Meccano Pro Aramco Aston Martin F1 Set No. 26303

If you are a regular reader of Free Car Mag, you will no doubt know, we love hands on, mechanical toys, none more so than Meccano. In fact, we grew up playing with Meccano and physical toys rather than video games. The beauty of these toys is that you learn at a young age; problem solving, engineering, construction methods, how to use tools, and even complex architecture. After building a Meccano set you end up with a beautiful model you can display and be proud of. Alternatively, you could spend several hours playing a video game and when you switch off your PC or games console you have nothing tangible to show for it, except maybe a headache due to staring at a screen for too long!

Meccano was created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. A clerk searching for an engaging way to teach his sons mechanical principles, Hornby devised a modular system using perforated metal strips, plates, gears, and pulleys held together with small nuts and bolts.

He patented the concept in 1901 under the name “Mechanics Made Easy.”

In 1907, Hornby registered the trade name Meccano and established Meccano Ltd, opening a dedicated manufacturing facility at Binns Road in Liverpool.

Because all perforated strips shared standardized hole spacing, builders could assemble everything from working cranes and bridges to complex clockwork devices, sparking a generation’s interest in mechanical engineering.

Throughout the 1920s to 1950s, Meccano grew into a global phenomenon, fuelled by official builder clubs and the widely read ‘Meccano Magazine.’

Facing heavy competition from plastic building bricks like LEGO in the late 20th century, the company underwent several ownership changes, including acquisitions by Lines Bros, Airfix, and eventually Spin Master in 2013.

Modern Meccano sets incorporate robotics, motors, and plastic components while preserving Hornby’s original core design of nut-and-bolt assembly.

Meccano is strong, in fact very strong! Unlike Lego which is made of plastic with pieces fitting together using a push-fit brick system, Meccano is metal and uses old fashioned nuts, bolts and washers to fasten pieces together.

In James May’s famous TV Series, ‘James May’s Toy Stories,’ James and his team of engineering students built a fascinating ‘Bridge of no return’ – Swing bridge, over a canal in Liverpool opposite the Liver building and James walked across his Meccano bridge. In the same program, James used four lengths of Meccano, one piece supporting each wheel, to lift his Porsche 911 ‘G-Series’ into the air using a crane and even popped his head under the vehicle to illustrate the sheer strength of Meccano pieces. In season 2, James and his engineer Sim Oakley, build a motorcycle with side car, powered by a combination of Meccano and milk float motors, and did a lap of the famous Isle of Man TT course. The motorcycle had to go through an MOT for it to be road legal.

Just as a real Formula 1 car needs to be incredibly strong yet lightweight to cope with immense G-Forces and crashes, Meccano is the perfect medium to replicate a F1 car, albeit in 1:8 model scale and that is exactly what Meccano and the Aston Martin Formula One team have created together. Based on the 2025 ‘AMR25’ Aston Martin F1 Race Car, the duo has designed and created a beautiful and realistic model kit that you can build in the comfort of your home.

Boasting 1,203 pieces, this 18+ ‘Pro’ kit is the most advanced level of Meccano and gives you a taste of what goes into building a Formula 1 car. With functioning pistons and rotating crankshaft, the V6 Engine comes to life with substance behind the stylish exterior bodywork. You also get a removable engine cover, adjustable DRS flap, and working steering.

Meccano and Aston Martin have paid strict attention to detail, from the correct sponsorship decals on the bodywork all the way down to the tyres with the correct ‘Pirelli P-Zero’ markings on the tyre walls. The Free Car Mag team have been given one of these limited edition sets and as you can imagine we are super excited to start building.

In the section that follows, we have created our ‘Meccano Workshop Diary’ where we will cover all 10 phases of the build with photos and videos, so stay tuned to this page with regular updates coming soon.

FCM Meccano Workshop Diary

Before we started building, we organised all the pieces into a sorting case and small lockable tubs. You will need a clean, well-lit desk or table. Tweezers are handy especially if you have large fingers. A screwdriver and spanner are provided in the kit. Keep small children and pets always supervised as the pieces are very small and are an obvious choking hazard. Just like any project, take your time and avoid rushing, don’t attempt to do too much all in one go to avoid frustrations. Take regular breaks and try to enjoy the process. There are several bolts of different sizes so always check you have picked up the correct bolt by comparing it to the 1:1 diagram in the manual shown in each step. Always double check the diagram in the manual to ensure you are fitting the correct bolt to the correct hole.

Phase 1:

Engine block, pistons, crankshaft and floor pan — This is a fairly simple section and interesting start to the build as you get straight into the building of the engine. It is satisfying to see the engine rotate and see the pistons move up and down in the V6 configuration.

Phase 2:

Things start to get serious with the expansion of the car’s floor, engine housing, and strengthening beams to make the chassis rigid. You start to see the build grow in length and get a taste of how big the finished model will be. Assembly of the driver’s seat is a fun part of the construction. There is a tricky bit in part 32 where you need to insert a gear, plastic and rubber washers onto a shaft in a tight space in the engine compartment, we used a set of precision tweezers and a lot of patience to get the parts in! This section took us a couple of afternoons, like we said at the beginning, take your time to avoid making silly mistakes!

Phase 3: Coming Soon! “You can purchase your set here from the Entertainer - Britain’s Toy Shop.”