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Revell
Revell logo
Headquarters Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States (Revell–Monogram)
Bünde, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (Revell GmbH)
Website http://www.revell.com (Revell–Monogram)
http://www.revell.de (Revell GmbH)

Revell was a manufacturer of a broad range of plastic and die-cast models of cars, aircraft, military vehicles and ships. The company was originally founded in 1943, in Venice, California, United States by Jacque Fresco and Lou Glaser. After four decades of marginal profitability, Revell was purchased by Odyssey Partners of New York and folded into the Monogram Models Company of Morton Grove, Illinois which Odyssey had purchased earlier that year. Its plant in Venice was closed and all its usable assets were transferred to Monogram's Des Plaines, Illinois Number 2 plant. The new company then moved to Northbrook, Illinois, United States. Due to Revell's prolific world wide name recognition, Revell has become the primary brand name used on many of its kit lines. Its major American competitors in the plastic model kit market include AMT-Ertl, Lindberg, and Testors. The company now resides in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States.

Around 1960, Revell entered the model railroad market with a line of HO (1:87.1) scale locomotives, cars and buildings. The building line was extensive, including a farm group, a suburban passenger station, and a variety of utility structures. Many of these Revell originals have been copied in other scales.

Revell produces model ships,planes,tanks,cars,helicopters as well as infantry and dioramas.

On May 2, 2007, Hobbico Inc. announced it had acquired Revell-Monogram, LLC, the corporate owner of Revell.

In 1956, the German subsidiary, Revell Plastics GmbH, was founded in Bünde, West Germany. During the 1970s, this company started developing and manufacturing also its own independent lines of model kits outside the direct control of Revell, USA. These models are imported into the United States, and some of the newer kits earned reputation for high quality. However, also the "German" kits are only produced in Eastern Europe or China under the German label. Later known as Revell AG (stock company), the German company has now changed to the legal form of GmbH & Co. KG (Inc.), and is independent since its formal separation from Revell-Monogram LLC in September 2006. When it comes to total revenue, the German company ranks even somewhat above the former American "parent"-company.

  • List of Revell kits

Catalog Collection[]

Revell 1955 front

Revell 1955 Catalog

Revell 1957-58 front

Revell 1957-58 Catalog

Revell 1958-59 front

Revell 1958-59 Catalog

Revell 72 cover

Revell 1972-73 Catalog

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