Unexplained BAYKO

This page is for anomalies that I cannot explain with any degree of certainty. It is perfectly possible that some at least may be the result of enthusiastic amateurs rather than Plimpton or MECCANO. The beauty lies in the fact that we, or at least I, cannot be certain, of some detail or other. At the moment I have just two items to include, but I will add others as they emerge.

If you can suggest credible explanations, or have any similarly unexplained items to share…

One of the definite positives of the MECCANO era was the groove in the middle of the reverse of various bricks. These were very helpful in the twiddly bits of more complex models, not least because of the additional strength the extra Rod affords to the structure. A great innovation!

The brick shown here is the same plastic [not POLYSTYRENE] Brick that predominated in the 1950s.

However, if you look at the rear of the centre of the Brick, [right and left] you'll see it's very different from a standard Brick.

The central slot has been modified with a deeper 'M' profile groove, for a Rod. This is the only such Plimpton era Brick I've ever seen.

Personally I think this would weaken the Brick much more than the MECCANO era groove with the semicircular cross-section - but it would use less material.

I have to admit it's perfectly possible that this groove is the result of a home-made modification…

…however, there's no conclusive evidence, so it's just possible that this really was an unsuccessful Plimpton experiment.

This one, to me, is totally inexplicable…

…don't get me wrong, even I can work out that they're home made!

The four images shown here are, self evidently, home grown substitutes for multiple BAYKO Bases. The first two [left] are cut and drilled from solid blocks of a cast resin of some type [probably phenol formaldehyde?] where as the other two [right] are cut from a piece of wood [small] and a piece of fibre board [large].

So just what am I talking about‽…

…with the larger base [right] you'd be drilling over 1,000 superfluous holes!!!

Don't get me wrong, I know that when your ambition steers you towards building curved structures like Robert Palmer's fabulous model of the Leaning Tower of Pisa you've got no choice, but to get the drill out…

…but for more conventional, rectangular model plans‽

These are all standard rectangles, though of differing sizes, and will have taken many, many [add more “many”s to your own taste!] hours of 'shed work' to produce. Given that BAYKO Bases have never been really expensive items, the effective hourly rate to produce these cherished pieces would have embarrassed most people in the Dickensian era, let alone the middle of the twentieth century - inexplicable!