This section shows a variety of pieces paper [mainly] which were included in BAYKO sets, primarily during the Plimpton era, to pass information to the eager young modeller. As many of these are cock-up related, that's one up to Mr MECCANO. In addition to separate Information Slips, I've also included 'one off' labels, which were sometimes used as an smaller [cheaper?] alternative, and could be stuck in the most appropriate position to get the message across! |
Some of these have been included elsewhere, but the nerd in me thought it would be useful to pull them, all together, into a single location, not least for comparison purposes. |
The subjects covered vary considerably, but all the Slips share one feature… |
…they're all quite small! |
I must admit, when I first created this section, I never anticipated that the total tally of Information Slips would reach the dizzy heights of nineteen different pieces, in no less than eleven different categories! Perhaps that is symptomatic of how our natural instinct is to pay little heed to such things - and get on with the serious business of playing with the world's first and finest plastic construction toy! |
A quick word on the sequencing - for fairly obvious reasons, I have grouped similar items, but I have used the date of the initial example in such sequences, as the key for the overall chronological order. |
The conspiracy theorists among you may read something into the [soon to be self-evident] fact that Mr MECCANO doesn't seem to have felt the need to use Information Slips… |
…with the notable exception of with their Glazing Materials. |
Curved Bricks and Windows |
Not every member of the human race is good at reading instructions and following them - these Slips were an attempt by Plimpton to steer their young customers in the right direction, and to help avoid frustration, if not actual product damage. |
This Slip [right] is shown courtesy of Angus Jones. It probably dates from the early days of Curved Bricks and Windows, in the pre-war 'New Series' sets, though it may just have been immediately post-war. If you can help date this Slip… |
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The script on the Slip is self explanatory - obviously some young modellers were experiencing difficulties with these [then] new parts, probably damaging them through incorrect usage - probably little brats like me who don't take well to instructions! |
This was potentially significant, given that these were new parts at the time, excessive failures could have seriously affected the popularity of the new parts, and hence sales! |
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76 x 50 mm
3.0 x 2.0 inches |
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This [left] is the second, slightly posher version of the above in that it has a surrounding frame, and it too is shown courtesy of Angus Jones. |
I believe it dates from 1946 or 1947, or, just possibly, 1948… |
…the reference to “diagrams on page 4” is, I believe, the key, as it seems to refer to the small 8-page leaflet which was included with standard BAYKO sets in the immediate post-war years… |
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This was still relatively early in the life of Curved Bricks and Windows and so, particularly when they were first printed, would again have been motivated as a possible damage preventative, like the version above. |
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74 x 51 mm
2.9 x 2.0 inches |
This particular Information Slip obviously 'had legs', as they say in the media, in other words it continued to be used for many years, throughout the 1950s, in fact. This is, therefore, the direct successor to the two earlier versions that are shown above… |
…though, by now, Plimpton must have been totally convinced of their necessity. |
The references in this version of the Slip [right] are clear - they refer to the diagram and detailed notes which appeared on page 4 of the standard 1950s BAYKO manual for sets #0 to #3… |
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It is, perhaps, noteworthy that MECCANO didn't see the need to continue with this Information Slip. |
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77 x 51 mm
3.0 x 2.0 inches |
Austerity Triggered Tie-Bar Substitutions for Binding Strips - 1940 or 1941? |
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40 x 27 mm
1.6 x 1.05 inches |
This 'dinky' little label [above, right] was added to the greaseproof paper packets [above left] which were used, pre-war, to contain the complement of Floors and Binding Strips, for most BAYKO sets, in this case, those from the 'New Series' period, probably 1940 or 1941. |
Wartime austerity, had led either to restrictions in the availability, or to a hike in the price, of R.B.P. [Resin Bonded Paper]. This was the material, then used by Plimpton to manufacture their Binding Strips and Floors, and today used, almost universally, for computer motherboards [isn't that a sexist phrase?]. The substitution, with an unspecified quantity of Tie-Bars, is the trigger for this Label. |
The complete script reads as follows : - |
"In place of Binding Strips small metal Tie-Bars have been substituted, these being more convenient and less noticeable in the finished Model" |
For completeness - Binding Strips were never brought back and thus did a collectable, but somewhat impractical, BAYKO part die. |
The clear expediency of this action is highlighted by the fact that these Tie-Bars were themselves substituted - with Floors, i.e. moving back to R.B.P. - as indicated in the Information Slip immediately below : - |
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Colour Variations - Swap Offer |
These two Information Slips [shown courtesy of Bob Burgess] deal with separate, though similar, issues - however, a simple glance at each tells you they are closely linked if not actually concurrent. |
Post-war material shortages coupled with war-time plastic technological advances, led to 'experiments' with a wide range of colours for BAYKO Bases, including the much sought after translucent ones. |
Conversion sets would be made with whatever was available at the time, which may well not match the Bases the modeller already owned… |
…this Slip told modellers that, for 6d [2½p] in stamps, Plimpton would swap them for Bases which did match. |
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The subject here [left] is slightly different, “parts” instead of “Bases”, but the cause and intent are otherwise identical to the aims of the sister Slip above. |
The offer here is post free, and they also requested a colour sample, but the solution is similar. |
The need for a colour sample perhaps implies a greater, though perhaps more subtle, range of colours across the general parts range than occurred with Bases alone. |
This Slip is proportionately 'fatter' than the one above. |
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137 x 69 mm = 5.4 x 2.7 inches |
Theoretically the second “parts” Slip could have applied to the period around 1937 when BAYKO bricks changed from brown and cream to red and white… |
…however, Bases didn't change during this period, so I suggest the post-war date is correct. |
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I have to admit to enjoying something of a sense of irony about this particular one… |
…the image [right] is a clear colour variant of the Information Slip [above, right], offering to swap colour variant Bases!!! |
This Information Slip is actually identical, in content terms, however, the colour of the paper that has been used is self-evidently significantly lighter. |
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| I'm afraid I'm not able to allocate any chronological ordering to these two variants, if indeed there is a simple one. |
Where to Buy Your BAYKO Spare Parts |
This message is certainly not unique to BAYKO, similar messages have been issued by just about every toy that regards the purchase of extra bits as a key profit stream, like MY LITTLE PONY or HORNBY RAILWAYS. However, there is certainly a potentially unique coincidence here in that all three examples shown were found stuck onto things. |
The following two, sourcing related, Information Slips were 'rescued' [electronically!] from their positions, actually stuck onto the sides of a BAYKO Dealers Parts Box from 1946 or 1947… |
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95 x 37 mm = 3.7 x 1.5 inches |
105 x 35 mm = 4.1 x 1.45 inches |
These two Slips [above] are printed in the same colour ink on similar thin paper, though they are different shapes and sizes, as you can see. |
Although I have only scant evidence for it, I would guess that the one on the left [“Remember !”] is slightly earlier, as the wording in the one on the right is intermediate between “Remember” and its later green inked counterpart shown below. |
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The third one shown here [below] is probably the most familiar, and dates from the 1950s. It has the optimum marketeer's layout, emphasising the last two words, “BAYKO DEALER”. |
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You may, possibly, have one of these Slips, but this particular spare parts sourcing example was actually 'rescued' [electronically!] from its heavily glued position on the roof of a 'home made' BAYKO Shop Display Model… |
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104 x 31 mm = 4.1 x 1.25 inches |
Extra Parts in Sets #3X and #4 - 1952 |
Perhaps the most noteworthy detail of this particular Information Slip is just how much more 'up market' it is when compared to all the usual, decidedly more 'functional' formats. |
When set #3X was launched in 1951, it was produced in a smaller box than the later, more familiar one, and didn't include the Dome, Pinnacle Roof or Pinnacle Platform. |
I'm not perfectly sure whether the earliest #4 sets, launched in early 1952, suffered the same fate, though I believe not. |
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However, almost certainly fairly early in 1952, the decision was taken to include these three parts [in white] in both of the sets. |
Not surprisingly there was a time lag in the requisite manuals catching up with this change, hence these small Information Slips were included with the modified sets. |
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The Slip below has a similar pedigree. |
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11.3 x 7.6 mm = 4.45 x 3.0 inches |
Set #4 Manual Typing Error - Treble Correction Card - 1954 |
Firstly, no, I haven't made a mistake in the title, unusually, this Information Slip really is printed on very thin card, so I thought I should register the fact. |
Secondly, the purpose of this card is to point out, and correct of course, a type setting error in both of the set contents lists [Sets #3X and #4], which appear on page 7 of the 1954 set #4 Manual… |
…and again in the required parts list for the model Pier on page 42. |
When you think about it for a minute, it's really no mean achievement to manage to triplicate an identical error, particularly when you consider that they occur no less than 35 pages apart as these do!!! |
Surprisingly, given their record elsewhere, all three of these typos were corrected by Plimpton in the very next edition of the set #4 BAYKO Manual. |
If you'd like to see more of this manual… |
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89 x 61 mm
3.5 x 2.4 inches |
Window Glazing |
Posthumous credit for the prompt to add this section should go to Robin Throp, who's structured BAYKO collection identified these two pieces. Obviously I was aware of them - honest! - but his discipline rubbed off! |
If you are a BAYKO collector, then you are almost certainly familiar with at least one of these, if not both. They first emerged in the mid 1950s with the introduction of Window Gazing, for use with the [then] new polystyrene Windows. |
When Plimpton first introduced Window Glazing, it was in long strips which the junior modellers then had to cut - encouraging scissor use, how dangerous! These strips were wrapped in an off-white paper sleeve [left, below] containing instructions as to exactly how to become a junior glazier. A minor detail is that most of these wrappers were white. I know this off-white one is arguably more of a wrapper than an Information Slip, however… |
…the later, yellow version [right, lower] clearly is an Information Slip… |
…and I believe it would have made less sense not to include both here. |
These MECCANO era ones were simply laid on top of the set, [inside!] alongside the strip of glazing material. |
The elongated shape of these items causes display issues for a webmaster, but click on the two images [below] to launch a larger, more legible, image. |
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Mid to Late 1950s |
1960s |
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305 x 26 mm = 12 x 1 inches |
254 x 24 mm = 10 x 1 inches |
“This wrapper contains 4 strips of Glazing Material for all types of Bayko Windows (being sufficient for a number 2 set). The various sizes are marked for cutting, and are fitted underneath the retaining lugs in each corner of the window, or where no lugs are provided can be secured with any tube glue.” |
“The window glazing material when cut to the size required is fitted underneath the four retaining lugs of the frame. Where no lugs are provided the material can be secured with any tube glue.” |
A small detail with the Plimpton era 1950s version [above, left] is that the adhesive tape used was clear, the brown adhesive [dis]colouration is analogous to the common 'foxing' of the paper itself. |
Personally, Luddite that I am, I've never really come to terms with BAYKO Glazing, and never use it, and perhaps that has contributed to my lack of enthusiasm for this particular entry. If so, I apologise. Glazing rocks!!! |
Plimpton Era Retail Packs Descriptor |
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Oh alright then, I have to confess that this isn't a conventional Information Slip, but how would you describe it, and, more important, where else would you put it‽ |
These sheets were included in each wholesale pack of Plimpton era Retail Packs, A.K.A. Accessory Packs, which were introduced in 1958. |
There are two main reasons why it doesn't fit here are : - |
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Firstly, it's really a wholesale document, targeted at BAYKO Retailers, for their benefit in supporting sales, rather than at the Collectors themselves. |
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Secondly, it isn't small!!! |
But, it is a single, informative piece of printed paper, put inside a box, as with conventional Information Slips… |
…so, I repeat myself, “where else would you put it‽” So here it stays! |
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Garage Doors & Ramps Explanation - 1959 |
When these parts were first launched, the BAYKO manuals hadn't caught up with the fact… |
…in deed, if the items arrived with the acquisition of a conversion set [except #3X] they didn't contain a BAYKO manual anyway… |
…so these small Slips were included with the standard [and some conversion] sets in the second half of 1959. |
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The script sets out simple instructions to the aspiring young modeller as to how they should use the new parts, and seems to me to be perfectly self-explanatory, so will get no further comment from me… |
…click anywhere on the image [right] to see a larger version if you can't quite read it. |
Presumably, once the manuals had caught up with these new parts, around September, 1959, this Information Slip would no longer have been necessary - alas, of course, the MECCANO takeover intervened. |
A small detail, the Ramps were actually launched around a year earlier than the Garage Doors [i.e. 1958]. |
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63 x 38 mm = 2.5 x 1.5 inches |
However, I always feel slightly sad at this point… |
…Plimpton had recognised the subsequent play value potential of BAYKO models [once they had been built] for years, by the inclusion of several [effectively 'O' gauge] model railway related models in the manuals… |
…why, oh why, were they so slow in really attacking this obvious, much more widespread, DINKY TOYS related, marketing opportunity‽ |
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'With Compliments' Slips |
Oh, all right then, I have to admit that these aren't actually Information Slips, and I can't claim that they're in their correct chronological position… |
…but, you can't deny that they're small like the other Information Slips, and carry corporate information… |
…and, to me, they have a timeless quality, which itself conveys information about business style! |
I suspect that we're all sufficiently familiar with the concept of 'With Compliments Slips' for me not to need to explain their role in commercial life, even if computerisation has largely killed them off today. |
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1950 to 1954 With Compliments Slip |
1955 to 1959 With Compliments Slip |
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90 x 62 mm = 3.5 x 2.45 inches |
84 x 61 mm = 3.3 x 2.4 inches |
To me, apart from the fact that they are slightly different sizes, the most noteworthy thing about these 'With Compliments Slips' is that neither of them mentions the world's first, and finest, plastic construction toy… |
…we know Plimpton also made parts for other firms, but even so! |
So far just the two designs have emerged, from two different factories - which suggests there may be more out there? |
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