Jump to content

Revell Germany Acquired by Hobbico


Mike

Recommended Posts

An official press release from Revell EU follows:

REVELL GERMANY ACQUIRED BY HOBBY INDUSTRY LEADER

Bünde, Germany, February, 2012 - Hobbico, Inc. of Champaign, Illinois USA announced today that it has acquired Revell Deutschland Holding GmbH.

Revell Germany was established in 1956 and is the European market leader in the plastic model building segment. For the last four years, Revell has also been a key player in radio control vehicles in the European toy market. With several new product lines just announced at this year’s Nuremberg Toy Fair, Revell has embarked on rapid expansion of their radio control products including a new series called tecZone which is targeted at the European hobby market.

Hobbico is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of model hobby products, including radio controlled models, plastic model kits, flying model rockets and other hobby and toy products. The 100% employee-owned company sells products through several subsidiaries including Revell, Estes, Great Planes Model Distributors and Tower Hobbies. Since 2007, Hobbico has owned the U.S. Revell operation. Just prior in 2006, Revell Germany was spun off as a separate company.

“Hobbico’s acquisition of Revell Germany creates an enormous opportunity for our company and our employees“, said Hans Remfert, President of Revell Germany and now former partner. “With the support of Hobbico as a strong parent company, we have a great opportunity to extend our new engagement in the RC hobby segment on the European markets. Hobbico has experience and know-how in this area as well as a strong assortment of product with worldwide recognition which we will integrate into ours according to the European market conditions. As the European branch for Hobbico, the jobs and the headquarters in Bünde are absolutely safe.”

“We are pleased to reunite the Revell brand under one ownership,” said Wayne Hemming, President of Hobbico. “Now Revell can proceed with a worldwide strategy for growth of the core plastic model business. We also view this as an excellent foundation to expand the distribution of our other brands and products into the European market.”

After starting the original U.S. company in 1945, Revell founder Lou Glaser established the German operation in 1956. Since then, Revell Germany has been known as the European leader in plastic model kits as well as paints, tools and accessories. In 2008, the Revell Control line of radio controlled vehicles was introduced and successfully gained a strong position in the European toy market. In 2011, Revell introduced the award-winning Orbis children’s air brush system.

Hobbico was started in 1986 through the combination of Tower Hobbies and Great Planes Model Distributors, founded in 1971 and 1973, respectively. In 2001, Hobbico acquired United Model, a leading hobby products distributor founded in 1959. Hobbico acquired the Revell-Monogram plastic model kit lines in 2007 and Estes-Cox in 2010. In January of this year, Hobbico announced the acquisition of three hobby R/C car brands: Axial, ARRMA and Team Durango.

“This acquisition bodes well for the UK market, as the UK operation is a Branch of Revell Germany” added Thomas Randrup, Country Manager of Revell UK & Ireland.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the two sides of Revell get back under the same ownership once again !

From the sound of it I can't see much changing in the kit line of Revell Germany, but I would be happy to see an effect in the widening of the range with subjects with a "global" appeal... maybe now we will see the famous new revell C-130 ! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is terribly confusing, :frantic:, but at least now I've found out that Hobbico is employee-owned. That makes me much more relaxed than knowing it's owned by a flour-milling company (to take an example completely at random).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just pure conjecture from someone who knows knowt about the background but my first thought was if revell germany had not existed seperate from revell US would we have seen the 1/32 He111, Ju88 Arado and He 219? Or just more 1/32 F series fighters

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering I live in the US, I have mixed feelings myself about this. In one sense it is good as Hobbico appears to be a stable owner for Revell USA. But in the same I LIKED it when Revell of Germany was independent, since they had their own toolers and research department as RoG kits of subjects just seemed to be a notch above what Revell USA did. The decals are MUCH better, the research seemed better (even if deciphering the RoG instructions could try ones patience at times) and value-wise, you tended to get more. I also like the product coming from factories in mainland Europe as opposed to having tooling done in China. I want THAT to continue!

I worked in the hobby industry at the retail level for 9 years and the one thing I do NOT like about Hobbico is they seemed to use the Revell brand to offer crappy RC products that were more toys than serious stuff. Now it looks like they pumped up the plastics division a bit, but it is still not quite like what it was even a decade ago. So I hope the acquisition doesn't mean they will try to merge the to Revells and base them in the USA as I believe things would suffer as a result. They had BETTER keep Revell of Germany as an independent division and they likely will have to for at least another one to two years. After that, who knows what will happen. My big fear though is that Hobbico has now become "too big to fail".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or a Halifax? Mixed blessings....

Was Revell G in financial trouble? Otherwise, I'd suggest history tells us that when a specialist company gets taken over by a larger conglomerate, it is rarely to the benefit of the specialist customers.

My feeling exactly :( No more new interesting kits for reasonable prices... Bye bye Revell of Germany - we'll miss you.

Mind you we might get it back in independent German hands in 8 to 10 years - once Hobbyco has milked it dry /thoroughly trashed it and wants to get rid of it for the residual value...

:(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am sadden by the news as RoG bought out some unique subjects, Luft '46 for instance and their 1/32 scale kits. Will we still see these surprises or will it have to be a big money earner before moulds are cut.

Lets hope it not all doom and gloom.

Does this now mean Airfix is the biggest european player in Europe?

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm confused. What was the relationship between the two Revell's after the spin-off? Did they have a brand share and product share agreement? And where is Monogram in all of this?

Trevor

The way it worked in the 1950s and 60s was there were no global distribution chains. If you wanted to move product in a different country, you had to open up some sort of subsidiary in that country for at least the purposes of distribution and have it run by locals. Think of it like Coca Cola. Coke is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, but you've got distribution and bottling plants all over Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. And they don't always offer exactly the same products everywhere.

So during the 1950s and 60s, we had Revell of Germany, Revell of Great Britain, Revell Lodela of Mexico, Revell Brazil etc... Most of the product they offered was reboxes of the standard Revell US product maybe with a little different decals (in many cases, made in factories closer to the customers). So an airliner in Germany would have Lufthansa markings instead of American Airlines or an F-104 would have German markings instead of USAF ones. For some markets, two companies might enter into a partnership of some sort. So in Japan, you've got Tamiya importing Italeri stuff, Hasegawa importing Monogram and before the Revell and Monogram merger, Takara was bringing in Revell stuff. In the UK it was similar with Airfix and MPC having a relationship going back to the 1960s. There were attempts outside of MPC to try and expand Airfix into the US market (USAirfix being one of them) which didn't score too much success and were generally short lived.

By the 1980s, world wide distribution channels got better and in many markets, there was no longer a need for some of these duplicate companies. So some of them went by the wayside (others remain, Lodela for instance still imports in Mexico but they offer more than just Revell kits). Revell of Germany though started to expand and offer their own unique product and stayed more or less independent of Revell USA. There were still some financial ties remaining though until about the late 1990s when they became independent of one another. Of course they still traded molds back and fourth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sheesh some of you lot are quick to look on the gloomy side!

I agree lets wait and see what happens. As long as they keep things going as they are with the exception of the R/C thing l will be happy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JMChladek said:-

"Considering I live in the US, I have mixed feelings myself about this. In one sense it is good as Hobbico appears to be a stable owner for Revell USA. But in the same I LIKED it when Revell of Germany was independent, since they had their own toolers and research department as RoG kits of subjects just seemed to be a notch above what Revell USA did. The decals are MUCH better, the research seemed better (even if deciphering the RoG instructions could try ones patience at times) and value-wise, you tended to get more. I also like the product coming from factories in mainland Europe as opposed to having tooling done in China. I want THAT to continue!

I worked in the hobby industry at the retail level for 9 years and the one thing I do NOT like about Hobbico is they seemed to use the Revell brand to offer crappy RC products that were more toys than serious stuff. Now it looks like they pumped up the plastics division a bit, but it is still not quite like what it was even a decade ago. So I hope the acquisition doesn't mean they will try to merge the to Revells and base them in the USA as I believe things would suffer as a result. They had BETTER keep Revell of Germany as an independent division and they likely will have to for at least another one to two years. After that, who knows what will happen. My big fear though is that Hobbico has now become "too big to fail". "

I couldn't agree more. Looking at the press release that Mike quoted, it seems that the bulk of the interest is towards the RC side. That's worrying for us plastic (static) modellers, and doesn't bode well for the future. I really hope that Revell of Germany is kept as a separate division, to sell into the more "mature" European and American markets, rather than going for what will easily sell, irrespecitve of quality and accuracy. Revell Germany Gmbh, as others have said, was a major contributor to areas that other manufacturers didn't bother to do - such as Luft '46, good quality decals etc (NB airfix please copy!), and - most importantly - reasonably priced but good quality kits (especially in 1/72nd in the late 1990's and early 2000's). It would be a great pity to see them going the way of others and having their kits procduced by "slave labour" in China to much lower standards of quality control and finish (just compare a 1999 Revell Germany kit with most of the Hobby Boss output of 2007/8!).

But then, the reality of the so-called market dictates so much in our world today, and conglomerations and globalisationare taking over from quality and pride in one's work.... Pity that...

Madame Merkel - where are you when we need you? (Greece is not the only market in trouble!)

Prenton

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or perhaps some of the Revell Authentics range, which are kits from their SSP or selected subjects program. I have been bidding on and getting outbid on every single Boeing Bomarc since I first came across the 1950/60's SAM, ICBM, IRBM kits some time ago. A Lacrosse wouldn't go amiss either!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

realisticly though........

in the last 15 years how many brand new mold aircraft subjects have been made by Revell USA.......? im struggling to think of a single new tool 1/72nd scale model...... was the last the voodoo? or the F 89 scorpion?....from memory both were issued around 1990 ?

compare that to how many Revell Germany have made and you will see why most of us dont think this deal looks promising...... :(

(but then again Revell USA did manage to do a 1 48th Ventura (but who builds 1/48th?......:) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

realisticly though........

in the last 15 years how many brand new mold aircraft subjects have been made by Revell USA.......? im struggling to think of a single new tool 1/72nd scale model...... was the last the voodoo? or the F 89 scorpion?....from memory both were issued around 1990 ?

compare that to how many Revell Germany have made and you will see why most of us dont think this deal looks promising...... :(

(but then again Revell USA did manage to do a 1 48th Ventura (but who builds 1/48th?......:) )

Revell did a lot in the past 15 years in terms of new aircraft tools. Just not 1/72 (you didn't specify that in the first sentence).

Well, it seems Revell of Germany has stuck with 1/72 leaving Revell USA to do 1/48. Revell USA's new kits in the past 15 years have been the SB2C-4 Helldiver (1997), Me-410, Me-110, F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18E, F/A-18F and the PV-1 Ventura (maybe the Ju-52 was right on the leading edge of that). Revell of Germany's focus in 1/72 was the F-22, the F-16s (MLu, C and B models), the F-4 series and the BAC Lightning (among others), B-17G, the Lancasters. I see that Revell USA is finally going to be offering the RoG F-22 in new packaging, but I'll bet you the RoG kit will STILL have the better decal sheet compared to what ever Revell USA uses. Personally I would love it if Cartograf could do ALL of Revell's decal sheets (Germany and USA).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, RoG made at least the Mosquito and Eurofighter in 1/48. And they did some good reboxings (Eduards Fokker and Albatros, Hasegawa Phantom and Harrier just to mention the good ones). Europe is more focused on 1/32, maybe.

Alex

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...