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This fascinating model makes an interesting diversion at any Meccano exhibition and "Will keep your friends and family amused for many happy hours" as they used to say in old advertisements. This model makes good use of three of those large yellow, French flanged plates. The 6” x 6” tin toy prototype of the model was patented by one William Robertson in 1916  and was made by the Educational Novelty Company of Dayton , Ohio, U.S.A . Graham Jost of Melbourne, Australia, spotted the prototype in a museum and decided it could be replicated in Meccano. Consul's “calculating procedure" is disarmingly simple: alignment of the toes of his feet beside any two numbers on the scale across the base cause the downward-pointing Pawls representing the thumbs to move in such a way as to indicate the "sum or multiplication of those numbers, from the appropriate tabular backing card" The model has been a great success at several exhibitions with both adults and children, all are fascinated by the fact that a simple mechanical device can do multiplication or addition without any need of electronics. The plans for the model were published in Constructor Quarterly number 70, December 2005, pp. 32-35.   May 09 2006 Revised May 19 2015