Brand record
Mécavion
Mécavion was a French toy maker established by Maurice Coudray, producing aviation-themed construction kits and mechanical aircraft toys. The company began as Établissements Maurice Coudray and introduced its first aircraft construction boxes in 1928, when it registered the Mécavion name. Its Gyroplane toys used a gyroscope and linked rods to simulate flight; the range included monoplanes inspired by the Couzinet 70 Arc-en-Ciel. Mécavion activity is recorded from 1928 to 1961.
- Founded
- 1924
- Final year
- 1961
- Countries
- France
- Locations
- Pouilly-sur-Loire · Fourchambault · Arsonval · Paris
- Founders
- Maurice Coudray
The story of Mécavion
Maurice Coudray established his toy business in 1924. It made scientific toys powered by gyroscopes under the Gyroplane name. In 1928 the company issued its first aircraft construction kits and registered Mécavion as a brand. The maker reference records activity under the Mécavion name from 1928 to 1961, when Coudray ended his work.
The company also made mechanical aviation toys. Its Gyroplane aircraft, introduced in 1933 and inspired by René Couzinet’s 70 Arc-en-Ciel, used rods connected to a gyroscope to produce a simulated flight and landing. The toy was offered as a single-engine monoplane and, from 1935, as a three-engine version. The Musée de La Poste records the model in its collection and notes that it remained in the catalogue until 1950. The workshops successively operated at Pouilly-sur-Loire, Fourchambault and Arsonval, with a Paris depot.
Collectors’ Corner
Posts about this brand
No posts about this brand yet. Do you own one, or know its story? Share your photos or ask fellow collectors.