I built the Revell USS Arizona model in 1967 at the age of five. No paint, and one half of the stack went up the vacuum. But I was hooked on model building for life.
sillyone52062, I built the USS Arizona model too! When it first went on sale in 1960, it was a fundraiser and from the proceeds of the sales, Revell contributed about $40,000 to a fund for the construction of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which was completed in 1962. 🇺🇸
I'm sixty this year. Started building model kits when I was eight. Being a Brit I was weaned on Airfix (who have enjoyed their own convoluted history), and the long gone but for me, much missed Frog. I knew nothing of Revell or Monogram until my dad (in the RAF), was posted to Cyprus. That was 1970. I can still remember my amazement when I went into a toy shop in Limassol and beheld wonders! Revell, Monogram, even Aurora and Lindberg. I had known nothing of these companies and here the shelves were piled high with their products. Seeing some of the box art for so many of the kits I built back then was a trip down memory lane. Thanks for posting, much appreciated.
Being an Aussie we saw sweet f all brands. There was Airfix but I reckon most of my Airfix kits were sent to me by my British relatives for birthdays and Christmas. Most kits I built were Hasegawa. I couldn't afford the kits from the local Toyworld store with one week of pocket money I mainly purchased mine from Kmart. Occasionally I'd be lucky and I'd fluke saving up enough money and nobody else purchasing a kit in the Toyworld store. I'm fairly certain that the Revell R.A.A.F. F-111C I built was from the local Toyworld All the actual hobby shops were a very long bike ride from where I lived. Occasionally I'd catch the bus into Adelaide and check out the big hobby store in Rundle Mall but I wouldn't have bought many there if any at all Nobody imports Hasegawa into Australia now. Have to buy them online mainly via ebay
The first model kit I ever built was a P51-D Mustang by Revell. I bought it as a teenage boy growing up in Germany in the 1970s. Although I must say that of all the plastic kits I built over the years those from Matchbox model series from the UK had the highest quality. Revell came second, Airfix third. Tamiya and Heller were also available at that time in Germany, but I never bought them - I don't know why. I still remember how happy I was when the new catalogs came out every year.
Odysseus Laertiades I would hazard a guess and say cost. Tamiya were more expensive in the 70’s at least that was my experience. Now they seem to be amongst the cheapest.
Thanks you Max for sharing this video about the story of Revell in the USA. I am new in this hobby and i started by the Revell easy click kits (level 2) and now i build some Revell kits skills 3 and 4. Currently Revell is my favourite company. All the Best.
I first built Revell model kits when I was 12 years old. I remember the awesome artworks of the box-tops by Revell artists, John Steele and Jack Leynnwood. The kits were marketed as the “box-top art you can frame.” I collected many of them. 👍.
Since i live in Germany, Revell was the first contact to the model kit world for me. They have a special nostalgic place in my heart, but to be honest i cant remember the last time i bought a Revell set.... imho they just cant compete with other high quality kits like Hasegawa or Tamiya. Another favority company of mine is the czech company Eduard. They produce wonderful detailing sets for numerous other brands, and also their own model kits which are the best "bang for your buck" kits on the market. Especially their "ProfiPack" (model kit, photo etch details, decals for 4-6 options, and fitted masking tape) and "DualCombo" (two planes/vehicles in the ProfiPack standard) never disappointed me. They are by far the best deal on such detailed kits. Their machining is also superb, you basically have no flash on the sprues. And the fit on their kits is almost perfect most times!
Great video, I had a friend whose dad worked for Revell in the Venice CA period and I'm surprised there is no mention of Ed Big Daddy Roth, who my friend actually met. Revell made models of many of Roth's surreal hotrods, (which still impact the art world today) and those models were very popular with my teenage set.
Russell Good , my mom used to work there in the 70s and work on the chrome plastic parts. She used to bring me all kinds of models and slot car tracks. Thanks for the memories.
I also met Big Daddy at a car show in Massachusetts. He was a really humble person who appreciated his fans. I still have some of those Ed Roth kits as well as T-Shirts I ordered from him from his ads in car craft magazine. Sadly, he passed away not too long after I met him.
... I was born in '51, and grew up building all sorts of models, many of them Revell. This enabled me to acquire valuable critical-analytical and mechanical aptitude skills which have stood me in excellent stead. I'll turn 69 in a couple of weeks ... *and God help me if I ever spy a model of a 1969 Buick Riviera.*
Yes, I believe making kits gives one valuable experience in the methodology of repairing mechanical objects. I spent equal time building kits and bicycles. Then when I started driving cars I was able to repair them. Some years ago I got into watch and clock repairs. Now I'm into slot cars and use my experience to create better reprentations of the actual cars and am now building slot cars from resin castings
Growing up model making in the UK 1960s/70s, Revell were the second best known brand after Airfix; which, as I have said before, was a poor showing by Frog. Liked their 1/72 planes and their 1/32 Hawker Hurricane was the first larger scale plane I ever made. I built the Revell HMS Victory in the mid 1980s (a parental gift to me in 1978) and it graced a high shelf in the house until about a year back when it fell off and smashed; its time has come I guess, maybe I'll take a trip down to Portsmouth and see the 1/1 version. All good memories of Revell, a very credible brand the USA should be proud of.
When I started building models again in 2005 one of the first I built was the 1/32 Bf-109. I added a resin cockpit, photoetch and some scratch building of wiring and hoses. This old kit has won me many awards in competitions and continues to do so. I am currently working on trying to built a Vietnam War 'Hunter/Killer helicopter team (Inspired by the book "Low Level Hell") and the only 1/32 scale Cayuse I can find is that old Revell kit. As far as I can tell, no one else has made one in that scale. Revell will always be an influence on modelers...
That's true but so do cigarettes and cigarettes you just burn up. Many years ago when I experienced unemployment for the first time I had to sell my collection of unmade model kits to eat and help keep a roof over my head. In 2013 I had heart problems and had to find something to do with my time and got back into making a couple of kits. I've been able to re-acquire all the kits I sold and thanks to ebay get a lot I never saw when I was young but would have bought had I. Eventually I'll die and someone else will get to experience the thrill of acquiring that hard to find kit
A better way of looking at it, is to ask how long you have to work to earn the money to buy the item, whether it's a model kit, or food, or anything else. Chances are that you work fewer hours to earn the money to buy a kit of comparable quality to Monogram's kits from the late 60s, the 70s, or the 80s-the years when they really achieved a good level of detail.
And what would you spend your money on? Not a nice bottle of wine or good meal with the Mrs that’s better than Arby’s? Face it. Too much time and no money. Become a Buddhist. Best way to learn to endure your happiest part of life. Ohmmmm🎉
I built Revell's 1977 Goodyear Blimp amongst the hundreds of other awesome Revell plastic models.And lost count of all the plastic models I have put together from 1975-2021.From 1:16 to 1:25 scale.Paddle boat,Budweiser Clydesdale 8 Horse Hitch,The General Steam Train,K900 Tow Truck & countless other models.Working on Grease Lightning '48 Ford.I remember when you can buy a Revell plastic model kit for $4.00-$7.00 back in the 1970's,but now that it's Sept 25,2021,they all have gone thru the roof on prices.But nothing can replace the hours I enjoyed painting & putting together all these models,especially the bigger models.
Hands down the finest box art in the industry. I have no doubt this led to a great deal of their success in the '60s when I was building everything my meager allowance would let me buy
My first model was a Revell VW Beetle at the age of 7 in 1967. The think was so detailed! You had to build up the front torsion spring axle for one example, rather than a simple one molded in one piece. It was a bit too much for a first model, but I sure wish I had that fine model today. Newer kits only have a fraction of the parts and detail.
I grew up in the west Los Angeles area and remember going with the Cub Scouts on a tour of the Revell facility in Venice. I also had a neighbor who worked at Revell, I think he was a designer.
The Renwal purchase I fondly remember. In 1975 I was an 11 year old watching his favorite model company start an avalanche of premium kits I'd never seen before. Not until years later when eBay came along did I figure out where all those great kits came from.
There was no mention of the HO model railroad kits with the Revell name. They did quite a few and they were nice kits. Many are still available from a company called Con-Cor.
Love you content. I grew up in Venice and knew of the plant. Made a bunch of their models. I noticed that our European modelers pronounce the name Revell as in Rev vell. I pronounced it Rahvel which is phonetic as I can get it. It’s funny to hear each time but at least the Euro’s have Revell still going.
I remember Revell, they were located on the corner of Redwood and Maxcella, my grandma lived a few blocks away on Alla Rd. I built a few kits from Revell, my favorite build was their 1956 Ford pick up, I liked the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, but it took a lot of experience to patience and what 12 year old has that. Oh, for those of you who grew up in the early sixties next to the Revell Company in Venice should remember that Maxcella Ave was literally a dirt road with foot deep tire marks 😁 try riding your bike through that.
When I was a kid I only made one Revell kit. It would have been two but the 1/32 P51B Mustang fuselage was that warped it wouldn't go together and ended up in the bin. The kit I was able to make was the F-111C with R.A.A.F. markings. I now have three boxings of that kit with one box made in the U.S.A. one made in Great Britian and the last box made in Australia which is extremely rare
Oh, how I love those 1/32 scale wwII airplanes and the beautiful box art... still do and have almost the entire series...what got me hooked was the supermarine spitfire...still missing the Japanese release of the George...being retired and not working I can only dream of that kit...if and when I find it is just way too expensive..some of these kits are still factory wrapped...don't want to build them crazy uh?...good luck to all the fellow modelers out there...
My first Revell had begun by Comander Serie" USS Helena, followed by the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, in 1970. The folowing year I bought the USS Arizona. Since then, my collection include many warships and airplanes of Revell, all of them "still in service". I'm 65 and my grandson of 15 will inherit all models.
A number of us constructed Revell model kits of the USS Missouri and other WWII era ships back in the 1956-60 time period. We found that with minor modifications the Missouri could become the USS Wisconsin; but the unique thing that this one group of kids did was to take our plastic hulls to Shop Classes at Junior High School to shave off and eliminate the hulls below the water line. Subsequent to filling the hull and superstructure with modeling clay and ballast; we would seal off the hull bottoms with a single formed piece of sheet plastic or balsa wood. Once painted monotone dark gray the models then resembled the much smaller scale water-line miniatures which were made of metal. The modified Revell models proved to be a real display hit at the County Fair and other venues.
The first kit I can remember building was the "box scale" B-36. This was around 1956, when I would have been six years old. I was a huge fan of the box art of the late '60s by John Steele, especially the big sailing ship models and the Me-262 taxiing in the rain. Such great memories.
Amazing perspective. I remember the Revell hot rod kits -the Outlaw by big daddy Ed Roth etc and their HO scale structure kits. Never even considered building a boat or a plane.
Max, you need to include Plásticos Lodela a Mexican company that rented tools from Revell, kits were sold as Revell Lodela in Mexico and South America. They even used the same art box as Revell. Also, a separate chapter for Revell Germany. They made and make different model kits than Revell USA.
Thanks for posting this history. I’d a bit sad to think that many companies had the very same struggles and eventually were absorbed and were never to be the same again. Once the “founder” goes....its only a matter of time. And the poor employees who dedicated their service many years prior...become meaningless and a “don’t care” to the new owners and quality inevitably suffers. Revell will always be tied in with great childhood memories and their box Art was second to none.
I purchased many of the 1/32nd scale combat aircraft series largely because of the size of the models and the excellent artwork on their boxes. The Spitfire painting was my favorite. The detailing of the parts was impressive. My only complaint was that they did not always go together well. The F4F Wildcat had a very difficult to assemble landing gear because it was made functional. As I recall, it retracted and extended by turning the propeller. Then there were the small 33 1/3 RPM records which were included with some of the kits such as the Wildcat and the PBY5A Catalina "Black Cats". These were very professionally made audio histories and reenactments of real wartime events. I spent hours listening to them.
@@Paladin1873 I missed that one, but I still have the JU-88 record. Google "Monogram PA70" and check out the box top images. You'll see the propeller-operated landing gear highlighted in the bottom-right corner of the box top.
So, I'm unsure. Did Max Kohnke have a hand in making this video? It isn't easy to tell. A Tale told by a Max. Full of plastic and humor, signifying Fun! My first Revell kit was "Memphis Belle". Revell kits sparked my ship-modeling interests. fast-forward 45 years. Now I operate a modest model company making scale resin ships & boats nobody else does. Not a great business model (HA!) but it keeps me off the streets. All y'all are much safer this way! You're welcome! Fun video! Bravo to whomever made it!
Revell Germany is still on the market though you have to watch out what you buy as many of their kits are badge-engineered products from other manufacturers, including Italeri. Hence a hodge podge of construction methods and varying quality.
Their 1/16 scale dragsters and funny cars are still in high demand. On E-bay, they go for 75-100 dollars easy, even more if it's certain kits such as Don Garlits or Don Prudhomme dragster kits.
Been building plastic models all my life, since the 1960s. The Revell kits were always favorites, given my family name. I recently built the old horridly inaccurate USS Nautilus kit again, adding to a minicollection of Nautilus kits by four different companies - Revell, Aurora, Lindberg and the Ukranian Mir company, that finally got it right. Revell still makes some of the best car models. Prices are much higher, but sometimes a good deal can be found on Amazon. Revell of Germany still markets some of the classic kits, so we'll be building them well into the future.
When my brothers and I were kids and deep into the plastic model hobby, we had a very high respect for Revell kits. Monogram's kits were OK, but we always thought that the Revell kits represented 'serious' modeling, while the Monogram kits (which usually had 'operating features' that took liberties with scale) were less-serious 'fun' kits.
I'm 70 years old, now. Back when I was a pre-teenager, the only models I would buy were Revell. No one else came close to their military model accuracy, parts fitting, and detail, in my young opinion. The only grip I had was the box cover of the USS Arizona firing her 14 in guns at the attacking Japanese planes. That got me to wondering: If they got that detail so wrong, what else was wrong with their models?
First model I ever built and painted was a F16 (with paints included in the box). I didn't know a thing about miniature painting, or what a hobby even consisted of, I just wanted a nice plane to paint (which, for 8 y.o me, meant PUTTING GOLD AND SILVER EVERYWHERE). Nowadays, I'm 22 and even if I'm heavily hooked on Warhammer and Warlord Games miniatures, I still buy some Revell kits once in a while (because I'm a huge history nerd and because most of them are quite cheap in toy stores) to relax, or just have something to do with my hands if the internet goes down. I know a lot of kids prefer to play online, or just outright go outside and chill with their friends, but for the shy/antisocial people like me it's cool to have at least a few brands that won't cost you a lung for 5 guys in heavy golden armor (I'm looking at you, Adeptus Custodes). Anyway, thanks for your video ^^
It would be interesting to see a video about how scale model molds were made. Also, would be interesting to see a video about how model making companies acquire licensing to make models and what kind of subjects require licensing.
Your videos are very informative (and hilarious at the end - I like your sense of humor). And they bring back precious memories from my childhood. Thank you for your effort! One more thing: I think that for the commercial success of the different manufacturers the quality of the box illustrations played an important part. In that respect Airfix was unsurpassed because of the wonderful artwork by Roy Cross which made up for the not always satisfying quality of their plastic kits. - I hope you will continue your series of videos and cover more manufacturers in the course of time.
Another great model kit history video. Did you know that Ed "Big Daddy" Roth blamed the Beatles for his Revell kits sales decline. Kids were into electric guitars and drums and Ed left Revell to start Choppers magazine and customize motorcycles.
The 1/72nd scale P40 was excellent too. I assume it was scaled down from the larger model. My only criticism was the shiny finish didn't take paint as well as some other brands.
Revell's P-40 in 1/72? Yes, it was. They issued the 1/32 scale kit first, then pantographed the design down to 1/72, and later into 1/48. The 1/48 kit wasn't produced in the same numbers as the two in the other scales, but it made it into the merged catalog, and it was used as the basis for the Pro-Modeler P-40E kit.
Go on Scalemates and input "Revell AMT" Revell did 1/32 model car kits starting in 1955 with multipiece bodies. These kits were done by none other than Budd "The Kat" Anderson who worked for Revell back then. The Lincoln Futura & Pontiac Club deMer showcar kits were his too. This explains the AMT tie in.
Thank you so much. As a kid in the '50s I built Revell ships, planes and a missile launcher. Do you remember the controversy over the nuclear sub kit? Was said to have given the Russians secret information.
I came along too late for that dustup but I remember the Congressman in the 1980s angrily waving a copy of the Testors "F-19 Stealth" (a wild-sss guess that looked more like Electra Woman's Electra-Car than like any plane) and demanding how a model company got hold of top secret designs.
I live in Europe and I when I was younger I was always a bit confused why Revell used to have this American branch. But it's the other way: Revell started in America and later expanded to Germany.
David R Lentz, Columbus, Ohio, USA (Saturday, 31 August, 2024) Max, you give me an engaging, deeply appreciated historical look at some of the highlights of my life. Thanks. At 1:40 of your video, at the illustrations of the very old cars, in what scale were those kits, please? Are any of them still round to be found? At round 3:03, the Miniature Masterpieces start. In what scale were they? Are any of them still round to be found?
Haha, I've just started building the HIWAY PIONEERS SETS. Simple Fun, away from my complex Tamiya, Aoshima etc. lol I spend over 20 yrs with Tupperware. Many hours/years decades amongst plastic injection molds.
Regarding the popularity of the 1/32 scale airplane kits today, and the prices, that's a price a kit collector would pay. A modeler would likely pay less for a kit to build.
Put together a B 58 at home what a kit and what a plane then came June 8th 1964 enlisted USAF November 1964 walked out on the flight line LRAFB low and behold sat a fleet of the real thing 458 is on display in the museum who would of thought now at 74 I would see the kit makers that shaped my life wow
Revell model kits were always my second choice. I’d always buy Monogram first. I can remember buying two of the same Monogram model kit just to avoid buying Revell when possible.
You missed an important point--the emergence of high pressure polystyrene injection molding, developed by Bell Labs in the late 1940s for telephones. Without that technology, Revell and its competitors would never have flourished.
My first and only Revell kit was a Supermarine Spitfire. Sadly the plastic was waxy and of poor quality (it broke easily) and I then tried to avoid this brand.
@@theBaron0530 Which indicates yet another You Tube video in which details are ignored. There are still physical examples of the Highway Pioneer models around bearing the lettering "Gowland".
I will go a little further: I remember when Revell introduced "modern" car kits such as the mid 50's Ford convertible, Cadillac, Buick, etc. The Ford kit I bought new had lettering molding on the inside of the floor(?) Indicating a connection to the "Aluminum Model Toys" company, better known as "AMT". I assume AMT developed the Master Model, not the molds, from which the Revell kit was made. Which I find interesting since according to another You Tube video AMT's original tooling/molds were made by a shop in Arkanas back then. (As I write this I recall that the use of "slides" were introduced to plastic injection molds about this time period. Maybe it was these "new ways" of manufacturing explains the various companies working together?) Hard to say just how unconnected the plastics companies were at that time, as, for example, I was a mold maker in Central Ohio for a company that made the molds for the horrible "Goodyear" tires found in AMT kits during the early 70's (the shop thought the tires were for toys, NOT model cars). Just what did the company whose name was on the box produce in house? A good example is AMT-SMP. However, on another related subject - Anyone remember the Mickey Mouse Club video that sent a young boy and girl to Revell to "learn" how model kits were made? Those two were the "master models" for the children found in the 32nd scale Cadillac(?) kit. (The Mickey Mouse Club' videos mentioned/suggested they were meant to educate the "leaders of the 21st century". Most have worked ad I took up mold making...) In that MMC video some of the original master models for Highway Pioneers kits were shown which indicated Revell and Gowland & Gowland had a connection. I do question if the Gowland & Gowland name was connected to the 2nd series of Highway Pioneers which included the two 1930's "Ford" hot rod kits. I wish the video which prompted these remarks offered more info.
I have Ed's autobiography that's where I got it from also it did'nt help his standing with Revell when he started hangin' with the Angels and I'm not talkin Los Angeles.
I'm still building models .and I'm 66 years old.it's just a hobbie to do.its in your blood.just like collecting match box cars and hot wheels cars .and j d lighting cars.and still buy models.to collect butt I hate. What it cost just to buy a model car today.
YEP YEP YEP....same here, 66 and still at it. But now, at my age, I'm having to prioritize by builds and have to stick with the largest, most intricately detailed, and expensive ones. Even then, some of them won't get built unfortunately.
I built the Revell USS Arizona model in 1967 at the age of five. No paint, and one half of the stack went up the vacuum. But I was hooked on model building for life.
sillyone52062, I built the USS Arizona model too! When it first went on sale in 1960, it was a fundraiser and from the proceeds of the sales, Revell contributed about $40,000 to a fund for the construction of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which was completed in 1962. 🇺🇸
I'm sixty this year. Started building model kits when I was eight. Being a Brit I was weaned on Airfix (who have enjoyed their own convoluted history), and the long gone but for me, much missed Frog. I knew nothing of Revell or Monogram until my dad (in the RAF), was posted to Cyprus. That was 1970. I can still remember my amazement when I went into a toy shop in Limassol and beheld wonders! Revell, Monogram, even Aurora and Lindberg. I had known nothing of these companies and here the shelves were piled high with their products. Seeing some of the box art for so many of the kits I built back then was a trip down memory lane. Thanks for posting, much appreciated.
Being an Aussie we saw sweet f all brands.
There was Airfix but I reckon most of my Airfix kits were sent to me by my British relatives for birthdays and Christmas.
Most kits I built were Hasegawa.
I couldn't afford the kits from the local Toyworld store with one week of pocket money I mainly purchased mine from Kmart.
Occasionally I'd be lucky and I'd fluke saving up enough money and nobody else purchasing a kit in the Toyworld store.
I'm fairly certain that the Revell R.A.A.F. F-111C I built was from the local Toyworld
All the actual hobby shops were a very long bike ride from where I lived.
Occasionally I'd catch the bus into Adelaide and check out the big hobby store in Rundle Mall but I wouldn't have bought many there if any at all
Nobody imports Hasegawa into Australia now.
Have to buy them online mainly via ebay
The first model kit I ever built was a P51-D Mustang by Revell. I bought it as a teenage boy growing up in Germany in the 1970s. Although I must say that of all the plastic kits I built over the years those from Matchbox model series from the UK had the highest quality. Revell came second, Airfix third. Tamiya and Heller were also available at that time in Germany, but I never bought them - I don't know why. I still remember how happy I was when the new catalogs came out every year.
Odysseus Laertiades I would hazard a guess and say cost. Tamiya were more expensive in the 70’s at least that was my experience. Now they seem to be amongst the cheapest.
is your name Odyseuss Laertiades from Greek muthology?
@@lispoSO yes, it is taken from Homer's Odyssey, one of my favorite books.
Thanks you Max for sharing this video about the story of Revell in the USA. I am new in this hobby and i started by the Revell easy click kits (level 2) and now i build some Revell kits skills 3 and 4. Currently Revell is my favourite company. All the Best.
I first built Revell model kits when I was 12 years old. I remember the awesome artworks of the box-tops by Revell artists, John Steele and Jack Leynnwood. The kits were marketed as the “box-top art you can frame.”
I collected many of them. 👍.
Started in the 50's with Revell and Aurora they were great kits and we loved building anything we could get. Those were great times.
Dude!! The credits were stuper excellent 🤘🏼 Great research & development Max
Since i live in Germany, Revell was the first contact to the model kit world for me. They have a special nostalgic place in my heart, but to be honest i cant remember the last time i bought a Revell set.... imho they just cant compete with other high quality kits like Hasegawa or Tamiya. Another favority company of mine is the czech company Eduard. They produce wonderful detailing sets for numerous other brands, and also their own model kits which are the best "bang for your buck" kits on the market. Especially their "ProfiPack" (model kit, photo etch details, decals for 4-6 options, and fitted masking tape) and "DualCombo" (two planes/vehicles in the ProfiPack standard) never disappointed me. They are by far the best deal on such detailed kits. Their machining is also superb, you basically have no flash on the sprues. And the fit on their kits is almost perfect most times!
Nice music selections Mrs Kohnke!
Great information and even greater....the end credits.....Well Done Max!!!
Great video, I had a friend whose dad worked for Revell in the Venice CA period and I'm surprised there is no mention of Ed Big Daddy Roth, who my friend actually met. Revell made models of many of Roth's surreal hotrods, (which still impact the art world today) and those models were very popular with my teenage set.
Russell Good , my mom used to work there in the 70s and work on the chrome plastic parts. She used to bring me all kinds of models and slot car tracks. Thanks for the memories.
I also met Big Daddy at a car show in Massachusetts. He was a really humble person who appreciated his fans. I still have some of those Ed Roth kits as well as T-Shirts I ordered from him from his ads in car craft magazine. Sadly, he passed away not too long after I met him.
... I was born in '51, and grew up building all sorts of models, many of them Revell. This enabled me to acquire valuable critical-analytical and mechanical aptitude skills which have stood me in excellent stead. I'll turn 69 in a couple of weeks ... *and God help me if I ever spy a model of a 1969 Buick Riviera.*
Yes, I believe making kits gives one valuable experience in the methodology of repairing mechanical objects.
I spent equal time building kits and bicycles.
Then when I started driving cars I was able to repair them.
Some years ago I got into watch and clock repairs.
Now I'm into slot cars and use my experience to create better reprentations of the actual cars and am now building slot cars from resin castings
Growing up model making in the UK 1960s/70s, Revell were the second best known brand after Airfix; which, as I have said before, was a poor showing by Frog. Liked their 1/72 planes and their 1/32 Hawker Hurricane was the first larger scale plane I ever made. I built the Revell HMS Victory in the mid 1980s (a parental gift to me in 1978) and it graced a high shelf in the house until about a year back when it fell off and smashed; its time has come I guess, maybe I'll take a trip down to Portsmouth and see the 1/1 version. All good memories of Revell, a very credible brand the USA should be proud of.
When I started building models again in 2005 one of the first I built was the 1/32 Bf-109. I added a resin cockpit, photoetch and some scratch building of wiring and hoses. This old kit has won me many awards in competitions and continues to do so. I am currently working on trying to built a Vietnam War 'Hunter/Killer helicopter team (Inspired by the book "Low Level Hell") and the only 1/32 scale Cayuse I can find is that old Revell kit. As far as I can tell, no one else has made one in that scale. Revell will always be an influence on modelers...
Models cost WAY TO MUCH NOW.
That's true but so do cigarettes and cigarettes you just burn up.
Many years ago when I experienced unemployment for the first time I had to sell my collection of unmade model kits to eat and help keep a roof over my head.
In 2013 I had heart problems and had to find something to do with my time and got back into making a couple of kits.
I've been able to re-acquire all the kits I sold and thanks to ebay get a lot I never saw when I was young but would have bought had I.
Eventually I'll die and someone else will get to experience the thrill of acquiring that hard to find kit
Yes
A better way of looking at it, is to ask how long you have to work to earn the money to buy the item, whether it's a model kit, or food, or anything else. Chances are that you work fewer hours to earn the money to buy a kit of comparable quality to Monogram's kits from the late 60s, the 70s, or the 80s-the years when they really achieved a good level of detail.
And what would you spend your money on? Not a nice bottle of wine or good meal with the Mrs that’s better than Arby’s?
Face it. Too much time and no money. Become a Buddhist. Best way to learn to endure your happiest part of life. Ohmmmm🎉
I built Revell's 1977 Goodyear Blimp amongst the hundreds of other awesome Revell plastic models.And lost count of all the plastic models I have put together from 1975-2021.From 1:16 to 1:25 scale.Paddle boat,Budweiser Clydesdale 8 Horse Hitch,The General Steam Train,K900 Tow Truck & countless other models.Working on Grease Lightning '48 Ford.I remember when you can buy a Revell plastic model kit for $4.00-$7.00 back in the 1970's,but now that it's Sept 25,2021,they all have gone thru the roof on prices.But nothing can replace the hours I enjoyed painting & putting together all these models,especially the bigger models.
Love the descriptions at the end of the videos :))
Hands down the finest box art in the industry. I have no doubt this led to a great deal of their success in the '60s when I was building everything my meager allowance would let me buy
This took a lot of work. Thank you.
My first model was a Revell VW Beetle at the age of 7 in 1967. The think was so detailed! You had to build up the front torsion spring axle for one example, rather than a simple one molded in one piece. It was a bit too much for a first model, but I sure wish I had that fine model today. Newer kits only have a fraction of the parts and detail.
I grew up in the west Los Angeles area and remember going with the Cub Scouts on a tour of the Revell facility in Venice. I also had a neighbor who worked at Revell, I think he was a designer.
that is too cool
The Renwal purchase I fondly remember. In 1975 I was an 11 year old watching his favorite model company start an avalanche of premium kits I'd never seen before. Not until years later when eBay came along did I figure out where all those great kits came from.
There was no mention of the HO model railroad kits with the Revell name. They did quite a few and they were nice kits. Many are still available from a company called Con-Cor.
Love you content. I grew up in Venice and knew of the plant. Made a bunch of their models. I noticed that our European modelers pronounce the name Revell as in Rev vell. I pronounced it Rahvel which is phonetic as I can get it. It’s funny to hear each time but at least the Euro’s have Revell still going.
I remember Revell, they were located on the corner of Redwood and Maxcella, my grandma lived a few blocks away on Alla Rd.
I built a few kits from Revell, my favorite build was their 1956 Ford pick up, I liked the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, but it took a lot of experience to patience and what 12 year old has that.
Oh, for those of you who grew up in the early sixties next to the Revell Company in Venice should remember that Maxcella Ave was literally a dirt road with foot deep tire marks 😁 try riding your bike through that.
When I was a kid I only made one Revell kit.
It would have been two but the 1/32 P51B Mustang fuselage was that warped it wouldn't go together and ended up in the bin.
The kit I was able to make was the F-111C with R.A.A.F. markings.
I now have three boxings of that kit with one box made in the U.S.A. one made in Great Britian and the last box made in Australia which is extremely rare
Oh, how I love those 1/32 scale wwII airplanes and the beautiful box art... still do and have almost the entire series...what got me hooked was the supermarine spitfire...still missing the Japanese release of the George...being retired and not working I can only dream of that kit...if and when I find it is just way too expensive..some of these kits are still factory wrapped...don't want to build them crazy uh?...good luck to all the fellow modelers out there...
My first Revell had begun by Comander Serie" USS Helena, followed by the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, in 1970. The folowing year I bought the USS Arizona. Since then, my collection include many warships and airplanes of Revell, all of them "still in service". I'm 65 and my grandson of 15 will inherit all models.
Another Great job. Great audio and editing. I remember building these.
A number of us constructed Revell model kits of the USS Missouri and other WWII era ships back in the 1956-60 time period. We found that with minor modifications the Missouri could become the USS Wisconsin; but the unique thing that this one group of kids did was to take our plastic hulls to Shop Classes at Junior High School to shave off and eliminate the hulls below the water line. Subsequent to filling the hull and superstructure with modeling clay and ballast; we would seal off the hull bottoms with a single formed piece of sheet plastic or balsa wood. Once painted monotone dark gray the models then resembled the much smaller scale water-line miniatures which were made of metal. The modified Revell models proved to be a real display hit at the County Fair and other venues.
very detailed. it was very fun to watch
Great video.Well researched and presented
The first kit I can remember building was the "box scale" B-36. This was around 1956, when I would have been six years old. I was a huge fan of the box art of the late '60s by John Steele, especially the big sailing ship models and the Me-262 taxiing in the rain. Such great memories.
Amazing perspective. I remember the Revell hot rod kits -the Outlaw by big daddy Ed Roth etc and their HO scale structure kits. Never even considered building a boat or a plane.
Well done in making this very well- edited and informative video!!!
Bosses like Lewis Glaser are a rare find. We need more like him.
In Mexico they were sold as Lodela-Revell... I made several models of WW2 aircraft...
I a Lodelo
Max, you need to include Plásticos Lodela a Mexican company that rented tools from Revell, kits were sold as Revell Lodela in Mexico and South America. They even used the same art box as Revell.
Also, a separate chapter for Revell Germany. They made and make different model kits than Revell USA.
They almost tanked, as they pan the tank.
Thanks for posting this history. I’d a bit sad to think that many companies had the very same struggles and eventually were absorbed and were never to be the same again. Once the “founder” goes....its only a matter of time. And the poor employees who dedicated their service many years prior...become meaningless and a “don’t care” to the new owners and quality inevitably suffers. Revell will always be tied in with great childhood memories and their box Art was second to none.
Revell is part of my life since I was five years when I started building wwIl fighters in 1/72 scale;since then it became my favorate Hobby.
I purchased many of the 1/32nd scale combat aircraft series largely because of the size of the models and the excellent artwork on their boxes. The Spitfire painting was my favorite. The detailing of the parts was impressive. My only complaint was that they did not always go together well. The F4F Wildcat had a very difficult to assemble landing gear because it was made functional. As I recall, it retracted and extended by turning the propeller. Then there were the small 33 1/3 RPM records which were included with some of the kits such as the Wildcat and the PBY5A Catalina "Black Cats". These were very professionally made audio histories and reenactments of real wartime events. I spent hours listening to them.
I have a vintage 1/32 Revell Spitfire of the table right now.
Just finished it ruclips.net/video/wH_zKuCG2ik/видео.html
The Revell 1/32 scale F4F Wildcat did not have operating landing gear.The kit you are thinking of was Monogram's 1/32 F3F.
@@davidfifer4729 I must have owned both because I also had the Wildcat record.
@@Paladin1873 I missed that one, but I still have the JU-88 record. Google "Monogram PA70" and check out the box top images. You'll see the propeller-operated landing gear highlighted in the bottom-right corner of the box top.
So, I'm unsure. Did Max Kohnke have a hand in making this video? It isn't easy to tell.
A Tale told by a Max. Full of plastic and humor, signifying Fun!
My first Revell kit was "Memphis Belle". Revell kits sparked my ship-modeling interests. fast-forward 45 years. Now I operate a modest model company making scale resin ships & boats nobody else does. Not a great business model (HA!) but it keeps me off the streets. All y'all are much safer this way! You're welcome!
Fun video! Bravo to whomever made it!
He was there..... ;)
Revell Germany is still on the market though you have to watch out what you buy as many of their kits are badge-engineered products from other manufacturers, including Italeri. Hence a hodge podge of construction methods and varying quality.
Most of the planes I've built and like they make. Finished an F-105 last year great kit.
nice one , thank you Max
Robert
i built the 1st Bf109 1/32 a few years ago... it was a fun kit, and still looks good against the more modern kits.
Their 1/16 scale dragsters and funny cars are still in high demand. On E-bay, they go for 75-100 dollars easy, even more if it's certain kits such as Don Garlits or Don Prudhomme dragster kits.
Been building plastic models all my life, since the 1960s. The Revell kits were always favorites, given my family name. I recently built the old horridly inaccurate USS Nautilus kit again, adding to a minicollection of Nautilus kits by four different companies - Revell, Aurora, Lindberg and the Ukranian Mir company, that finally got it right. Revell still makes some of the best car models. Prices are much higher, but sometimes a good deal can be found on Amazon. Revell of Germany still markets some of the classic kits, so we'll be building them well into the future.
Loved the Credits at end of video 😅 👍
Thanks...always try to add a little humor
This is an outstanding history.
When my brothers and I were kids and deep into the plastic model hobby, we had a very high respect for Revell kits. Monogram's kits were OK, but we always thought that the Revell kits represented 'serious' modeling, while the Monogram kits (which usually had 'operating features' that took liberties with scale) were less-serious 'fun' kits.
Million thanks for the video..
I'm 70 years old, now. Back when I was a pre-teenager, the only models I would buy were Revell. No one else came close to their military model accuracy, parts fitting, and detail, in my young opinion. The only grip I had was the box cover of the USS Arizona firing her 14 in guns at the attacking Japanese planes. That got me to wondering: If they got that detail so wrong, what else was wrong with their models?
First model I ever built and painted was a F16 (with paints included in the box). I didn't know a thing about miniature painting, or what a hobby even consisted of, I just wanted a nice plane to paint (which, for 8 y.o me, meant PUTTING GOLD AND SILVER EVERYWHERE).
Nowadays, I'm 22 and even if I'm heavily hooked on Warhammer and Warlord Games miniatures, I still buy some Revell kits once in a while (because I'm a huge history nerd and because most of them are quite cheap in toy stores) to relax, or just have something to do with my hands if the internet goes down.
I know a lot of kids prefer to play online, or just outright go outside and chill with their friends, but for the shy/antisocial people like me it's cool to have at least a few brands that won't cost you a lung for 5 guys in heavy golden armor (I'm looking at you, Adeptus Custodes).
Anyway, thanks for your video ^^
Thats one of types we build & work with at the model shop here.
It would be interesting to see a video about how scale model molds were made. Also, would be interesting to see a video about how model making companies acquire licensing to make models and what kind of subjects require licensing.
Your videos are very informative (and hilarious at the end - I like your sense of humor). And they bring back precious memories from my childhood. Thank you for your effort! One more thing: I think that for the commercial success of the different manufacturers the quality of the box illustrations played an important part. In that respect Airfix was unsurpassed because of the wonderful artwork by Roy Cross which made up for the not always satisfying quality of their plastic kits. - I hope you will continue your series of videos and cover more manufacturers in the course of time.
I agree and did this video about box art. ruclips.net/video/h5aXoN4MQ7k/видео.html
Great work.
Another great model kit history video. Did you know that Ed "Big Daddy" Roth blamed the Beatles for his Revell kits sales decline. Kids were into electric guitars and drums and Ed left Revell to start Choppers magazine and customize motorcycles.
I did not know that. I might use that tidbit.
The 1/72nd scale P40 was excellent too. I assume it was scaled down from the larger model. My only criticism was the shiny finish didn't take paint as well as some other brands.
Revell's P-40 in 1/72? Yes, it was. They issued the 1/32 scale kit first, then pantographed the design down to 1/72, and later into 1/48. The 1/48 kit wasn't produced in the same numbers as the two in the other scales, but it made it into the merged catalog, and it was used as the basis for the Pro-Modeler P-40E kit.
Go on Scalemates and input "Revell AMT" Revell did 1/32 model car kits starting in 1955 with multipiece bodies. These kits were done by none other than Budd "The Kat" Anderson who worked for Revell back then. The Lincoln Futura & Pontiac Club deMer showcar kits were his too. This explains the AMT tie in.
Thank you so much. As a kid in the '50s I built Revell ships, planes and a missile launcher. Do you remember the controversy over the nuclear sub kit? Was said to have given the Russians secret information.
I came along too late for that dustup but I remember the Congressman in the 1980s angrily waving a copy of the Testors "F-19 Stealth" (a wild-sss guess that looked more like Electra Woman's Electra-Car than like any plane) and demanding how a model company got hold of top secret designs.
I like Revell and Monogram model kits. What year did Revell and Monogram become the same thing?
I live in Europe and I when I was younger I was always a bit confused why Revell used to have this American branch. But it's the other way: Revell started in America and later expanded to Germany.
David R Lentz, Columbus, Ohio, USA (Saturday, 31 August, 2024)
Max, you give me an engaging, deeply appreciated historical look at some of the highlights of my life. Thanks.
At 1:40 of your video, at the illustrations of the very old cars, in what scale were those kits, please? Are any of them still round to be found?
At round 3:03, the Miniature Masterpieces start. In what scale were they? Are any of them still round to be found?
I mainly built amt, but Revell had a '56 Ford Pick-up that I bought several times.
Haha, I've just started building the HIWAY PIONEERS SETS. Simple Fun, away from my complex Tamiya, Aoshima etc.
lol I spend over 20 yrs with Tupperware. Many hours/years decades amongst plastic injection molds.
I really like Revell. I about half of the models on my shelf are from revell.
Wonderful video!!
Regarding the popularity of the 1/32 scale airplane kits today, and the prices, that's a price a kit collector would pay. A modeler would likely pay less for a kit to build.
I had the Billy Carter truck.
Anyone here who had never a Revell kit in his hands?
Put together a B 58 at home what a kit and what a plane then came June 8th 1964 enlisted USAF November 1964 walked out on the flight line LRAFB low and behold sat a fleet of the real thing 458 is on display in the museum who would of thought now at 74 I would see the kit makers that shaped my life wow
The credits! 😂😂😂😂. Love it !
Revell model kits were always my second choice. I’d always buy Monogram first. I can remember buying two of the same Monogram model kit just to avoid buying Revell when possible.
my favorite model company
Nice job ... how about Monogram or Aurora, next?
I'm glad Max used stunts in the production of this video. Whew!
Nice vid! But all those credits at the end and you forgot to credit my friend Jim Peterik for his song Eye Of The TIger! Ha!
You never mentions Revell's HO Railroad products. Some of the most popular around.
fair enough
How did they get the scale and detail right back then?
You missed an important point--the emergence of high pressure polystyrene injection molding, developed by Bell Labs in the late 1940s for telephones. Without that technology, Revell and its competitors would never have flourished.
good note
My first and only Revell kit was a Supermarine Spitfire. Sadly the plastic was waxy and of poor quality (it broke easily) and I then tried to avoid this brand.
Revell: A real dream!
Can you do a vid about Revell Germany?
No mention of Gowland and Gowland? Are we thinking of the same "Revell? The Highway Pioneers were developed by Gowland.
He references using Thomas Graham's book. Graham does explain the connection. Not sure why that doesn't make it into the video.
@@theBaron0530 Which indicates yet another You Tube video in which details are ignored. There are still physical examples of the Highway Pioneer models around bearing the lettering "Gowland".
I will go a little further: I remember when Revell introduced "modern" car kits such as the mid 50's Ford convertible, Cadillac, Buick, etc. The Ford kit I bought new had lettering molding on the inside of the floor(?) Indicating a connection to the "Aluminum Model Toys" company, better known as "AMT". I assume AMT developed the Master Model, not the molds, from which the Revell kit was made. Which I find interesting since according to another You Tube video AMT's original tooling/molds were made by a shop in Arkanas back then. (As I write this I recall that the use of "slides" were introduced to plastic injection molds about this time period. Maybe it was these "new ways" of manufacturing explains the various companies working together?)
Hard to say just how unconnected the plastics companies were at that time, as, for example, I was a mold maker in Central Ohio for a company that made the molds for the horrible "Goodyear" tires found in AMT kits during the early 70's (the shop thought the tires were for toys, NOT model cars). Just what did the company whose name was on the box produce in house? A good example is AMT-SMP.
However, on another related subject - Anyone remember the Mickey Mouse Club video that sent a young boy and girl to Revell to "learn" how model kits were made? Those two were the "master models" for the children found in the 32nd scale Cadillac(?) kit. (The Mickey Mouse Club' videos mentioned/suggested they were meant to educate the "leaders of the 21st century". Most have worked ad I took up mold making...)
In that MMC video some of the original master models for Highway Pioneers kits were shown which indicated Revell and Gowland & Gowland had a connection. I do question if the Gowland & Gowland name was connected to the 2nd series of Highway Pioneers which included the two 1930's "Ford" hot rod kits.
I wish the video which prompted these remarks offered more info.
i had a corsair fighter plane model
revlon oh my go figure
Good bless REVELL!!!
Sorry bout The Good...GOD BLESS👍
they made a lot of car models
Revell sold because of the artwork, which the actual models seldom matched.
the teeth they painted on the planes scared the japanese
I have Ed's autobiography that's where I got it from also it did'nt help his standing with Revell when he started hangin' with the Angels and I'm not talkin Los Angeles.
come on...dish!
My Kid prejudice was the seeking of Revell models.
Interesting
I would love to have watched your video, but the music was absolutely horrific.
I'm still building models .and I'm 66 years old.it's just a hobbie to do.its in your blood.just like collecting match box cars and hot wheels cars .and j d lighting cars.and still buy models.to collect butt I hate. What it cost just to buy a model car today.
YEP YEP YEP....same here, 66 and still at it. But now, at my age, I'm having to prioritize by builds and have to stick with the largest, most intricately detailed, and expensive ones. Even then, some of them won't get built unfortunately.
The 1/32 spitfire was a crappy kit.
Probably one of the worst companies that make model kits in europe. Especially tanks that awful track assembly system is just a way to punish someone