QUALITY OF PRODUCTS (unless specified 2nd quality etc).
We supply the best available choices at the time of picking your order, from new Meccano, reproductions, or second hand original Meccano, in "reasonable to very good condition, as available". If you have a preference for new reproduction, or S/H original, please advise in the comments box during checkout and we will do our best to comply, but cannot gurantee to do so. PLEASE BE AWARE; IN ORDER TO CONSISTENTLY STOCK SUCH A HUGE RANGE, OUR PRODUCTS HAVE TO BE OBTAINED FROM MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES AND THERE MAY BE MINOR DIFFERENCES FROM THE WEBSITE ILLUSTRATIONS OR MINOR VARIATIONS IN COLOUR SHADES. Often parts will exceed the quality specified, but cannot be guaranteed, or necessarily repeated.
Note;
Availability of "scarce" or "difficult" or large quantities of original parts in good condition, can't be guaranteed. Should any item be not match our specified criteria, please contact us in the first instance. We reserve the optio ight to decline returned goods that are correctly supplied or otherwise to make a restocking charge against the return of correctly supplied items.
Illustrations are generic and usually show new products. The illustrations are for identification only and goods supplied may vary slightly. Colours shown are a random and may no longer be available. You should rely on the colour option buttons where appropriate. It's generally not possible to choose colours of plastic parts as there are many variations and we can only send what we have in stock. We do of course try to send any batch in one colour.
Within the range "reasonable to very good" the condition of goods will be determined by the description and chosen options of that item and will be relative to their age or rarity. EG Braced Girders in Original Meccano Dark Green are pre-war items circa 87 years old. whereas Light Red and Green parts are "only" about 55 years old and tend to be in better condition. Also original parts that receive a lot of use (eg painted brackets, trunnions, double angle strips and flanged plates etc) are more difficult to find in good condition. We work very hard to supply the best products we can, but please have sensible and reasonable expectations!
STOCK & QUERIES
We strive (and succeed) in maintaining virtually 100% stock availability in all the listed colour options, but sometimes we can run out of an item during an open period due to unexpectedly demand, in which case, if we can't supply sensible alternatives, we will supply on a "to follow" basis if we are able to restock quickly, or refund if it's going to be some time or unlikely we can re-stock at all, we will refund the balance. Please email (preferred) or otherwise telephone, if an item you require is not on our website as we may have just a small quantity insufficient to list. Occasionally some items may be marked out of stock in the shoping cart. Usually this is because there's a quantity limit which has been exceeded. Please remove them from your shopping cart and try for a smaller quantity. We will endevour to re-stock those items as soon as possible, but the length of time to aquire items not currently manufactured is indeterminate.
Please note we no longer produce printed catalogues as the time take to update is unmanagable and details are changing constantly. Please rely on the website which is regularly updated.
COLOURS AND FINISHES
A general guide to colours:
RED & GREEN are generally medium shades from the 1950s
ZINC, BLUE & YELLOW are from the 1970s. SILVER mostly means the painted silver parts from this period, but also includes good repainted, matt or gloss parts. While these are not generaly found in large quantities, they are usually at lower prices and may have to be mixed in larger orders. These often take time to search out, so please have reasonable expectations.
Also we can sometimes supply the following colours (Limited Range) Please specify in coments box at checkout and we will do our best to supply.
LIGHT RED & LIGHT GREEN from 1958-64.
BLACK from the late 1960s (Please note; Meccano "black" has varied in recent years from black to dark grey).
DARK BLUE, SPACE WHITE & ARMY GREEN from the late 70s.
LIGHT YELLOW French parts from the 1990s.
"2ND QUALITY"
(NO CUSTOMER COLOUR CHOICE). Parts in fully SERVICABLE condition, but with poor finish, repainted, minor corrosion/spotting, replicas, good parts in surplus etc, (to our choice). Flexible plates, once used will often have some MINOR creasing or bolting distortion. These will generally clamp flat ionce built into a model. We do as much straigtenning as possible, even on 2nd quality parts, but please have reasonable expectations. 2nd Quality Flexible Plates may be supplied with ROUND or SLOTTED end holds. We usually pick the flattest to hand. We try to avoid "cut ends" to strips and girders etc, unless we consider them "neat" and not likely to show in a model unless close inspection! Please understand 2nd Quality parts are bargain basement Meccano, but are Ideal for hidden areas of a model/or for refurbishment. We regret we can not accept correctly supplied 2nd quality parts for return, unless unserviceable. We will not any louse bosses and wheels are check they run reasonably strait. Axles and Screw Rods are checked and reasonabily strait compared with new Meccano. Some axles may have visable "rings" but not not unduly worn.
"REAS. CONDITION FOR AGE"
This will normally refer to original vintage Binns Road parts that are upwards of 75 years old, so please have realistic expectations in terms of condition and quantities! Generally they will be from the top 25% of average collections. Some parts/colours suffer more than others through the years. For example commonly used parts like strips, girders and brackets will have some paint loss at the end holes. Gold parts are particularly vulnerable to chipping and can result in a small areas of bare metal corrosion. Unless 2nd Quality part are ordered, we supply the best available stock at the time of ordering.
"BULK PACKS"
We regret that due to continued price increases from our trade suppliers we have had to discontinue most our previous range of Bulk Discount Packs. However we have now reintroduced many hundreds of new Bulk Packs applicable to items where we have existing large stocks to clear, or for many of the 2nd quality parts. These are all for limited periods only and are dependent on stock levels. These can be found, where available, when you click on the "options" for any particular item.
With Standard Quality Bulk Packs, we reserve the right to supply new reproducrion, or original Meccano parts, as available to us when we receiving the order.
MARKLIN STYLE PARTS
These parts are fully compatable with Meccano except for threads which are usually M4. (M4 grub screws are supplied with bossed parts where apropriate). The colour schemes are light red, light green, medium blue and black for small brackets etc. These have now been fully integrated with the Meccano parts to make choices and price comparisons.
PLATED Is either Zinc or Nickel. Zinc is used after the 1970s and is the brighter finish, Nickel was used before the 70s and is a little duller, but tends to be more durable. Occasionally stock levels prevent a choice and we can only send what's available, though we are usually able supply matcing parts. If you have a preferance, please mention on "extra info" .
MISC
Fixing screws etc for bossed parts are sold separately (Marklin style M4 tapped parts come with grub screws where appropriate and are distinguishable from most Meccano grub screws by their bright steel finish).
Nut, Bolt & Washer quantities (100+) are average figures, subject to weighing limitations. "Plated" parts are either zinc or nickel and unless specifically requested otherwise, we supply according to stock levels, but each batch will normally be the same.
MECCANO STANDARD DIMENSIONS
Please note; the origins of the Meccano system date back to 1901 and are wholly designed to imperial sizes ie 1/2 inch hole spacings. All the original designs were made in inches and fractions thereof. So it makes no sense, in our opinion, to specify items in odd metric sizes, which have no relationship to Meccano standard dimensions. In most cases we also specify No of holes, eg a 5 x 11 hole plate, equates to 2-1/2" x 5-1/2" overall dimensions.
To convert inches to millemeters multiply by 25.4. To convert millemeters to inches divide by 25.4. Some items like chain and spring cord are specified as 40" which is nominally one metre in length.
Hole spacings 1/2" = 12.7mm. (Some parts are 1/4" spaced, but will generally be described as such).
Axle dimameter. 8swg = 0.160" = 4.1mm. Large axles are 5/16" = 7.94mm
Threads normally 5/32" Whitworth. Some smaller threads on early electrical parts etc, were 6BA, but very little from this era is available/stocked.
Please note some threads of "Marklin Stlye" parts are metric (M4) and these are provided with the correct grubscrews. "Metallus M4 Grub Screws" do not fit Meccano tapped holes and vice-versa. M4 bosses can be effectively converted to Meccano standard by running a 5/32" whit tap though them.
Gears; Standard Meccano gears are nominally 38DP (which is 38 teeth per 1" of diameter measured at pitch Diameter. "Pitch Diameter" is the nominal meshing diameter). Where gears are specified as a diameter in inches, it normally refers to the meshing diameter, not the overall diameter.
Note; A pair of Left and Right hand Helicals give an in "in line" drive and a pair of the same hand Helicals (any size) runs at "right angles" to each other.
Any Bevel gears marked 45 deg can mesh with any other 45 deg Bevel gear .
Contrate gears should be used with pinions 3/4" diameter, or less.
In addition we supply ranges of gears with 16, 20, and 30 DPs.
16DP is the traditional Meccano DP of Geared Roller Bearings, Large tooth Quadrants and some recent Junior Meccano plastic parts etc. We also have a small range of 16DP compatible parts.
20 DP is the adopted standard DP of Large Tooth parts by the Meccano compatibles industry and a fairly wide range of components are available to this standard. .
30DP is the DP of the very clever, specially designed gears, from the late gearing expert Tony Bolton. These offer an extended range of ratios at mutiples of 1/4" and 1/2" spacings. We have obtained the remaining stock of these parts and as it would not be economical to produce further batches, you should buy these while they are available! Especially they are priced at below their original manufactured cost.
Strips are nominally 1/2" = 12.7 wide. Narrow strips are approximately 11/32" = 9.7mm wide
Bosses are normally 3/8" dia except for a few larger gears and sprockets which are 1/2" dia.
