Nooooo. I missed this. Apart from I player, will it be repeated any time soon ?
It's on again today - 5.30 pm BBC2.
I'd hate to be the child of a couple of posters on here. Imagine the scene. Child gets out his Meccano set and says:
"I'm going to make a tractor."
Dad says: "Have you taken into account distance, gradients, payload mass, etc.? &c. – so the tractor design can be properly tested in advance, and the design process iterated to modify the tractor’s design in light of proper testing......it will be no surprise to me whatsoever that hour upon hour will have to be spent modding the tractor en route, to cope with design deficiencies that weren’t identified by prior testing and design loop iteration."
I'd hate to be the child of a couple of posters on here. Imagine the scene. Child gets out his Meccano set and says:
"I'm going to make a tractor."
Dad says: "Have you taken into account distance, gradients, payload mass, etc.? &c. – so the tractor design can be properly tested in advance, and the design process iterated to modify the tractor’s design in light of proper testing......it will be no surprise to me whatsoever that hour upon hour will have to be spent modding the tractor en route, to cope with design deficiencies that weren’t identified by prior testing and design loop iteration."
Child replies: "No, I'm just going to have fun."
Agreed. Children and adults learn more from doing and failing than from over analysing everything with a cork up their bum.
You build something and use it and it fails in one way or another and so you have learnt where the weakness is and will fix that.
Have you never learnt from others peoples' mistakes? I certainly learnt plenty of what not to do, as well as what to do, from watching this programme. Not that I think I'll ever make a Meccano motorbike.
I find that trying something and it not being right teaches me more than if something goes right first time. You learn not to do that again.
As for making good TV, it wouldn't have been good TV if they'd just shown the bike being made and completing the course. There has to be an element of "will it, won't it?".
It was a good entertaining show but I suspect it relied very heavily on a lot of editing, pre-planned co-incidences and production.
Accidentally leaving Oz Clarke behind at the start of the mountain range for instance, which just happened to work out nicely as he would have added too much weight for the climb, and just 'hoping' to catch up with him somewhere along the line to finish properly.
Also, I wonder if all the daylight road race sequences really were filmed all on that same day, or, as I suspect is most likely, over a period of several days.
Of course, its all rather sad that people take these flights of fancy entirely at face value, you'd have to fear for them when they have conversations in the real world with their wives, work colleagues and so on.
I'd hate to be the child of a couple of posters on here. Imagine the scene. Child gets out his Meccano set and says:
"I'm going to make a tractor."
Dad says: "Have you taken into account distance, gradients, payload mass, etc.? &c. – so the tractor design can be properly tested in advance, and the design process iterated to modify the tractor’s design in light of proper testing......it will be no surprise to me whatsoever that hour upon hour will have to be spent modding the tractor en route, to cope with design deficiencies that weren’t identified by prior testing and design loop iteration."
Child replies: "No, I'm just going to have fun."
I sort of agree but a child would be happy just to build the tractor. However, May and his team set themselves quite a formidable target: to build a bike capable of traversing one lap of the TT course. So you do have to consider the nitty gritty of whether the bike will be robust enough, power the weights on board and survive the various gradients.
Come to the IOM - It's full of red tape and bureaucracy.
I would think he would have many more problems getting permission in the UK to operate the vehicle on a public road. He was able to take advantage of various exemptions for the TT course. The Manx Police seem to have been particularly cooperative in providing an escort (and perhaps turning a blind eye to a few things).
I sort of agree but a child would be happy just to build the tractor. However, May and his team set themselves quite a formidable target: to build a bike capable of traversing one lap of the TT course. So you do have to consider the nitty gritty of whether the bike will be robust enough, power the weights on board and survive the various gradients.
I would think he would have many more problems getting permission in the UK to operate the vehicle on a public road. He was able to take advantage of various exemptions for the TT course. The Manx Police seem to have been particularly cooperative in providing an escort (and perhaps turning a blind eye to a few things).
Exactly. If you want to take a vehicle on the road then it needs to be registered. In order to be registered it needs to be checked mechanically. I think the Manx Government were very co-operative about it. I think there's more bureaucracy in the UK than here.
He is, and that's what makes his programmes so enjoyable. He's a big kid at heart. You could see that Simmy and the others are too - there are plenty of worse jobs than playing with a load of meccano and getting paid for it! I think some people are being over-analytical about it and not enjoying it for what it was, which was just a bit of fun.
On another note I hope Man Lab gets another series.
I did bump one of the old Toy Stories threads yesterday.
I can only guess a few people on here haven't seen his previous efforts and don't 'get it'.
Knew the actual attempt wasn't going to be plain sailing as they shot past, engine, frame and brake design stages.
They obviously got a fair bit of help/look the other way, from the authorities and a lot of help from the Police.
I'm suspicious that lots of those parts aren't actual Meccano. It's 45 years since I had Meccano and I know a lot has changed but even so. The collars on the chain look legit the strips might be but those nuts with the plastic bushes strike me as cheating.
OK, I'm sad, but you can't trade on nostalgia and expect people to buy into it.
Agreed. Children and adults learn more from doing and failing than from over analysing everything with a cork up their bum.
You build something and use it and it fails in one way or another and so you have learnt where the weakness is and will fix that.
My Dad was pretty tough on me as regards using Meccano rigorously and I thank him for it. For example , running axles in brass bushes, using the set screw holes as oil reservoirs.
We built some awesome stuff, but even my Dad balked at building the weight for a grandfather clock out of actual Meccano parts, so he melted some lead (!) on my Mum's cooker (!!) and poured it into a baked bean can (!!!) to serve as the weight.
Sorry James, but you need to try harder, Frank Hornby would expect no less.
I'm suspicious that lots of those parts aren't actual Meccano. It's 45 years since I had Meccano and I know a lot has changed but even so. The collars on the chain look legit the strips might be but those nuts with the plastic bushes strike me as cheating.
OK, I'm sad, but you can't trade on nostalgia and expect people to buy into it.
You can always ask Meccano if the nuts with the plastic bushes are legit - you can contact them through:
I assume they stuck to genuine parts because James said that the golf buggy motor was within the rules because Meccano used them in their large display constructions, and that they had to reduce some components which they had to make to match the Meccano parts when they had run out of them, but couldn't add to them.
I'm looking forward to his next mad idea. He plays with childrens' toys scaled up to suit a grown up child. Wouldn't most of us like to turn the clock back? I would.
That's nice of you but tbh I wouldn't like to bother them, they've done great good just keeping Meccano alive. :cool: Hornby are resurrecting Airfix too, take a look on Amazon.
If another saddo can enlighten me about part numbers that would be fine.
I don't want to appear harsh on James or Oz. I think they would understand and forgive anyone taking this stuff too seriously . I met and talked to Oz once, top bloke. Gillingham supporter IIRC.
For no apparent reason I sat through this program.
Asperger's meltdowns about the design/prototype/test process aside, what an absolute fart of a show. Once you get beyond the faintly amusing initial concept, you've got an hour of an attention hungry semi-talent mugging to the camera in front of totally unremarkable scenery, with a few interminable "spontaneous and wacky" scripted moments of dullness thrown in, and then the obligatory False Jeopardy Moments. OOOH, WILL THE COUNCIL SUDDENLY PUT THE KAIBOSH ON THIS 60 MINUTE SHOW 10 MINUTES IN? WILL THE BIKE BREAK BEYOND REPAIR AT 45% OF THE SHOW'S RUNNING TIME? No. Obviously not.
There's a wealth of directions that it could've been taken in - the history of Meccano, the history of the Manx TT, a look in to the design process of the bike itself. They could've went for slapstick comedy, or put in a challenge element, or done any one of a dozen interesting things. Instead you get some chubsy non-entity gurning into a camera, steadfastly avoiding doing anything interesting so as to preserve a totally unbelievable sense of reality. Total shite, yo.
PLUS, if you're making a Meccano bike out of custom-tooled parts and golf buggy motors, then it's not really a Meccano bike, is it? Sake.
Well it is called TOY story presented by a grown man.
So why the surprise that it's a show about a grown man looking bad at childhood toys and supersizing them for TV entertainment value?
The truly uplifting one was the "Flight club" episode which followed the usual format of this show in building an airfix aircraft of epic size. But somewhere in the making it became a most noble challenge full of truly inspirational TV. Notably for the enthusiasm of one of the young helpers, Tom, who had the time of his life doing what he loved. they will never beat that one.
For no apparent reason I sat through this program.
Asperger's meltdowns about the design/prototype/test process aside, what an absolute fart of a show. Once you get beyond the faintly amusing initial concept, you've got an hour of an attention hungry semi-talent mugging to the camera in front of totally unremarkable scenery, with a few interminable "spontaneous and wacky" scripted moments of dullness thrown in, and then the obligatory False Jeopardy Moments. OOOH, WILL THE COUNCIL SUDDENLY PUT THE KAIBOSH ON THIS 60 MINUTE SHOW 10 MINUTES IN? WILL THE BIKE BREAK BEYOND REPAIR AT 45% OF THE SHOW'S RUNNING TIME? No. Obviously not.
There's a wealth of directions that it could've been taken in - the history of Meccano, the history of the Manx TT, a look in to the design process of the bike itself. They could've went for slapstick comedy, or put in a challenge element, or done any one of a dozen interesting things. Instead you get some chubsy non-entity gurning into a camera, steadfastly avoiding doing anything interesting so as to preserve a totally unbelievable sense of reality. Total shite, yo.
PLUS, if you're making a Meccano bike out of custom-tooled parts and golf buggy motors, then it's not really a Meccano bike, is it? Sake.
It was a bit of fun!!! Sake.
Anyway, what Council? We don't have councils over here, it was the Isle of Man Government which gave permission.
That's my point though, it wasn't a bit of fun. It was really, really dull for the most part. Past the initial chuckle of seeing the Meccano bike limp off the starting line, it was a repetitious slog of "Oh this bike's slow OH a thing is going to break". Very little actual amusement involved.
Anyway, what Council? We don't have councils over here, it was the Isle of Man Government which gave permission.
Actually the Isle of Man is run by the Ancient and Venerable Council of De-tailed Cats.
The Council of Detailed Cats is the same thing, but in HD.
Well it is called TOY story presented by a grown man.
So why the surprise that it's a show about a grown man looking bad at childhood toys and supersizing them for TV entertainment value?
The truly uplifting one was the "Flight club" episode which followed the usual format of this show in building an airfix aircraft of epic size. But somewhere in the making it became a most noble challenge full of truly inspirational TV. Notably for the enthusiasm of one of the young helpers, Tom, who had the time of his life doing what he loved. they will never beat that one.
I was about to disagree with you and say I found Airfix the most emotional and best of his toy stories.
You've got them mixed up Flight club was last years 'special' the model glider flight to Lundy??
Airfix is the first Toy story, where they made to oversized Airfix 'style' model.
That's my point though, it wasn't a bit of fun. It was really, really dull for the most part. Past the initial chuckle of seeing the Meccano bike limp off the starting line, it was a repetitious slog of "Oh this bike's slow OH a thing is going to break". Very little actual amusement involved.
Actually the Isle of Man is run by the Ancient and Venerable Council of De-tailed Cats.
The Council of Detailed Cats is the same thing, but in HD.
You said you sat through it "for no apparent reason". Well your reason is to me very apparent - you just were determined to stick it out so you could come on here and trash it. You had to stay with it to make sure you could find nothing you liked. If I'm not enjoying a programme I either turn the TV off or change channels. I don't waste time watching something that irks me.
................
PLUS, if you're making a Meccano bike out of custom-tooled parts and golf buggy motors, then it's not really a Meccano bike, is it? Sake.
Meccano use golf buggy motors themselves on their larger exhibition pieces, and the "custom-tooled parts" were either genuine Meccano parts cut down or other parts tooled to the same specification as Meccano when they ran out of genuine parts, so essentially the same. Sake.
Comments
I'd hate to be the child of a couple of posters on here. Imagine the scene. Child gets out his Meccano set and says:
"I'm going to make a tractor."
Dad says: "Have you taken into account distance, gradients, payload mass, etc.? &c. – so the tractor design can be properly tested in advance, and the design process iterated to modify the tractor’s design in light of proper testing......it will be no surprise to me whatsoever that hour upon hour will have to be spent modding the tractor en route, to cope with design deficiencies that weren’t identified by prior testing and design loop iteration."
Child replies: "No, I'm just going to have fun."
Agreed. Children and adults learn more from doing and failing than from over analysing everything with a cork up their bum.
You build something and use it and it fails in one way or another and so you have learnt where the weakness is and will fix that.
Yes, but does that necessarily make it good TV?
Have you never learnt from others peoples' mistakes? I certainly learnt plenty of what not to do, as well as what to do, from watching this programme. Not that I think I'll ever make a Meccano motorbike.
I find that trying something and it not being right teaches me more than if something goes right first time. You learn not to do that again.
As for making good TV, it wouldn't have been good TV if they'd just shown the bike being made and completing the course. There has to be an element of "will it, won't it?".
Accidentally leaving Oz Clarke behind at the start of the mountain range for instance, which just happened to work out nicely as he would have added too much weight for the climb, and just 'hoping' to catch up with him somewhere along the line to finish properly.
Also, I wonder if all the daylight road race sequences really were filmed all on that same day, or, as I suspect is most likely, over a period of several days.
This is TV land folks don't forget.
Of course, its all rather sad that people take these flights of fancy entirely at face value, you'd have to fear for them when they have conversations in the real world with their wives, work colleagues and so on.
I sort of agree but a child would be happy just to build the tractor. However, May and his team set themselves quite a formidable target: to build a bike capable of traversing one lap of the TT course. So you do have to consider the nitty gritty of whether the bike will be robust enough, power the weights on board and survive the various gradients.
I would think he would have many more problems getting permission in the UK to operate the vehicle on a public road. He was able to take advantage of various exemptions for the TT course. The Manx Police seem to have been particularly cooperative in providing an escort (and perhaps turning a blind eye to a few things).
Exactly. If you want to take a vehicle on the road then it needs to be registered. In order to be registered it needs to be checked mechanically. I think the Manx Government were very co-operative about it. I think there's more bureaucracy in the UK than here.
He is, and that's what makes his programmes so enjoyable. He's a big kid at heart. You could see that Simmy and the others are too - there are plenty of worse jobs than playing with a load of meccano and getting paid for it! I think some people are being over-analytical about it and not enjoying it for what it was, which was just a bit of fun.
On another note I hope Man Lab gets another series.
I can only guess a few people on here haven't seen his previous efforts and don't 'get it'.
Knew the actual attempt wasn't going to be plain sailing as they shot past, engine, frame and brake design stages.
They obviously got a fair bit of help/look the other way, from the authorities and a lot of help from the Police.
I'm downloading the Great train race now.
OK, I'm sad, but you can't trade on nostalgia and expect people to buy into it.
My Dad was pretty tough on me as regards using Meccano rigorously and I thank him for it. For example , running axles in brass bushes, using the set screw holes as oil reservoirs.
We built some awesome stuff, but even my Dad balked at building the weight for a grandfather clock out of actual Meccano parts, so he melted some lead (!) on my Mum's cooker (!!) and poured it into a baked bean can (!!!) to serve as the weight.
Sorry James, but you need to try harder, Frank Hornby would expect no less.
http://www.meccano.com/uk/
I assume they stuck to genuine parts because James said that the golf buggy motor was within the rules because Meccano used them in their large display constructions, and that they had to reduce some components which they had to make to match the Meccano parts when they had run out of them, but couldn't add to them.
I'm looking forward to his next mad idea. He plays with childrens' toys scaled up to suit a grown up child. Wouldn't most of us like to turn the clock back? I would.
That's nice of you but tbh I wouldn't like to bother them, they've done great good just keeping Meccano alive. :cool: Hornby are resurrecting Airfix too, take a look on Amazon.
If another saddo can enlighten me about part numbers that would be fine.
I don't want to appear harsh on James or Oz. I think they would understand and forgive anyone taking this stuff too seriously .
I was thinking a more of Scenes we'd like to see from Mock the Week.
Subject "things you are unlikely to hear on Points of View"
Personally I thoroughly enjoyed the program, it was just a bit of light-hearted fun.
People take things so seriously these days. *sigh*
Asperger's meltdowns about the design/prototype/test process aside, what an absolute fart of a show. Once you get beyond the faintly amusing initial concept, you've got an hour of an attention hungry semi-talent mugging to the camera in front of totally unremarkable scenery, with a few interminable "spontaneous and wacky" scripted moments of dullness thrown in, and then the obligatory False Jeopardy Moments. OOOH, WILL THE COUNCIL SUDDENLY PUT THE KAIBOSH ON THIS 60 MINUTE SHOW 10 MINUTES IN? WILL THE BIKE BREAK BEYOND REPAIR AT 45% OF THE SHOW'S RUNNING TIME? No. Obviously not.
There's a wealth of directions that it could've been taken in - the history of Meccano, the history of the Manx TT, a look in to the design process of the bike itself. They could've went for slapstick comedy, or put in a challenge element, or done any one of a dozen interesting things. Instead you get some chubsy non-entity gurning into a camera, steadfastly avoiding doing anything interesting so as to preserve a totally unbelievable sense of reality. Total shite, yo.
PLUS, if you're making a Meccano bike out of custom-tooled parts and golf buggy motors, then it's not really a Meccano bike, is it? Sake.
So why the surprise that it's a show about a grown man looking bad at childhood toys and supersizing them for TV entertainment value?
The truly uplifting one was the "Flight club" episode which followed the usual format of this show in building an airfix aircraft of epic size. But somewhere in the making it became a most noble challenge full of truly inspirational TV. Notably for the enthusiasm of one of the young helpers, Tom, who had the time of his life doing what he loved. they will never beat that one.
It was a bit of fun!!! Sake.
Anyway, what Council? We don't have councils over here, it was the Isle of Man Government which gave permission.
That's my point though, it wasn't a bit of fun. It was really, really dull for the most part. Past the initial chuckle of seeing the Meccano bike limp off the starting line, it was a repetitious slog of "Oh this bike's slow OH a thing is going to break". Very little actual amusement involved.
Actually the Isle of Man is run by the Ancient and Venerable Council of De-tailed Cats.
I was about to disagree with you and say I found Airfix the most emotional and best of his toy stories.
You've got them mixed up Flight club was last years 'special' the model glider flight to Lundy??
Airfix is the first Toy story, where they made to oversized Airfix 'style' model.