspired by the original crane, designed in 1904, which has been the most popular model throughout the years and has been created by Meccano’s team of young designers, based in Paris.” I am well aware that there are many crane enthusiasts out there who would regard Meccano as kids’ stuff. Members of the Heavy Haulage & Crane Model Club do not bother with instruction books and ready made componentry. But for those of us without the patience, skill or time to make a genuine scale model of an LTM 1800 or a CC 12600 out of a few beer cans and an old washing machine, Meccano offers an opportunity to experience the satisfaction of creating a working crane single-handedly, without even getting our hands dirty. Every time I look at that faux- aluminium briefcase, the anticipation grows.
Maybe next Sunday.
