BAYKO Product Details - 1946 to 1949

This was a very difficult time. The war was over, but its legacy of shortages, Government planning and rationing meant that BAYKO experienced a staggered (staggering?) restart after the war.

Material scarcity and giant wartime strides in plastic technology fuelled improvisation and experimentation. E.g. some bricks produced during this period have an almost translucent appearance.

The twin drivers of innovation and scarcity were probably similarly responsible for the production of bases in a strange pale blue colour which have both the appearance and feel of a large slab of soap!!!

A consequence of the post-war material shortages, coupled with improvisation during 1946 / 1947, was inconsistency of the colour of many BAYKO parts produced during this period, not just when compared to those immediately pre-war, but even compared to the previous weeks product!

Plimpton saw the importance of this to post-war BAYKO modellers and many early post-war conversion sets included a leaflet [right, upper] offering to swap any parts, or Bases [right, lower], where the colour didn't match your collection...

...thanks to Bob Burgess for these.

There is a debate in some BAYKO circles as to why the post-war BAYKO set structure changed so significantly from the pre-war set structure...

Platforms, Left and Right Steps.

Full Corner Bricks.

Wall Capping and 1-Brick Pillars.

Large Bases.

'Oak' + White and Orange colour schemes.

► Flat Roofs...

...for the first year these were in the 'Diamond' pattern [right].

► Roof Ends...

...needed to use the Flat Roofs for a 3-D roof [right].

The Flat Roofs could, of course, also be used alone as in the model below right.

The ornamental roofing range (Turrets, Domes, Pinnacle Roofs and Pinnacle Platforms) were relaunched during this period, though it's unclear as to exactly when...

There is a little confusion over the colour of the Straight Steps which were produced in this early post-war period : -

► A 1945 post card price list says that they were produced in red...

► A 1945 BAYKO Delivery Note states that red steps were dispatched...

Despite this, I am as certain as I can be that, by the time the first post-war #2 BAYKO sets [the smallest sets which contain steps] were produced, the standard had already been changed to grey...

...certainly nobody I know has seen a post-war set with a red one...

For the record, Plimpton did briefly experiment with Straight Steps in a darker grey [left] before returning to the standard grey - this happened in either 1947 or 1948.

The overall colour scheme was the same as pre-war except that Doors and Windows were initially a yellowish green before changing to the familiar mid-green.

There are also rare examples of Windows mottled with dark green, similar to equally rare pre-war ones, but based on the early post-war yellow green...

...were these produced by accident or design?

By the end of this period the 1950's colour scheme, sets and range of parts, so familiar to many, was largely established.

Grey Bases were produced during this period though BAYKO soon standardised on green.

They soon retooled Bases to strengthen them, no doubt in response to complaints...

...to spot the difference between the 2 types, look at the part number, [1] moulded on the underside - it is reversed on earlier examples - can you spot the other differences?].

Later in the period, probably the second half of 1947 or 1948, they briefly flirted with grey as the colour for Bay Window Covers and Canopies.

Grey Bases were produced during this period though BAYKO soon standardised on green.

There was clearly an element of whim about this as I have seen sets with both grey Bay Window Covers and Canopies and some with one of them in grey but the other red .

Earlier there was also a short-lived experiment with Curved Brick mouldings.

The original type accommodated the second Rod hole with flat extension plates.

The new design used a hollow cylinder but were a bit fragile.

However, once the cylinder was reinforced, it became the standard design for the next dozen years.

The key new parts introduced during this era were Flat Roofs and Roof Ends, which were included in the second BAYKO patent #613,767.

The original diamond patterned Flat Roof was soon replaced by the more familiar 'tiled' design.

Less excitingly, ½-Brick Rods were also introduced immediately after the war.

By the end of the period the plastic used for the bricks and windows had been changed to the type so familiar in the 1950's.

The exact timing of the launch of the different sets is a little uncertain, but follows a simple enough sequence.

► Sets #0 and #1 emerged in 1946.

BAYKO included the double-sided leaflet [left & right] with the earliest post-war sets, filling a gap in the early, 16 page version of the instruction manual.

The leaflet [left] details parts lists required for several models in the manual...

...and [right] the contents of sets #0 and #1 and details of the intended range of BAYKO sets - including sets #4X and #5!

► Set #2 emerged in 1947, probably along with the 20 page version of the manual.

► Set #3 was introduced some time during mid 1948.

As part of this process, the small, single sided leaflet [left] was added to the supplies of BAYKO set #2 to ensure that the children who bought or, more likely, received, a set #2 were fully aware that they would be able to extend their new set and : -

The new set #3 was supported by a new set #3 manual in addition to the sets #0 to #2 manual...

This was the last set to be introduced for 3 years, when set #3X then set #4 was introduced...

...though early post-war literature mentioned a set #5...

The exact timing of the launch of the different sets is a little uncertain, but follows a simple enough sequence.

The sets #0 to #3, throughout this immediate post-war period, had 10 models drawn on the lid.

They appeared in both Red and Blue boxes...

...I don't know whether this was Marketing indecision or, more mundanely, cardboard or paper availability.

The earliest post-war sets had typical austerity packaging with no internal cardboard partitions...

...but this was changed during 1947.

Conversion sets #0X to #2X [left] were generally in blue boxes [though red was also used more rarely] with line drawings of parts on the lid - initially one coloured, later in a more colourful style.

Later, even after they had standardised on the more familiar all-yellow label, there were further flirtations with Red boxes [left] before settling consistently on Blue. Dating these changes exactly isn't easy, as conversion sets don't contain manuals (which are usually date coded).

If you accept that marketing of conversion sets - which is clearly preaching to the converted!!! - was less significant than marketing complete sets, then it's easier to see the red / blue box situation as being driven by material availability.

Another issue immediately after the war was the availability of metal for rods.

Briefly during this period BAYKO often used aluminium for the rods...

There was also a brief flirtation with hollow rods...

Right at the end of this period there was a flurry of activity as the range of BAYKO parts was significantly increased.

I don't have exact dates for their launch, but they are mentioned in documents I have which are dated May and August 1949 - the 20th May flier details the following parts as a : -

Another document I have proclaims that : -

Well that certainly narrows it down, even if it doesn't give us an exact date.

► Corner Bricks.

► Balustrades and Wall Bricks.

► Spans and 2-Brick Pillars.

► Crazy Paving.

► Gable Roofs and Long Roof Ends.

► Domes.

► Pinnacle Roofs.

► Pinnacle Platforms.

► Turrets [all 4 types].

Curved Bricks and Curved Windows were now standard in BAYKO sets, and so it may be during this period that Plimpton included a slip with each set, warning children to use them properly...

The initial post-war manual [left] was produced, in various forms, for sets #0 to #2 until at least 1948, though the illustrations include the diamond pattern Flat Roofs in them all...

Plimpton also included the instruction leaflet [right] in each set throughout this period...

Export markets, and possibly the earliest post-war domestic market, were supported by an abridged, 16 page version [left]...

In 1948 set #3 was introduced and a separate manual [right], to support this, was included along with both the sets #0 to #2 manual and the instruction leaflet...