Revell - Early History

Early History

Revell was founded in 1943 (some dates say 1945), as a plastics molding firm called Precision Specialties in Venice, California, in the United States by Lewis H. Glaser (1917–1972) and Jacque Fresco (1916 - )(see Miller no date). They apparently made a variety of products contracted for different companies (Maui Historical website; Pentago 2010). One of the first toy related products were HO scale (1:87) train sets including locomotives, and a variety of cars along with 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 were later reproduced in other scales. Reportedly, the name Revell came from the French word reveille meaning "new beginning" (Miller, no date). The Revell logo at the time was an almost spooky ragged prototype of today's design.

About 1950, Revell reproduced Maxwell and Ford Model T assembled toys originally designed by the Gowland Brothers in England, a company producing toys since 1932 (Gowland & Gowland 2007). According to noted collector Cecil Gibson (1971, p. 12) these did not sell so well in England, but Revell had much better luck with the series in the U.S. The Revell box said, "By John Gowland - creator of Champ and Chu Chu" (Funding Universe webpage). The 1911 Maxwell and 1910 Model T were about 1:20 scale and called "action pull toys" which consisted of a thin wound metal cord with a plastic handle. The metal cord was attached through the front of the car to the rear axle. The body of the Maxwell was hinged, so when the plastic handle was pulled, the car bounced on the floor and the driver bopped up and down. The box advertised that these were "Made in Hollywood" and were called Revell "Play Planned" toys.

A couple years later, these toys were scaled down and modeled as four to five inch 'Highway Pioneers Quick Construction' kits; some without the figures and none having mechanical toy action (Gowland & Gowland 2007). These met with great success - the Maxwell in particular was made famous by Jack Benny's radio show and around 1953, the original larger action toys were discontinued and Revell focused on the newer kits - with the Gowland hot air balloon logo still shown on the green, yellow or orange boxes (Funding Universe webpage). Box information shows models were offered in at least three series, not including the Maxwell. Series one consisted of a 1900 Packard, 1903 Ford Model A, 1910 Ford Model T roadster, 1909 Stanley Steamer, and a 1903 Cadillac. Series two was 1914 Stutz Bearcat, 1915 Ford Model T Sedan, 1908 Buick Rumble, 1910 Studebaker, and a 1910 Cadillac. Series three was the 1904 Oldsmobile, 1904 Rambler, 1907 Sears, 1910 Pierce Arrow, and a 1911 Rolls Royce (Gowland & Gowland 2007).

Models in the 'Highway Pioneers' series were commonly retooled and offered by a number of other companies like Premier, Lincoln International, Merit, Lodela, Minicraft and Dapol, among others. Some of these knock-offs appeared very early. For example, the 1911 Maxwell offered by Hudson Miniatures of Scranton, Pennsylvania, appeared in 1952 under the "Lil' Old Timers" name. The Hudson Miniatures kits usually were manufactured with a nice little brochure giving historical facts on each vehicle. One preserved example sold around 1953 in Strouss-Hirshbergs for 69 cents; the box advertised the model as a "Quickie-Kit".

In 1953, Revell introduced its first plastic molded kit, a replica of the battleship USS Missouri. Reportedly, their models of U.S. Navy warships were so accurate, that in 1960 it was discovered that the Kremlin had purchased a significant number of different models to help fill in blank spots in their intelligence regarding the design of American warships.

Several jet airplane models followed along with ships (classic and contemporary), jet engine and in the late 1950s, spacecraft (Bussie 2007). Infantry figures and various dioramas were also produced.

In the later 1950s, Revell began making more automotive related models. Beside jet engines, car engine models like the Chrysler Slant-6 were produced. Car models tended toward a more global selection than AMT or MPC or other American plastic model makers, with many European brands produced including many British makes. One interesting offering came about with a collaboration with AMT making the 1955 and 1956 promotional Buick. The models were not typical for the time in that there was full chassis detail, and bodies were cast in several pieces. Revell made these specifically built-up for showroom display (Doty 2011, page 87).