BAYKO Product Details - 1939 to 1941
'NEW SERIES'

During this period, BAYKO parts were still made using BAKELITE and scarab powders - urea formaldehyde - but, by this time, plastic technology had advanced, enabling cheap, reliable, mass production of accurate colours to be moulded with greater precision. This innovative range of sets bore the legend 'New Series', and were consistently 'officially' referenced in just that way.

This heralds a major period of change for BAYKO, unfortunately, as with so many things, the war severely disrupted this momentum.

Earlier parts were superseded but still available, individually, throughout this period : -

► Left & Right Steps

► Platforms

► Large Bases

► Full Corner Bricks

Despite these reductions, the range of parts was now significantly larger than earlier in the 1930s, the range of possible models much greater.

Because the size of Bases had been changed, the Base Links, and Screws also had to change.  The 'New Series' manuals actually specify the new Screw size as being 5BA…

Even more significant, particularly in terms of the appearance of 'New Series' BAYKO models, the entire range of Windows were [now] based on the more familiar 4-pane 'cruciform' style, rather than the earlier, 8-pane 'Georgian' style.

Wall Capping was no longer included - or was it? They weren't listed on the parts lists but were shown in 'New Series' Set #6 demonstration model cards, and I believe that six of each were included in that set, but not the smaller ones.

They were also mentioned as being included in 'Games and Toys', in September, 1939, and visible in the 'Toy Trader' of the same date.

I've seen, and had reports of, a few #6 sets now, and it looks pretty certain that they were included in set #6.

Click here for further info from 'Games and Toys'.

BAYKO was again available in sets #1 to #6 with conversion sets #1C to #5C also available. E.g. a #4C set converts a #4 set into a #5 set.

The 'New Series' set structure [not the parts of course!] were incompatible with the earlier sets, so the earlier conversion sets [1A, 2A, etc.] were still manufactured right up to the war. During this deliberate overlap, 'minimalist' labelling emerged, as wartime austerity kicked in.

The red and white Bricks, red Roofs and pale green Windows and Doors colour scheme was maintained.

However, any set could be ordered in the 'Oak' bricks, White windows, mottled green roof format, until the war and these parts were also available separately.

During this period, most sets were sold in Red boxes, but there are plenty of examples of 'New Series' sets in Blue boxes…

…this was true regularly during the 1930s and 1940s, but I've no idea why.

Although they had previously been included in the 20s series 'special sets', these 'New Series' sets were the first standard sets to include Curved Bricks, and Curved Windows and so this is probably this date when an information slip warning children to use them carefully and reinforcing the correct method of correctly locating the Rods, was included with BAYKO sets for the first time…

I feel the need to stick up for the 'New Series' innovations - I'm a fan!

BAYKO production ceased around the end of 1941 as the factory refocused on supporting the war effort.

For completeness, I should point out that we now know that 'New Series' set production continued, no matter how briefly, after the war…

It's potentially a little too easy to refer to material shortages, around the war, as an assumed trigger for something which happened to BAYKO…

…well, here, at least, we have documentary proof that Plimpton really did have to adjust the BAYKO product to take account of material shortages.

This label was stuck over page 3 of a 'New Series' set manual and clearly states that replacement Small and Medium Floors were included instead.

By the look of this slip [right], which is almost identical to the label above, Plimpton slipped it into some, at least, of their sets just before the war finally put an end to BAYKO production.

The label would only work for full sets, so the slip must have been used for conversion sets as there was no manual to stick a label in!

There was also a brief flirtation with Hollow Rods, around 1940, [and possibly post-war] as a response to raw material shortages…

I suspect that the scale of the next, BAYKO manual related, section was caused by the lack of available paper for long print runs, but it could equally, certainly before the war, have been a positive symptom of a 'New Series' launch success story! Either way, there are no less than five versions of the 'New Series' manual, [left, below] three pre-war…

…and two post-war versions…

There's also a set of model plan cards [right] which let the manual be thinner…

You may want to know more about the full range of BAYKO manuals, if so…