Trix (construction set)
Trix model construction sets were originally produced in 1931 by a Nuremberg company, Andreas Förtner (Anfoe). The German patent for the basic Trix pieces had been granted the previous year, in 1930.[1][2]
The origin of the name Trix is uncertain; it has been suggested (by Adrie Wind[3]]) that it could have referred to the triple-hole configuration of the basic pieces.
A friendship between Stephan Bing, owner of Anfoe, and the English toy manufacturer W J Bassett-Lowke led to the founding of the London company Trix Ltd in 1932. In the United Kingdom, the first sets were advertised in the 1932 Gamages catalogue.[4]
Trix sets challenged the British-invented Meccano model construction sets.[5] Meccano Ltd responded to the challenge by producing their own similar competitor set, the Meccano "X-Series", which had the same wider strips as Trix with three rows of holes.[4]
A unique feature of Trix was the Trix Unit System, in which sets were built from seven different units that each contained a variety of parts. Unit A was the basic unit, which allowed the construction of simple models. Unit B added components that enabled "more ambitious models to be attempted". Unit C added a range of wheels and pulleys. Unit D contained angle girders. Unit E introduced electrical parts that allowed the construction of buzzers, bells, telegraphs and other electric apparatus. Unit F contained two sizes of tyres. while Unit G added gear wheels of different types. Hence. the Trix slogan, widely featured in advertising, was "Always complete - yet never finished".[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "1931 – Der TRIX Volks-Metall-Baukasten". Internetseite der TRIX EXPRESS Freunde Berlin. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ Sticht, Werner. "Eine kurze Geschichte des Trix-Metallbaukastens". Trix Metaalbouwdozen. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Trix Metaalbouwdozen". trix-metaal.nl.
- ^ a b "Category: Trix construction sets". The Brighton Toy and Model Index. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Whys and Replies". Hobbies Magazine (March 1932).
- ^ "Trix Supplement". Hobbies (1932).
- ^ The Trix Complete Engineering Manual. London: Trix Limited. July 1951.
External links
[edit]- Trix construction sets website by Adrie Wind containing scans of most Trix manuals and brochures, mainly in Dutch, with some in German and some in English
- Eine kurze Geschichte des Trix-Metallbaukastens" (tr. "A Short History of Trix Construction Sets") by Werner Sticht (in German)
- Trix Metall Baukasten Modelle German/English illustrated website by Wilbert Swinkels