New Evolution models for autumn 2014

Rubber Duck!

Drive down any motorway and you are bound to see some sort of work going on. If it involves any amount of earthworks the chances are there will be wheeled excavators loading or moving spoil or aggregate around. These versatile machine have come to be known as 'Rubber Ducks'.

the 'Rubber Duck'

Producing sets that build models of the stuff we see around us today is exactly what we need to encourage the younger modeller. After all, that is what the old Meccano manuals did at the time they were first published. As with all the Evolution models, I think Meccano have missed a trick here. The manuals go straight into building the star attraction, there are no smaller models to cut your teeth on. It is all or nothing. The official line from the guys on the Meccano stand is that the idea is to work your way up from the smaller sets to the larger ones. Personally I truly believe this is a mistake. It is true that it is unlikely a novice will be presented with a £90 helicopter, but not impossible. However the middle of the range models are very likely to be given as gifts to kids with no experience whatsoever. Dad is also unlikely to have any experience with Meccano and as time goes on, even Grandad could have been out of the loop. The result is the model never gets built and moreover, Meccano is off the shopping list. I really do think that Meccano should look at including at least one, if not a small selection of, starter model instructions in each set.

From the front, shown here in the travelling mode with the scraper blade raised

I digress. Getting back to the Duck, it follows the colour scheme used for the Crane Truck which is a good thing - no point in using too many colours. Yellow and black parts are perfectly usable elsewhere. The model is fully featured giving lots of play value when built. From a parts point of view there is plenty here including two 'hydraulic' rams and lots more of the new parts that are so common in this range.

Another side view showing a bit more detail

I will post some pictures of the Evolution Forest Engine tomorrow...

Ralph.