As with the main Meccano range, Aeroplane Constructor Kits came at different levels (00, 0, 1, 2 and No.2 Special), but the pieces from the smaller sets didn't work with those from the larger ones. The "Frobisher" class air liners were built by the de Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd. The fine Dinky Toys miniatures (No. 62w) of this type show that a large air liner can be graceful in appearance. There are three models available. The machine is a long wing streamlined monoplane with a wing span of 105 ft., and retractable undercarriage. It seats 22 passengers, and normally carries a crew of four, consisting of captain, first officer, radio operator and steward. The four engines are of the 525 hp. D.H. "Gypsy Twelves" and give the air liner a maximum level speed of 225 m.p.h. at 8,750 ft. At the present time military aircraft are the most in the news, and among the Royal Air Force machines represented in the Dinky Toys Series are the Hawker "Hurricane," Armstrong Whitworth "Whitley," Fairey "Battle," Gloster "Gladiator," and the Short "Singapore" flying boat. For some models, Dinky squeezed two model numbers out to the same casting without involving camouflage - a "properly coloured" version with an accurate name for the serious aeroplane enthusiast, and a generic version in a range of assorted (often non-authentic) colours, with a more generic name, for people who just wanted that sort of plane in pretty colours ... for instance, the " Armstrong Whitworth 'Ensign' Air Liner" ( 62p) was also available in more colours as the more generic " Britsh 40-seater Air Liner" ( 62x), and the " Junkers Ju 90 Air Liner" ( 62n) was also available in different colours as the " Giant High-Speed Monoplane" ( 62y). In the case of the " De Havilland 'Albatross' Mail Liner" ( 62r), and the " Imperial Airways 'Frobisher' Class Liner" ( 62w), someone reading the advertising text would not obviously realise that these were essentially the same aircraft: The "Frobisher" was simply the passenger verion of the DH.91 mail aeroplane. Among the most popular commercial aircraft represented in the Dinky Series are the Empire Flying Boats (Dinky Toys No. 60R) that have become famous for their fine work in operating Imperial Airways' regular fast air services between this country and Africa, India and Australia. The 12 models of these aircraft available include " Caledonia" and " Cambria" which, before going into service on the normal Empire air routes, achieved fame in the experimental transatlantic flights between Foynes, Eire, and Botwood, Newfoundland, carried out in the summer of 1937 by Imperial Airways and Pan American Airways in preparation for the regular transatlantic air service to Canada and the United States inaugurated last year.

The D.H. "Albatross" long-range mail liners produced for the British Air Ministry for experimental long-distance flights are similar to the "Frobisher" in general design, but differ internally. There is a beautiful Dinky Toys model (No. 62r) of one of these streamlined monoplanes. The actual machines are capable of a top speed of 222 m.p.h. at 8,750 ft. With full equipment and crew each liner can transport 1,000 lb. of mail for 2,500 miles non-stop against a continuous 40 m.p.h. headwind, at a cruising speed of 210 m.p.h.

Media in category ‘Dinky Aircraft (pre-war)’

In 2005 the 'Build & Play' range was introduced, followed in 2006 by the 'Kids Play' range. The 'City' range was then dropped in 2007. The museum is currently planning a quite glorious display of pre-war Dinky aircraft, due to be on display some time in the first half of 2022.

An older type of British single-seater fighter is the Gloster "Gladiator" (No. 60p), which made its first appearance in 1935. It is an equal-span biplane, and in its latest form is armed with six guns. The 830 hp. Bristol Mercury IX engine fitted gives the "Gladiator" a top speed of 250 m.p.h. when flying at a height of 15,500 ft. On the civil aircraft side the Dinky Toys Series includes fine scale miniatures of the Armstrong Whitworth "Ensign" and the "Frobisher" class air liners, two recent types of four-engine transport monoplanes acquired by Imperial Airways, now British Overseas Airways Corporation. The "Ensigns" (No. 62p) have been designed for service on the company's European and Empire air routes. The European type "Ensign" has seating for 40 passengers, and the Empire type for 27 passengers and up to 3¼ tons of freight and mails. The four engines of the "Ensign" are of the 935 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley "Tiger" IXc type, and give it a top speed of 205 m.p.h. and a cruising speed of nearly three miles a minute. Any two of these engines are powerful enough to fly the air liner fully loaded. The navigating equipment includes an "automatic pilot" that maintains a set course without guidance. Six models of these high wing aircraft are available. The Hawker "Hurricane" (No. 62h) is one of the fastest British fighters, in service to-day. It is a low wing, single-seater monoplane of all-metal construction, and is armed with eight machine guns installed in the wings. It is credited with a top speed of 335 m.p.h. The neat Dinky Toys miniature of this formidable fighter is finished in the brown and green camouflage adopted by the British Air Ministry for Royal Air Force machines. There is also an aluminium finished model (Dinky Toys No. 62s). However, with the new generation of planes that appeared during WW2, mass-production (and the need to outfly and outfight competing aircraft) made it very worthwhile for designers to fine-tune the shapes, and a Heinkel wing now looked quite different to a Spitfire wing or the wing of a Lancaster bomber. With the mass-production of these planes for the war, the public became used to recognising their distinctive outlines, and the idea of a generic constructor kit that could not make recognisable versions of these "celebrity" aircraft became less attractive.One advantage of the smaller parts was that the aircraft fuselage was now a single piece, and the fuselage holes were smaller and (joy!) were threaded, making it much simpler to attach other items to it - one no longer had to hold a nut in place with a finger inserted into the bodyshell while tightening a bolt, a common cause of sore fingers. In 2000, the 'City' range of sets was introduced, these replaced all the existing sets (except 'Action Troopers'). In 2001 some 'Racing' sets were introduced. These were a sub range of the 'City' range. As World War 2 loomed, the aeroplane constructor sets were modified to remove markings that might make the sets useful to The Enemy for training pilots and gunners. The No.1 and No.2 Special Aeroplane Constructor Outfits represented a slightly improved (and more expensive) almost immediate redesign of the system.