Meccano was invented in 1901 in England by Frank Hornby and was originally marketed under the brand name “Mechanics Made Easy”. The name Meccano was later patented in 1907 and became a popular toy for many households for over 100 years. Personally I have never owned a Meccano set before and so I was happy that Meccano UK chose me to review their Meccano Construction set. It is perfect for my son Mr K who is 5 years old as the set is suitable for age 5 and upwards.
The set comprises over 100 parts and you can construct anything in your imagination. Alternatively, if you’re not feeling very inspired, the instructions include 3 models and you can download the other 5 models from their website. Where to find their product reference? It can be found on the bottom of the container or on the side.
The set comes in a plastic bucket container with a carry handle, but you have to be careful as the lid doesn’t close tight. All the pieces are made from a high quality plastic with no sharp bits on it. The colour is very fresh and bright. We had the set for boys which contains blue, white, black, yellow, green and red pieces. There is also a girls set available.
Mr K was very eager to do this on his own but after trying hard we had to give him a helping hand. We all found it quite tricky to use the screwdriver and the spanner to tighten the nuts and screws together.Ideally, you need three hands, one for holding the screwdriver, one for holding the spanner and one for holding the whole construction.
The step-by-step instructions are easy to read and follow. The pieces are easy to identify because each shape has a different colour.
Mr K prefer to use his own creative imagination for his builds. He made his own extending scissors, various swords and a diving board. This has a fun factor and he enjoys playing on his own and occasionally will need assistance. He should be able to completely build his own creations without help before long.
I rate this 4.5 stars out of 5. I believe this Meccano set will last him a long time as it is very well made and of good quality. It also helps support a child’s learning outside of school by building up simple mechanisms which demonstrate various principles of mathematics and mechanics. It is an excellent way to teach a child the beauty of design.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.