A model vehicle or toy vehicle is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in this general category. Because many miniature vehicles were originally aimed at children as playthings, there is no precise difference between a model car and a toy car, yet the word 'model' implies either assembly required or the accurate rendering of an actual vehicle at smaller scale. The kit building hobby became popular through the 1950s, while the collecting of miniatures by adults started to pick up momentum around 1970. Precision-detailed miniatures made specifically for adults are a significant part of the market since the mid-1980s.
Matchbox is a popular British toy brand which was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953, and is now owned by Mattel, Inc, which purchased the brand in 1997. The brand was given its name because the original die-cast Matchbox toys were sold in boxes similar to those in which matches were sold. The brand grew to encompass a broad range of toys, including larger scale die-cast models, plastic model kits, and action figures.
OO gauge or OO scale is the most popular standard-gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom despite being virtually unknown in other countries. This track gauge is one of several 4 mm-scale standards used, but it is the only one to be served by the major manufacturers. Unfortunately, the OO track gauge of 16.5 mm is actually incorrect for 4 mm scale, giving a track gauge equivalent of 4ft 1½in instead of 4ft 8½in. The majority of modellers in 4 mm are happy with this arrangement; one need only refer to the massive sales of Railway Modeller, British Railway Modelling and other magazines which feature many OO gauge layouts to see this. However, since the 1960s, other gauges in the same scale have arisen to reflect the desire of some modellers for greater scale accuracy.
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of injection-moulded plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other objects. In the United Kingdom the name Airfix is synonymous with plastic models of this type, often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer.
A plastic model is a plastic scale model manufactured as a kit, primarily assembled by hobbyists, and intended for static display. A plastic model kit depicts various subjects, with a majority depicting military and civilian vehicles. A kit varies in difficulty, ranging from a "snap-together" model that assemble straight from the box, to a kit that requires special tools, paints, and cements.
Model military vehicles range in size and complexity; from simplified small-scale models for wargaming, to large, super-detailed renditions of specific real-life vehicles.
A model figure is a scale model representing a human, monster or other creature. Human figures may be either a generic figure of a type, a historical personage, or a fictional character.
Newsfield Publications Ltd was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Dapol Ltd is a Welsh model railway manufacturer based in Chirk, Wales. The factory where design and manufacturing take place is just over the border in England. The company is known for its model railway products in N gauge and OO gauge.
Frog was a well-known British brand of flying model aircraft and scale model construction kits from the 1930s to the 1970s. The company's first model, an Interceptor Mk. 4, was launched in 1932, followed in 1936 by a range of 1:72 scale model aircraft kits made from cellulose acetate, which were the world's first.
Paragon Publishing Ltd was a magazine publisher in the UK, which published computer games and other entertainment titles from 1991 to 2003.
Skybirds was the brand name of a series of 1:72 scale wood and metal aircraft model kits produced by A. J. Holladay & Co. in the United Kingdom during the 1930s and 1940s.
Rosebud Kitmaster was the brand name of a short-lived but critically acclaimed range of plastic assembly kits, manufactured in the UK by Rosebud Dolls Ltd of Raunds, Northamptonshire. Introduced from May 1959, the range rapidly expanded to include 34 models of railway locomotives and coaches in OO, HO and TT scales, and eventually, one motorcycle in 1/16 scale. The assets of Rosebud Kitmaster were sold to Airfix Products Ltd in late 1962. Nine locomotives and the motorcycle were later re-issued under the Airfix brand.
Key Publishing is a magazine publishing company specialising in aviation titles, based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.
1:700 scale is a widely popular scale mainly used by Japanese ship model kit manufacturers, such as Aoshima, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Fujimi and Pit-Road.
The Hawk Model Company was one of the first American manufacturers of injection-molded plastic model kits.
Marusan (マルサン) is a Japanese model and toy company. It is known as the first Japanese plastic model manufacturer and also famous for selling PVC kaiju (monster) character toys during the 1960s. Its headquarters were located in Taitō, Tokyo.
Fujimi Mokei Co., Ltd. is a Japanese model manufacturer based in Shizuoka Prefecture. It produces plastic model kits of a variety of vehicles, including model aircraft, model cars, model ships and model armored vehicles along with historical structures and science fiction kits. Since "mokei" means "model" in Japanese, "Fujimi Mokei" is often called "Fujimi Model(s)" in English.
White River Productions is an independent publishing company that specializes in books and magazines targeted to railroad enthusiasts and historians. Kevin EuDaly founded the company in 1992 to published the book Missouri Pacific Diesel Power, which he also authored. Several other titles followed, and the company became his full-time venture beginning in 1996. The company expanded when it took on publishing newsletters and managing membership databases for several railroad historical societies. The company is headquartered in Bucklin, Missouri.
Airfix Model World is a monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom by Key Publishing since 2010, produced under licence from Airfix. It covers the hobby of plastic modelmaking, particularly model aircraft, but also including model cars, ships, sci-fi/spacecraft, armoured vehicles and figures. It is effectively the successor to an earlier publication, Airfix Magazine, which ceased in 1993.
