Matchbox is a popular 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.
A scale model is most generally a physical model of an object that maintains accurate relationships between its important aspects, although absolute values of the original properties need not be preserved. This enables it to demonstrate some behavior or property of the original object without examining the original object itself. The most familiar scale models represent the physical appearance of an object in miniature, but there are many other kinds.
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 toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve combat-related themes. Toy soldiers vary from simple playthings to highly realistic and detailed models. The latter are of more recent development and are sometimes called model figures to distinguish them from traditional toy soldiers. Larger scale toys such as dolls and action figures may come in military uniforms, but they are not generally considered toy soldiers.
Heller is a French brand of plastic scale model kits of aircraft, tanks, cars, and ships.
A die-cast toy is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die casting method of putting molten lead, zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber, glass, or other machined metal parts. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection moulding, but the two methods are distinct because of the properties of the materials.
Schuco is a German toy maker founded in 1912 by Heinrich Müller and the businessman Heinrich Schreyer in Nuremberg Germany's toy capital since early days. The company's specialty was usually cars and trucks in tin, plastic and diecast. The company went bankrupt in 1976 but was reorganized in 1993 and then totally independent again by 1996.
Meccano Ltd was a British toy company established in 1908 by Frank Hornby in England to manufacture and distribute Meccano and other model toys and kits created by the company. During the 1920s and 1930s it became the biggest toy manufacturer in the United Kingdom and produced three of the most popular lines of toys in the twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Trains and Dinky Toys.
1:144 scale is a scale used for some scale models such as micro/mini armor. 1:144 means that the dimensions of the model are 1/144 (0.00694) the dimensions of the original life-sized object; this equates to a scale of 1/2 inch per 6 feet of original dimension. For instance, an airplane 30 feet (9.14 m) in length would be a mere 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) long as a 1:144 scale model.
1:64 scale is a traditional scale for models and miniatures, in which one unit on the model represents 64 units on the actual object. It is also known as "three-sixteenths scale", since 3/16 of an inch represents one foot. A human is approximately 1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm) tall in 1:64 scale. The scale originated by halving the very common 1:32 scale, which was known as "standard size" in some hobbies.
Italeri S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of plastic scale models of airplanes, military vehicles, helicopters, ships, trucks, and cars. The company was founded in 1962 by Giuliano Malservisi and Gian Pietro Parmeggiani to produce accurate scale model kits with attention to detail.
Schabak is a die-cast toy producer based in Nuremberg, Germany. The company is well known for its line of German cars and commercial airline models. The company's on and off relation with German Schuco Modell is particularly notable.
Humbrol Limited is a British manufacturer of model kits, toys and paints, producing under its own brand and the Airfix, Sky Marks, Young Scientist, 1st Gear, High Speed and W. Britain brands. In 2006, the company entered administration, but later the same year was acquired by Hornby plc, who has since re-launched the brand.
NZG for Nürnberger Zinkdruckguß-Modelle GmbH is a German manufacturer of diecast scale models primarily in 1:50 scale for use both as toys and promotional models mainly by heavy transport and construction equipment manufacturers.
1:72 scale is a scale used for scale models, most commonly model aircraft, corresponding to one sixth of an inch representing one foot. In other words, 72 of a given model placed end to end would represent the length of the real thing. In this scale, a man who is six feet tall would be exactly one inch in height. The scale was popular for aircraft because small fighters and large bombers were represented, and was practically the only choice of scale if a modeler wanted to have all aircraft types represented in the same scale.
James May's Toy Stories is a UK documentary television series created and presented by James May, and produced by Plum Pictures for the BBC. The programme focused on bringing some of the most notable toys conceived in the past into the modern era to a "new generation of children", by putting each toy into a complex, large-scale project involving the nature of the toy. The projects, often ambitious, required an extensive team of experts, and in some cases required a large group of volunteers to help achieve the project's goal.
Cobi is a Polish toy company with its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. The company was founded in 1987, producing puzzles and board games. In 1992, it started producing building blocks with an interlocking stud and tube system, compatible with Lego blocks. Due to their popularity, the company switched completely to building block sets.
Arkitex was an all-plastic construction toy produced by Tri-ang from c.1959 to c.1965. It was available in 1/42 and OO scales. The toy was designed by Geoff Bailey. One of the advantages that the toy offered was that changes can be made to a partially-built structure without dismantling major sections.
Plasticos Lodela S.A. was a Mexican Plastic Scale Model and toy company. It was founded on August 17, 1957 by Apolo Lopez de Lara. The company name was a contraction of his surname. It was manufacturing the Revell brand plastic models, in addition to their plastic cement and a small line of paints for modeling. In 1975 Lodela began to manufacture the Cox brand miniature internal combustion engine toys, mainly flying Control Line model airplanes, but also some cars and helicopters. From the mid 1980s it issued also Airfix and Heller SA models. Some model kits included Lodela original Mexican markings.
Lintoy was a brand of die cast toys produced in the 1970s and 1980s from Hong Kong, owned by a man named David Lin.
