Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => Sports, Hobbies & Interests => Topic started by: Alan Burns on November 30, 2019, 12:59:06 PM
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I have almost completed my childhood dream of building the Meccano Giant Blocksetting Crane
(with the assistance of our grandson Charlie!)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135283340@N03/49146251001/in/dateposted-public/
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Wow! That looks magnificent Alan
What a joy to behold for a young chap 👍
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I have almost completed my childhood dream of building the Meccano Giant Blocksetting Crane
(with the assistance of our grandson Charlie!)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135283340@N03/49146251001/in/dateposted-public/
Good for you AB, :) how old is your grandson?
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Good for you AB, :) how old is your grandson?
Charlie had his third birthday last week.
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Charlie had his third birthday last week.
Lovely :) I presume he is not too occupied with his mobile phone or ipad as he is helping his old Granddad out. ;D
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Wow! I loved Meccano as a kid. I don't think Lego had arrived in Britain back then, in the late Jurassic, but Meccano is better anyway, great though Lego is. Also Bayko - anyone remember that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayko
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I'll echo the Wows!
Bayko predates me, sticklebricks though
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stickle_Bricks
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Sticlebricks post-date me, but my kids liked them.
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My eldest son loved Lego. He used to create all manner of things out of it. He later became a graphic designer, started his own London based company and one of his commissions was for designing the Lego Catalogue. he was in seventh heaven. ;D
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I had Betta Bilda , by Airfix.
It had proper roof tiles!
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My eldest son loved Lego. He used to create all manner of things out of it. He later became a graphic designer, started his own London based company and one of his commissions was for designing the Lego Catalogue. he was in seventh heaven. ;D
That is a very interesting story. What sort of things has he done since?
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I once read of a prominent politician who blamed Lego for a decline in engineering expertise in the UK because it had replaced Meccano as the most popular construction toy.
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I once read of a prominent politician who blamed Lego for a decline in engineering expertise in the UK because it had replaced Meccano as the most popular construction toy.
Our grandchildren all enjoyed playing with Lego. Our grandson (15) has been offered place at a college next September to do a BTEC course in engineering, GCSE's permitting.
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Wow! I loved Meccano as a kid. I don't think Lego had arrived in Britain back then, in the late Jurassic, but Meccano is better anyway, great though Lego is. Also Bayko - anyone remember that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayko
Many of my schoolfriends had Bayko, but I had Minibrix (see minibrix.com) which was a predecessor to Lego using interlocking rubber bricks.
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That is a very interesting story. What sort of things has he done since?
Hi Susan,
Well you asked for it, so here goes:
My son started his own graphic design company, then he met an important German creative designer, and together they designed the signage(integrated information signs) for the Berlin Metro, which, I believe, is still in operation. That was way back in 2007/8.
I actually met my son's German partner several times. Incidentally he designed several of his own typeface fonts which are still influential. I like him and quite admired his forthright approach. I remember my son used to joke with him by saying 'we won the war' to which he would reply, 'ah yes, but we came second'.
Sorry, I digress.
You asked what other things has my son and his company done since. Here are a few, mostly to do with designing signage and maps to enable ease of use, associated with Heathrow, Glasgow, london, Dublin, New York, Cleveland, Vancouver. He was heavily involved as the chief creative designer of his company in redefining the brand identity of Skoda(the car maker) ahead of two new models in 1998.
He remains the founder and creative director of his very successful company, which is highly regarded, not only in London, but especially in Germany and the U.S.
I hope you will forgive me, for singing his praises so loudly, Susan, but I am justly proud of him. His work incentive is second to none, and from such small beginnings as was shown by his artistic flair, when he was so very young, we gave him his head and supported him in such a highly competitive area.
Incidentally, I loved meccano, as a kid. ;D
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If you do a video search for Meccano you will see exhibitions with lots of amazing working models made by retired old men like myself revisiting their favorite childhood toy.
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I've just been to my local 'The Entertainer' toy shop, to buy a Christmas prezzy for my grand-daughter harriet, who is eight and lives in Melbourne with her parents, my son and daughter-in-law, and discovered 'Nanoblocks', which are like Lego, but much smaller, which allows greater detail in models. I got her a big box of random blocks, and a small kit to make a model of Sydney Opera House. http://shop.nanoblockuk.com/Miniature