With new, comprehensive electronic index produced by Timothy Edwards.

The period is arguably the most Meccano-rich in the Magazine's long history with almost every page devoted to the hobby.  Many of the best-known names of Meccano had articles published throughout this period and much quality reading is assured.

The CD includes some additional pages of material made available by Meccano Ltd. in the form of supplemental instructions for several models of which only photographs were published in the Meccano Magazine.

Price £14.95

This volume contains all issues from 1964 through 1967, a total of 43 magazines spanning some 2,500 scanned images.

A wide range of Meccano articles, mechanisms and models are contained therein.  Even a Meccano model of a Dalek makes an appearance!

As in previous volumes, every page of every issue of the period is included as well as a number of inserts and booklets included free with the magazine.

All 48 issues published during the years 1960 through 1963, including over 3,200 scanned images are contained in Volume 4.  During this period the plastic plates, narrow strips and a number of other
interesting and useful parts were introduced, all detailed herein.

In addition to all the pages of the magazines, the factory supplied model of the month supplementary instructions for the last six models of this series are included. These models are: Blocksetting Crane, Mechanical Excavator, Paper Folding Machine, Scenic Railway, Transporter Bridge and VertiVeyor.

Commencing with the issues for what was Meccano Limited's peak period of post war II trading, 1956, and, in the years to 1959, Volume 5 chronicles the colour change to the light red and green period, the revised Gears Set B, and newly introduced Mechanisms Set. It also documents the origins of the Company failure in 1963, including the late adoption of two-rail for Dublo trains, the increasing complexity of Dinky Toys and the purchase of Bayko.  Unfortunately, due to a printing strike, an issue was not published for August 1959. Nevertheless, there are more than 3,750 scanned images in this volume.
 

The model of the month series, commencing in the March 1956 magazine, was featured regularly throughout these issues. All of the duplicated instruction sheets for models published during these years are included in their entirety. However, from May to October 1958 and April to November 1959, the series was interrupted and instructions for featured models were published in the pages of the Magazine.

Volume 6 contains more than 4,450 pages scanned from the 60 issues for the years 1951 to 1955. These cover a period of steady post war improvement for both the company and the magazine. While the magazine remained in the pocket size adopted nearly ten years earlier, the page count grew steadily and the improvement in paper quality resulted better reproduction of illustrations.

A small range of obsolete parts reissued in late 1953 and a range of new parts and sets are illustrated in these pages. Published models included a walking dragline, a diesel locomotive and a 'harbour construction crane' that may just have been the test-bed for the proposed 7.5 inch. GRB.  The 1952/53 international competition produced some exceptional prize winning models that could be said to mark the commencement of post war super modelling. The major prizewinners are illustrated in a series of articles commencing in September, 1953.

Volume 7 chronicles the recovery of production at Binns Road following the cessation of hostilities up to the reintroduction of the Number Ten Set in Red and Green. This recovery is parallelled by a gradual increase in the magazine's page count from the wartime low. This volume includes high-resolution scans of all 3508 pages published during the five years. The Meccano pages progressively rely less on reprints of pre war content and include many new and original models and mechanisms.

The general interest pages are rich in articles documenting the post war reconstruction and the peaceful application of the new technologies developed during the war.

1941 was the last year of the large pre-war format magazine. The pocket sized format introduced in 1942 was retained throughout the remainder of the war years and throughout the 1950s.

These are austerity issues and the sharply reduced page count reflects the minimal resources available to the editorial staff.  Nevertheless, Volume 8 contains scans of all 2,888 pages published in this five year period.  Although the coverage of Meccano products is at an all-time low, involving much recycling of material from earlier issues and other Binns Road publications.

Good quality readers' suggestions from Alan Partridge among others are included and the work of J. Mathews of Fillongley and Noel Ta'Bois feature in the competition results.

1936 marked the passing of Frank Hornby, inventor of the Meccano system, and the tributes to him are among the 2,168 pages contained in Volume Ten.  These two years draw the final curtain over the glory days of the Meccano Magazine.  As the War years approached it declined and never quite returned to the standard of the issues contained in the upcoming volumes of this series.  The 1937 issues carry promotional material for another revision of the set contents which, with only minor change, would last until just before the closure of the Binns Road plant.  These pages evidence a growing disparity between the models described for construction and the standard of modelling achieved by the Competition winners.  Further highlighting this trend is a large demonstration model of the LMS locomotive Royal Scot that sets a very high standard but is described in general terms.  "In search of new models" continues to provide worthy subjects for reproduction in Meccano.  There are some interesting suggestions for models incorporating Electron components and for using them for the remote control of Meccano models.

The issues published during early part of the 1930s coincided with what is probably the peak period of interest in Binns Road production, which may be inferred from the sheer quantity of product related articles contained in this and the following volumes to be released in this series.  The quantity and diversity of Meccano production was at its peak at this time and the MM recorded many of the details.

Volume 12 contains all 2,172 pages of the 24 issues of Meccano magazine that were published in 1932 and 1933. The strong growth of the Meccano Company at this time may be gauged from the fact that this volume, like the other volumes of the 1930's, contains only two years' issues, as the Meccano Magazine was substantially larger both in page count and format than in later periods.

There is much to interest the Meccano enthusiast in the pages of this volume, such as Frank Hornby’s second telling of the Life Story of Meccano - a romance in the true meaning of the word.  Product developments, like the Motor Car Constructional sets produced in 1932, feature here.

Models include the revised Grandfather Clock and Hand Loom, also released in the series of Super Model Leaflets. Other worthwhile features included a model of giant lorry to an appropriate scale, a working printing press and a twin, firing Anti Aircraft Gun. Contributions by Meccanoman include Keith Cameron’s prize-winning model of the LMS locomotive “Fury” and Monsieur Rham’s great Astronomical Clock.

Much of what may be termed the standard Meccano literature emerged in the pages of the Meccano Magazine or were published there during this period.  The issues from 1930 include the final parts of the magazine serialisation of "How to Use Meccano Parts", later issued in booklet form. On the product front that year, and of particular interest, is the introduction of the Aero Constructor sets and the subsequent redesign of some of the parts.

Many of the 1928 - 37 Supermodel leaflets are published in these issues. A comparison  of the magazine version with the leaflets is often quite informative for the historical researcher. Those leaflet models included the Dragline Excavator, Electric Mobile Crane, Warehouse, Electric Derrick Crane, Railway Breakdown Crane, Level Luffing Grabbing Crane and the Howitzer, Limber and Tractor. Although not published in leaflet form, the White Aerial Ropeway is also documented over two issues. Amongst many interesting mechanisms published in these issues are a swash plate mechanism and a 2½ million to 1 gearbox.

During this period, covered by 24 issues and 2,192 pages, was an expansion of the Meccano system heralded by frequent announcements of new parts.

Also of interest to the builder was the continuation of the series of articles  Electricity Applied to Meccano.  Much of the content is obsolete today, but several gems warrant careful study and adaptation.

In these years, the Meccano Magazine content was well balanced between general interest and Meccano Ltd product information. The former included a series of articles on electricity, with in-depth treatment of contemporary telephony, and an extensive coverage of the 1927 eclipse.

The two-stage move from nickel plating to the enamelling of Meccano parts in red and green was announced as the "New Coloured Meccano" in October 1926, and in the August 1927 issue that all new production would be “in colours”.

A series of articles, Standard Mechanisms, recorded current Meccano constructional practice, while many new and interesting mechanisms (many of them more advanced than the Standard Mechanisms) were featured in the Suggestions pages.

Regular and varied model building competitions, often with detailed descriptions of prize winning entries, helped advance the standard of modelling of the time.  Many new models featured in these issues were later included in the Super Model leaflets.

Paradoxically, this final disk in the series covers the first decade of publication of the Meccano Magazine, starting from the very first issue of September/October 1916.  In all there are 1,597 pages of content and, together with a page inadvertently omitted from the February 1972 issue, brings the total page count for the project to 42,167.

It traces the slow development of the magazine from a four page broadsheet - little more than a company advertising organ - into arguably the best boys’ periodical of the Twentieth Century.  Frank Hornby serialised the first version of his history of Meccano in these issues.  Also prominently featured in these issues are the establishment of the Meccano Guild and the introduction of Hornby trains.

The development of the Magazine in this period is marked by an increasing number of pages devoted to content of general interest.  Emerging technologies of the day including radio and electricity received extensive coverage, as did Constantinesco' s Torque Converter. There is also Hubert Lansley’s fascinating series of articles about the Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

By the mid 1920s, Meccano content had advanced from the small and simple constructions depicted in the early issues, to several quite advanced subjects including the Loom, Motor Chassis and a Limousine body and the Grandfather Clock.  A series of articles titled Standard Mechanisms commenced in the November 1925 issue and provided a compendium of all that was considered good Meccano practice at that time.