History of Airplane Modeling

Model airplanes went through a variety of stages.

Ever since Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their first successful aircraft in 1903, the public gained interest in aviation. As time passed, companies produced model airplanes, which have remained popular.

Pre-World War II

After Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic in 1927, companies began producing model airplane kits. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, companies selling model aircrafts produced kits with balsa wood and miniature gas engines.

World War II Era

Some of the materials used to manufacture model airplanes were rationed during World War II. After the war, however, the interest in airplane modeling flourished. The introduction of injection-molded plastic, or polystyrene, occurred in the early 1950s when Lewis Glasser, American founder of Revell, and Nicholas Kove, English founder of Airfix, separately decided to use the technology for scale models.

Post WWII

Throughout the decades, airplane modeling went through a variety of stages. The 1960s experienced a boom in plastic modeling, while the 1970s faced a downtown, partially in response to reluctance caused by mounting opposition to the Vietnam War. The 1980s and 1990s saw another increase in airplane modeling, as companies produced radio-controlled models.

References

• Academy of Model Aeronautics: Aeromodeling History
• Hyper Scale: A Brief History of Scale Modeling
• Scale Models: The History of Scale Aircraft Modeling

Resources

• Airfix Plastic Scale Models
• Revell - the Leader in Replica Plastic Kits since 1945