Editing Meccano (section)

=== Heyday ===
[[file:Meccano No7 Instructions (front).jpg|thumb|Instruction book for the 1956 Meccano No. 7 and 8 Outfits, showing a model of a walking [[drag line excavator]] built with the red and green Meccano pieces of the time]]

In 1934, the nine basic Meccano outfits (numbered 00 to 7) were replaced by eleven outfits, labelled 0, A to H, K and L, the old No. 7 Outfit becoming the L Outfit. In 1937, the alphabetical outfit series was replaced by a numeric series, 0 to 10, the L Outfit being replaced by the smaller No. 10 Outfit. Although having fewer pieces than the L Outfit, the No. 10 Outfit became Meccano's [[flagship]] set and remained relatively unchanged until it was discontinued a half-century later in 1992. Accessory sets were retained, numbered 1A to 9A, that converted a set to the next in the series (for example, accessory set 6A would convert a No. 6 set to a No. 7 set). As had been the case from early days, Meccano Ltd would also supply individual Meccano parts to complement existing sets.

The Second World War interrupted the production of Meccano in England when the Binns Road factory converted to manufacturing for the [[war effort]]. The [[Korean War]] in 1950 also disrupted production due to a metal shortage and it was not until the mid-1950s that Meccano production returned to normal with new parts being added to all the sets.

In 1955, outfits 00 to 10 as well as conversion sets 00A to 9A were available.<ref>{{cite book |title=Instruktion för bygglåda Nr. 2 |year=1955 |publisher= Meccano Ltd |language=sv}}</ref>

In 1958, the colours were changed slightly to what became known as 'light red and green' but this incarnation had the shortest lifespan as the colours changed dramatically in 1964 to the black and yellow colour scheme. However, this light red and green period did see the introduction of about 90 new parts, more modern packaging, a new cabinet was introduced for the number 10 set, the first plastic parts were introduced, and the "exploded diagram" instructions made their début.

In 1961, a Mechanisms Outfit and a Gears Outfit were added to the range,<ref>{{cite book |title=Meccano The Thrill of Build-It-Yourself |year=1961 |publisher= Meccano Ltd}}</ref> and in 1962 outfit 00 was withdrawn.<ref>{{cite book |title=Contents of Meccano outfits 1962 |year=1962 |publisher= Meccano Ltd}}</ref>