"I hope our Lego engine will show others how exciting a career in engineering can be."

But what happens when the kids start their engineering career and find out they can't play with Lego?

Only joking.

regards David

Hi Eric

In my day we started with Bayko and Meccano.

regards david

Some project.

Both my youngest Son and now my Grandson are Lego fanatics. Son is now computer whizzo/ graphic designer and Grandson's ambition veers between full time surfer and rock guitarist ( he's young yet!) . So much for engineering! Me I HATE Logo – have you ever been walking about without shoes and trodden on a Lego brick? ……..AAAAAAAHHHHHH !

N

Edited By NJH on 19/07/2012 10:33:04

Meccano was never the same after the French acquired it. Not a xenophobic comment, just that the owners seemed to forget the engineering side and go for one-off model sets for dinosaurs and space ships. Don't know if it has improved since.

David

Hmm… this may be considered to be contentious – I don't know…

I think that Lego is best considered as a crude introduction to quantum mechanics, perhaps. Meccano in its present form is going to give you a good background in being a production line fitter, or car mechanic. Come to that, it probably always was. But because it made you think, if you wanted a working result, it was and is better than Lego as a mechanical introduction from that POV.

But I don't think that either of them is truly an introduction to what I think of as 'enineering', as such. The model that the 5-yr old and his father made that 'inspired' that pile of foot-mangling plastic (been there too, NJH – ouch indeed!) looked more like a sensible introduction to modelling to me, though.

So you might wonder what I think that engineering is in this context, and why the neither of these products really make it as a complete introduction. Or perhaps you don't, because you already know from what I've just said. Engineering, and by extension model engineering is, for me, really about the sensible manipulation of raw materials into a usable product or end result, without any particular limitations on the shapes you can utilise, within structural constraints. Yes, you often end up using pre-existing fittings in what you build, but you have to consider their application carefully in terms of what you are building in a way that Meccano doesn't let you (unless you modify it) – the holes are all pre-positioned, and the slots are never quite where you want them…

So are either of these products 'inspirational' as such? No, I don't really think so. What both of them will do is reveal an aptitude towards particular sorts of activitiy. Looking at a giant Lego model inspires you to make one if you don't have the aptitude already? I don't think so.

On the other hand, if you find that you want to start modifying Meccano as a youngster, then perhaps this shows an engineering aptitude, yes! I certainly did, but was heavily discouraged from doing so by the owner of the kit we had to play with. My brother and I started to collect our own, and I still have it all. And a lot of it is bent considerably out of shape, obviously. The slightly perverse thing about this was that it did confirm my bro's desire and ability to become a mechanical engineer – but he ended up machining plastic for a living, which he was consumately good at. But that all came to an untimely end nearly 40 years ago, unfortunately.

I am sure I have seen a 3d object printer made from lego plus accuators.. printing as its party piece lego bricks..( abs string used in printer) with even had the lego logo etc. reproduced..naughty I know but impressive…

Engineering is engineering . What ever the media. mecanno/lego are just building blocks( sorry) what is made and how it solves the need are the only real measure.

Not entirely sure at the model / otherwise division .

BTW long ago there was a simular system to meccano where you were supplied with metal strip that was croped and punched / formed as required ..aimed at the same market…

Personaly I prefeer dexion.

Hi Jason

I expect that would have been Juneero (not sure of correct spelling).

A little before my time.

regards David

David..guess so..only saw boxed "kit" briefly …. offered at auction …lusted for it but wouldn't pay collectors prices..

OK try this one

**LINK**

Bob

I'd agree that Meccano is an introduction, but I'd still say that it was only a partial one. It certainly taught me about boxed sections, and how triangular structures are inherently rigid. Personally I found the gears a bit frustrating, but bro managed to construct quite an elaborate gearbox where you could actually change the gears. But there again, he spent rather longer on this than I was prepared to. Out of what was available at the time, I'm sure that it was the best there was, but it was only when I started working with the raw materials that I ever got any real 'feel' for this.

Here in South Australia, we had a "Meccano" like series called "Ezi-Bilt", from a local(?) firm called Colton, Palmer and Preston, the components consisted of green perforated strips, red panels with perforations along the edges, shafts, several sizes of wheels, etc, in sets numbered from one to eight, with the amount and complexity becoming more so as the kit number increased.

Whatever happened to the brand (or in fact, the Compay), I don't know, I guess that some readers of this forum may remember the product, or perhaps it (They) have vanished into history ………

donhe7