The history of a Great Passion
The history of the Revell company is also
the history of a great passion that began in the mid 1940s in
America.
The idea of assembling a true-to-scale car model
from plastic parts, jumped across the pond just nine years after
its realization. In 1956, enthusiasm for the new hobby of model
building revolutionized the leisure time activities of countless
handicraft fans and collectors in Europe too.
The Model
Maker
was, is and will be: Revell
In 1956, the German subsidiary,
Revell Plastics GmbH, was founded. Based at a former cigar factory
that was rich in tradition, the subsidiary initially only sold
original model kits imported from the U.S. and Great Britain
in Germany.
Its first own development – a 1:8 scale BMW R 75/5 – came about
in 1971.
In the mid 1980s, the subsidiary set up its own development
department with adjoining production facilities in Bünde. From
1970 onwards, the sales network in Western European countries
expanded continuously. In the mid 1970s, the model kit range
was supplemented by an extensive range of accessories with paints,
glues and tools.
Successes in Western European countries gradually led to the
expansion of the sales network into Eastern Europe. Pointing
the way forward ten years later was the addition of airbrush
products and die-cast models to the product range.
Revell’s worldwide success is also illustrated by impressive
figures: for the first time in 1995 more than 5 million model
kits were sold. Several hundreds of thousands of Fokker Dr.
1 models have been sold to date. At a scale of 1:72, 1:28 and
as a MiniKit snap kit, the “Red Baron” is one of the most faithful
of model kit subjects. These figures are even more impressive
if one takes into consideration the fact that in the early years
only a few thousand models were sold each year.
Market successes and growth are dependent on new ideas, new
products and excellent quality. Revell sets itself very high
standards from the outset. Many years of experience of developing
new forms and excellent worldwide relations with the manufacturers
of the originals form the basis of Revell’s current status as
world market leader. Thus Revell provides the best conditions
for the model builder: year after year, he/she can look forward
to a cutting-edge product range. In this way, many big and little
dreams become reality.
Build Your Dream!
A look back at representative product highlights of the
past few decades highlights the fascinating diversity of Revell’s
model kit world.
One of the very first products is still popular today: Bismarck,
one of the biggest and most famous of German battleships, has
been in Revell’s product range since the early 1960s. In addition,
a small sailing ship made model building history when it left
the “Revell shipyard” as Peter Pan’s pirate ship in 1960. In
1969, the year of the moon landing, the complete Apollo-Saturn
range caused a sensation. The space travel series was continued
with the NASA ranges Challenger and Atlantis – through to today’s
days.
At the beginning of the 1980s, Revell was the first manufacturer
to present plastic model kits of lorries at a scale of 1:25.
A highlight of 1998 at the cinema and on the shelves was the
Titanic. It continues to be a highlight today – at several scales.
Another cinema hit is representative of the successful licensing
business and the easy kit product range introduced a few years
ago: These snap kits from the latest film from the Star Wars
Saga “The Revenge of the Sith” provide handicraft enthusiasts
with an outer galactic model building experience. Racy subjects
from the world of motor sports, like the German Touring Car
Championship, the WRC and the Dakar Rally, caused an immediate
sensation, especially among young model builders.
A shining example of Revell’s good relations with the licensors
and partners in trade and industry is the model of the Airbus
A380, which Revell presented even before the maiden flight of
the original giant.
The success of the last 50 years is an incentive for the future.
Revell will continue providing plastic model kits ‘par excellence’
in the future too.
