Archive for September, 2007

Foiling Plastic and Resin Model Kits for Realism by Ken Friend

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Background There have been several really good modeling articles written about using aluminum foil and hobby foil to generate the natural metal finish (NMF) of unpainted aircraft. The photographs of the finished product(s) show exquisite detail and realism that can’t be matched by any other method. While these articles focus ...

A Brief History of Revell Plastic Model Kits

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

In the early 1940s, Lou Glasser, a California entrepreneur, founded an injection molding company. Precision Specialties performed contract work for other manufactures. In the early 1950s Gowland and Gowland designed the famous 1/16 scale "Highway Pioneers" line of 34 cars, which were the first mass-produced plastic automotive kits. ...

A Brief History Of Monogram Plastic Model Kits

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

The name Monogram is synonymous with quality in model kits. The founders, Jack Besser and Bob Reder, had a clear vision of what constitutes an excellent model kit and how to transform that into mass production. Not surprisingly, Monogram proved to be a profitable company for many years. Early ...

A Brief History of Aurora Plastic Model Kits

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Aurora was one of the most prolific names in American Modeling from 1952 to 1977. The line was very diverse and included aircraft, ships, tanks, missiles, figures (monster and many others), science fiction, automotive, animals, guns, totem poles, HO train items, electronic kits, "Coppersmith" sets, prehistoric scenes and more. The ...