My very first real Meccano set was a pre-war Blue and Gold number 7 set. This was a Christmas present bought second hand around 1954. These colours had been first introduced in 1934 and heralded the inclusion of flexible plates into the Meccano system for the first time.

Most of the original parts from my set are still around but they are very tatty after many years of childhood use. I have wanted for sometime to have mint or near so replacements so I could make the models I enjoyed all those years ago as they were in the manuals. When I discovered that there was an enamel spray paint that closely replicated the nineteen thirties gold I decided to go ahead and re-create my old much loved No7 Outfit.

I managed to accumulate the blue and crossed hatched plates required from various Meccano dealers and private sellers. I then re-sprayed the constructional parts and the tin road wheels in the original gold and red colours and now I have that complete number seven outfit plus many extra parts all better than my original set ever was back in the nineteen fifties. The durability of the original gold finish was terrible, rather like the early nineteen sixties aluminium finish but that lasted barely a year in production. I think Meccano did not like to admit they got something wrong. Interestingly sets exported to some countries such as Australia and Canada only had the blue gold hatched parts all the other parts being in red and green as post war sets in the UK. In France production of Blue and gold parts continued until 1969 although the cross hatching on plates was replaced with plain blue in the early 1950's.

One of the problems with the flexible plates is the huge variation in colour from very dark with almost illegible cross hatching to much brighter blue  with strong cross hatching. This was in part caused by outside contractors and poor quality control in printing the flexible plates. The non flexible plates being printed in house, these were probably sprayed then the cross hatching silk screened. Those produced by out side contractors were, I believe lithographed by the Metal Box Company in Glasgow.

 I am always looking for good quality blue cross hatched plates to get better matches with the parts I have. If you have any you do not require and wish to sell I would be very pleased to hear from you.

You can see the expanding collection the models I have built below, click on the images or captions below to link with a page about each model.

You can read more about the history of Blue and Gold Meccano here.

I have made a 5 minute video showing many of my Blue and Gold models this can be seen on my YouTube Channel.

Vintage Pontoon Crane

Steam Wagon "L" Set model 1934

Bluebird Record Car No. 6 model 1937

Fishing Trawler No.5 model 1937

Steam Wagon No.6 model 1937

Scales No. 7 model 1937

Foreign Legion Fort No. 6 1937

Pit Head Gear 1937

Liner No.6 model 1937

Railway Breakdown Crane 1937

Furniture Van No. 6 model 1937

Do.X Flyingboat No. 3 model 1937