Meccano Show 2022
Report written by Tim Surtell for our Winter 2022 Newsletter
Saturday 8 October 2022
Falconwood Community Centre
Falconwood
Our second Meccano Show in Falconwood featured a diverse range of models from 15 club exhibitors, filling all of the available space in the hall along with our resident Meccano dealers Ted Muggridge and Brian Maunder.
For the first time in our club’s history we decided to expand the scope of the show, hiring the nursery and conservatory in addition to the hall in order to invite exhibitors with hobbies other than Meccano to participate.
In the nursery the Wealden Valley Railway OO9 gauge model railway layout from the South Eastern Railwaymens’ Model Railway Society dominated the room, and there were displays of model aeroplanes and other miniatures from Welling Model Club along with a table-top Hornby Dublo model railway layout built by Tony Jackson. In the conservatory Bob Vine kept our younger visitors entertained with his ‘A Load of Balls’ exhibit featuring various wacky marble runs.
Wealden Valley Railway from the South Eastern Railwaymens’ Model Railway Society
Miniature aeroplanes from Welling Model Club
Tony Jackson’s Hornby Dublo model railway layout
One of Bob Vine’s marble contraptions
Back in the hall we again had a single Make It With Meccano workshop table where children could build models from instructions, and two Meccano Creative Challenge tables bursting with a wide variety of parts that visitors could use to build their entries.
Two members of the same family won prizes this year! Joshua Casselman, 7, won the age 4–7 category with his model tank, while his brother Oscar, 9, won the age 8–13 category with his quad bike model. Serdar Hassan, 41, won the age 14+ category with a lovely little motorcycle which would have made a fantastic entry in our Geoff Carter Cup competition, were he a club member!
Joshua Casselman
Oscar Casselman
Joshua’s model
Oscar’s model
Serdar’s model
You can see all the Meccano Creative Challenge photos in our Facebook album.
Our return this year to in-person publicity at the Eltham Centre paid off, with an increase in visitors to around 250, including 122 children who received free entry.
I’d like to thank everyone for supporting the show by exhibiting and helping to run the pay desk and refreshments. Special thanks go to Cathy Claydon for running the kitchen, Chris Warrell for running the pay desk, Frank Paine for running the raffle, Brian Leach for transport, and to our guest exhibitors and their colleagues: Alan Crouch, Steve Earl, Tony Jackson and Bob Vine.
Models on Display
Brian Leach — Obstacle game; BBC2 ident; Two safes; Coin grabber.
Chris Warrell — Hunslet narrow gauge locomotive; Rogue-Bot; Football game; Battleship; Daleks; TV camera; Two tower cranes; Tunnel boring machine; Wind pump; CLASP station; Fire truck; Dinosaur; Peter Clay’s Meccanograph, Delivery truck; Army troop carrier.
Andrew Couzens — Car transporter; Starship Enterprise; Steering mechanism for car transporter.
Luka Kralj-Taylor — Churchill tank transmission.
Santiago Plicio — The Golden Horizon sailing galleon.
Richard Marsden — Triumph Herald; Road roller; Euclid dumper truck; Racing car; His face! ; Bedford QLD army lorry; Coles mobile crane; Fire engine; Camera crane; Wagon.
Paul Leech (visitor from NELMC) — Mini digger; Gyro car; Bucket excavator.
Nigel Lynn — Fairground gallopers; Showman’s engine; Steam engine.
Greg Clarke — Marion dragline.
Frank Paine — Chair-o-planes; Modern tram; Toy shop display model of Stephenson’s Rocket; № 10 Special Model ‘Schools’ Class locomotive; Twin cylinder steam engine hoist; Toy shop display big wheel; 1916 and 1950s Meccano outfits; Small Aero Constructor plane; Dinky Toys; O gauge Hornby trains; Dinky Builder; Hornby speedboat.
Guy Loveridge — Royal Albert Bridge.
Eric Smith — Mechanical elephant.
John Gay — Leyland fire engine and escape.
Cathy Claydon — USA M3 infantry half track.
Alan Wenbourne — Mars rover; Cletrac tractor; M4 tractor; Gearless right angle drive; 100,000,000:1 gearbox; Churchill tank transmission; Automotive drivetrain; Heatherwick rolling bridge; Two Allwyrm differentials; Computer controlled DSG transmission; Bugatti car; Mercedes car; Veteran car; Morgan aero car; Tugboat.
Tim Surtell — The Lightning Leap and Beat the Goalie games; Spanish Knight; Diabolo player; Treasure chest; Cavorting cow; Unicyclist; Mug; Spider’s web.
A view of the hall from Ted Muggridge’s stall on the stage