Trix construction sets, Home Page

Welcome on my website about Trix construction sets, at the time my favourite toy.

Construction sets, consisting of perforated strips, axles, wheels, pulleys, nuts and bolts, are common known as "Meccanosets", but the trademark Meccano is the most welknown, although not the only one. Other ones are/were among others:

• American Model Builder (U.S.A.)
• Aries Incorporated (Bombay, India)
• AMI/LAC (Italy)
• Bing's Structator (Germany)
• BRAL (Milan, Italy)
• Buildo
• Construction (E.Germany)
• Constructor
• Construct-o-Craft
• Elektromehaniskais konstructors (Russia)
• Erector (U.S.A.)
• Exacto (Argentina)
• Ezy-Bilt (Australia)
• FAC (Sweden)
• Lyons
• Marklin Metall (Germany)
• Meccano (England and France)
• Mekanik (Sweden)
• Mek-Struct (China)
• Merkur (Czeckoslovakia)
• Mini Meta-Build (New Delhi, India)
• Modern Morecraft
• Necobo
• Palikit
• Pioneer
• Primus Engineering Outfits (England)
• Schefflers
• Stabil (Germany)
• Steel Engineering (U.S.A.)
• Steel Tec (China)
• Stokys (Switzerland)
• Structomode
• TECC (Czeckoslovakia)
• Tekno (Norway & Denmark)
• TemSi (Netherlands)
• Thale Stahlbau Technik (E. Germany)
• The Constructioneer
• The Engineer (Toronto, Canada)
• TRIX (Germany and England)
• Trumodel (U.S.A.)
• Vogue (Melton Mowbray, England)
• Wisdom / Sagesse (China)

Patent 1930

The start

In 1925 the Nuremberger companies J.Haffner's Nachfolger (lead and tin toys) and Vereinigte Spielwarenfabriken Andreas Förtner (toys of all kinds - ANFOE) fuses and the name of the new company was Andreas Förtner & J. Haffner's Nachf. KG.

At the end of October 1928 Stephan Bing bought the company Förtner.
In 1929 the company moved from the Bärenschanze to the Koberger Strasse 15 in Nuremberg, where larger manufacturing plants were available.

At the end of of 1930 or at the beginning of of 1931 the first "TRIX Metallbaukasten" appears and also the name TRIX.
The origin of the name TRIX is not completely clarified until today. There are several versions, which led to the name, among other things the rivalry with Meccano (Mechanics) could be the causation. Another version, which led to the naming, could have been the arrangement of the holes in the metal strips.
With that about 20 metal parts plus screws one already was able to build some few models.

The metal construction sets were also exported, among other things to England, France, Austria and Spain. Therefore one decided to assign licenses into the respective countries. First in England they decided to create its own company. Due to a long friendship between Stephan Bing and Wenman Joseph Basssett-Lowke, they founded a businesslike cooperation. At 17.02.1932 in 4, Golden Lane, London EC 1 the company TRIX Ltd. is created.

For many years there were only 48 parts who were 'zinc dipped'. Of late years there were many new Trix parts being produced in Germany who were nickelplated and some strips were painted yellow.

In the Netherlands Trix was on sale in a carton with the dimensions of 17.5 x 11.5 x 1.8 cm, there was a basic set and many supplementary sets. Each set was containing a folder with models and advertising for more supplementary sets.
As you can see on some of my pages, to 'play' with Trix was a deadly serious business, I think it's not a model toy for modern children.

Unfortunately nowadays Trix is not in production. Often you can buy Trix on Meccano exhibitions at second-hand dealers.See the internet for when and where.

Next page Basic set

Adrie Wind Hoofddorp Netherlands
Email: Adrie Wind  

First version June 5, 1997. Last update July 10, 2007.