Editing Meccano (section)

=== Takeovers ===
[[file:20030514 160101-Meccano set-rt1.jpg|thumb|left|1970s No. 2 Meccano set]]

In the early 1960s, Meccano Ltd experienced financial problems and was purchased by [[Lines Bros Ltd]] (who operated under the brand name "Tri-ang") in 1964. In an attempt to redefine Meccano's image, the colour scheme was changed again, this time to yellow and black plates, with silver strips and girders. The silver was soon replaced by zinc in 1967 when it was found that the silver pieces marked easily. The colours of yellow and black were chosen because they were the colours typically used by most large [[construction vehicle]]s of the day.

In 1970, [[electronics|electronic]] parts were introduced, and the current black-coloured plates were changed to blue. The range of sets was reduced by one with the deletion of the old No. 9 set and the renumbering of the old No. 0 to 8 sets to No. 1 to 9. The No. 10 set remained unchanged.<ref>{{cite book |title=Book of Models outfit 2 |year=1971 |publisher= Meccano Ltd}} {{page needed|date=December 2013}}</ref>

[[file:Meccano locomotive.jpg|thumb|A model [[steam locomotive]] built with Meccano]]

Lines Brothers went into voluntary [[liquidation]] in 1971 and [[Airfix]] Industries purchased the Meccano business in the UK and [[General Mills]] of the US purchased the French business. The French company was known as Miro Meccano. In 1973, outfits 1 to 10 were still available, but new kits were added: Army Multikit, Highway Multikit, Pocket Meccano, and two Clock Kits.<ref>{{cite book |title=Meccano sarjat ja uutuudet 1973 (outfits and novelties)|year=1973 |publisher= Ky Lelumyynti |location=Helsinki, Finland |language=fi}}</ref>

In 1978, the range of Meccano sets was further reduced and changed with the replacement of the No. 2 to 8 sets by six completely new sets, labelled A and 1 to 5. The old No. 9 and 10 sets were left largely unchanged. While some Airfix divisions were profitable, particularly their model kits, they needed to save money. With unions threatening all out industrial action if there were any job losses, Airfix shut down the Binns Road factory,<ref>Ward, Arthur, ''The Boys Book of Airfix''</ref> bringing to an end the manufacture of Meccano in England. Meccano still continued to be manufactured in France, as the British and French businesses had different owners.

From the early Seventies, Meccano France SA launched and produced their updated Model Range with the world famous rectangular Blue MECCANO Construction Kits Set 1-Set 10 also known as '''MECCANO Outfits One To Ten''' featuring the new blue and yellow parts and these ranged from Set One To Set Five with a simple models many of these powered by the '''M-Series Electric Motors''' to build then the Set Six To Set Ten with more mechanical parts all types of gears so that one could install more powerful electric motors to move their models too when it became much harder but tempting enough. The original Meccano M-series Electric Motors Model Range are of red and yellow kits to choose from and these included small 6V Motors used in small geared models to 20V Motors for the largest geared models either using R6 to R14 household batteries or even an AC/DC Converter Transformer. These standard Meccano Boxes Model Range were of large proportions until the early 1990s they are still available in used sets sold privately in the UK and elsewhere. These were also sold in conjunction with the smaller "Complementary Sets CX Series" so that the builders could assemble and build even more technical and more realistic working models using real mechanical parts with his own existing normal sets giving a never ending construction ideas and of course more demanding and harder for the owner as the Meccano Sets 1 to Set 10 Sequence can be normally very challenging. Meccano was also provided an important source to help develop Mechanical Sollutions for home made vehicles like Farmtrailers, Yardcranes and in some cases even Go Karts and Racing Cars for fun racing are known to have been built all inspired by Meccano Limited.

Around this same period MECCANO FRANCE launched called the much rarer MECCANO MECANIQUES SET aka MECHANICALS BOX perhaps more valuable to us Meccano Enthusiasts which was a Special Edition Box which was not to build models but allowing to make kits of anything mechanical taken from Car Mechanical Parts from a Gearbox, Steering and Transmissions and so on today this is a very rare original MECCANO Set to find.