Category:Meccano Multikits

From The Brighton Toy and Model Index
(Redirected from Multikit)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Toy Brands and Manufacturers

Meccano Multikit (DinkyCat12 1976).jpg

Meccano Multikits

1972 -     

The Meccano Multikit sets appeared in the early 1970s, and was new owner Triang's attempt to produce more focused sets that made it quite clear what sort of models the owner could build. If a child liked cranes, then the Crane Construction Set Multikit contained a very good range of crane designs and nothing else, whereas the Army and Combat sets only contained designs for military vehicles.

The word "Multikit" was perhaps a little odd (isn't every Meccano set a "multikit"?) but was used on Meccano sets focused on a particular type of model, with a colour theme to match - the Army and Combat Multikit parts were almost all drab green, the Crane Multikit parts were almost all yellow, and the Highway and Super Highway Multikits were yellow but with a red driver's cab piece.

Each Multikit set came with a dedicated "Book of Models" that dealt only with models specifically of the type that the set was designed for, and the sets also came with a generous quantity of stick-on decals to make the models more realistic.

Concept

Multikits were designed to avoid the parent's worry that if they bought their child a conventional "do anything"" Meccano set, that the child might be bewildered by the choice and not know what to do with it, or find the smaller models uninspiring and the larger models too specialised. On the other hand, if they had a Highway Construction Set Multikit, they'd have a choice of large models, all of which were pretty good, and had good play value, with big chunky tyres and an almost ready-made cab module, and which, with the addition of the stickers, would make a commercial-grade toy. Even of they only ever built one thing with the set, it'd still be a good toy in its own right (similar to a Tonka Toy, or Meccano Mogul), with a minimum of "wasted" unused leftover parts.

The dedicated cab shell and moulded plastic internal seating and steering wheel were especially useful in letting the builder take this standard robust and good-looking module "as-is" and then concentrating their building work on constructing the parts that made vehicles interestingly different, rather than on trying to construct their own cab with less satisfactory results. The flattish "high visibility" front of the cab was good for construction-site vehicles, but if the user wanted, they could also build a long engine bonnet in front of the cab, attached to the vehicle chassis.

The large balloon tyres were again useful for building authentic construction-site vehicles and for other "heavy-duty" vehicles like trucks, and along with the "blunt" cab made the resulting models suitable for use as chunky toys able to cope with rough play.

1978 advert: By 1978, the Crane sets had also appeared (~1976, without the Multikit branding). Meccano were now promoting all the special sets together, without mentioning the word "Multikit"


The Crane Construction Set that appeared in ~1976 can be considered an "honorary" Multikit set – it was effectively part of the same series, used the same design themes (including special-coloured parts and nuts and bolts) and was advertised as being part of the same group of "special" sets ... it just didn't have the word Multikit in its name. We're guessing that this wasn't due to any deeper policy regardign what was and wasn't a "Multikit" (the crane set didn't include the custom cab parts, but neither did the Combat Multikit) ... it may simply be that by 1976, Meccano Ltd had decided that the Multikit name was unnecessary.

The Multikit models:

Meccano Army Multikit (1972)

  1. Armoured Scout Car
  2. Load Carrier
  3. Mobile Anti-Aircraft Gun
  4. Half Track Truck
  5. Ambulance
  6. Light Tank
  7. Mobile Searchlight
  8. Field Gun with Limber
  9. Heavy Tank
  10. Missile Launcher Truck

Meccano Combat Multikit (1974)

  1. Helicopter
  2. Veteran Ambulance
  3. Frontier Checkpoint
  4. Breakdown Recovery Truck
  5. Swamp Glider
  6. Spotter Plane
  7. Anti-Aircraft Gun
  8. Mini Moke
  9. Tank Transporter
1975: Meccano Army and Combat Multikits


Meccano Super Highway Multikit (1974)

  1. Diesel Roller
  2. Bulldozer
  3. Dump Truck
  4. Post Borer
  5. Snow Plough
  6. Tracked Crane
  7. Fork Lift Truck
  8. Trench Digger

Meccano Highway Multikit (1974, 1975)

  1. Cement Truck
  2. Cattle Truck
  3. Extending Tower Truck
  4. Rear Tipping Truck
  5. Recovery Vehicle
  6. Road Grader
  7. Jumbo Crane
  8. Side Tipping Truck
1975: Meccano Highway (yellow) and Super Highway (red) Multikits

Meccano Crane Building Set, Multikit (1976)

  1. Level Luffing Crane
  2. Foundry Crane
  3. Breakers Yard Crane
  4. Hoist Crane
  5. Tower Crane
  6. Radial Crane
  7. Hammerhead Crane
  8. Dockside Crane
Box lid, Meccano Crane Construction Set


Selection of models

External links

Pages in category ‘Meccano Multikits’

The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total.

Media in category ‘Meccano Multikits’

The following 37 files are in this category, out of 37 total.