Brekina
Brekina is one of the larger German companies for the manufacture and sale of model vehicles for collectors and model railroaders .
range
The offer primarily includes miniatures in a collector's scale 1:87 . Model railway vehicles were also manufactured and sold until the end of the 2010s, including those for the N-scale (1: 160), the nominal size 0 ( 1:43 ) and in the IIm garden railway scale ( 1:24 ). The manufacturer limits itself to classic and veteran models based on models from the 1930s to 1980s. Brekina also sells models produced by other manufacturers. Since 1984 Brekina has also been offering magazines and books on topics related to vehicle history. Brekina is a well-known producer in the professional world.
history
The company is based in Teningen in southern Baden near Emmendingen . It was founded in 1980 by three sales representatives from the toy industry to manufacture model cars specially designed for the steam locomotive era. The company name was formed from the first letters of the family names of the founders Bre itenbach, Ki eßling and Na nn. The first models were developed and produced in the Black Forest and assembled at various locations, partly at home.
In 1982 Werner Hartung, co-owner of the Hartung plastics plant from Teningen, became managing director. Two of the three founders left the company in 1986. Manfred Breitenbach was the third founder to remain a partner until 2001, when he also retired for reasons of age. From 2002 to 2018 Werner Hartung was the sole owner, with whose departure Brekina was sold to Model Car World in Flörsheim at the end of 2018 . Matthias Frank, who has been with the company since 2000, has headed the company since 2019. At the end of May 2019, the warehouse was transferred from Teningen to Flörsheim, and delivery has taken place from there ever since.
The model cars are from the period of the mid-1930s until the mid-1980s to fit to the model railway periods II, III and IV. In the early days, first model vehicles were 1930s represented the first model in 1980 was an Opel P4 of Original construction time 1935 to 1937, a model of the DKW F7 followed in the same year as a sedan and panel van , the third model already had a foreign model with the Citroën Traction Avant . The fourth and last car model based on the pre-war model then appeared with the BMW Dixi . At that time, the only larger model manufacturer who offered some models from this period in H0 scale was Wiking-Modellbau .
The road steam rollers that appeared in 1982 were special models. They had no real role model, but were well modeled on the characteristic appearance of the 1920s and 1930s. On the one hand, they differed in a European version with a short roof over the driver's cab and, on the other hand, in an American version with a long roof that was pulled up to the chimney and had overhangs on the sides, which in turn were printed with different company names. In terms of color, the steam rollers were only produced in two colors, rust brown and black. A unique feature in the Brekina program was the gear mechanism, which ensured that the flywheel rotated with the rear drive wheel. The rollers were available until 1988.
In 1982 the Mercedes-Benz 190 was the first model of a vehicle from the 1960s, and in 1983 the Ford Taunus P2 was the first car from the 1950s . With the then still relatively small selection of basic models, relatively many color and lettering variants of the respective basic models were produced in quick succession, e.g. different colored bodies, versions as taxis , police and fire engines etc., which, however, often in a similar form with the competitors was common, even if it did not happen so quickly.
In 1982 Brekina presented the first commercial vehicle with the Mercedes-Benz O 5000 bus . A one -and- a -half-decker bus followed in 1983 , available both as a Mercedes-Benz and as a Büssing . The Mercedes-Benz O 317 K bus derived from this was announced at the same time, but did not appear in the range until 1996. In 1984, the Mercedes-Benz L 3500 truck appeared , the first civilian truck , which was also offered as a fire service tank pumper and a fire service turntable ladder. The models came from the 1950s.
In 1985, the VW Transporter T1a of the first generation was followed by the first small van that made Brekina famous. The so-called "Bulli" from the 1950s was produced in many body variants (eleven shape versions), color and decor variants. By 2016, there were over 2½ million models in 1500 variants, the 2000th variant was presented by Brekina at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 2019.
Since 1984 there have been set packs that contain several thematically matching models en bloc, such as emergency vehicles or different buses from the same transport company , but also combinations of different vehicles based on models from various industrial companies. Together with the models supplied to external companies, there were over 300 set packs containing Brekina cars at the end of 2018. Approx. 65 percent of these were produced and delivered by Brekina itself. There were also various collector's boxes with various models of the VW T1 , VW T2 and Opel Blitz with an accompanying booklet as a so-called " collector's treasure ".
Brekina models can also be found as cargo and contemporary supplements at all well-known major German model railway manufacturers. Viessmann sold Brekina models with built-in lighting; Faller provided Brekina models with its Car System drive.
The cooperation between the model car manufacturers has worked since the early days of the Brekina company. In the mid-1980s, Brekina bought z. B. tank trailers and swap body trailers from other manufacturers, and to this day there is a lively exchange of components.
Brekina delivered a special product in 1988 with the Mercedes-Benz LP 333, announced in 1987, whose prototypical front double axle was designed with functioning steering axles, which was unique on the model car market at the time. After a few variants, however, Teningen switched to returning from steerability to rigid axles because of the high expenditure. The models can still be retrofitted today using the add-on kit 1005, provided that this kit has not been available for a long time.
In October 1984, the Brekina-Autoheft (in addition to the postcard series with photos of trucks from the 1950s and 60s) premiered the company's first comprehensive print product . Since then, this publication has been published annually and contains photo reports on historical model vehicles, mostly matching the new models that appear, with numerous, usually contemporary, photos of the respective make, as well as a detailed presentation of the current model range up to the mid-2010s. Brekina also published two books in 2003 and 2005 on the subjects of German rail buses and German post buses .
Since about 2002, models based on models from other Western European countries (e.g. Citroën , Peugeot , Alfa Romeo , FIAT , Volvo , Saab , Scania-Vabis , Rover , Austin ) have been added to the range. One of Brekina since shortly after the turn in the GDR -operated from 1991 collection area are models for East German models, initially as pressure variations, shortly afterwards with new developments such as Trabant , Wartburg , Barkas or IFA lorry used, but also widespread in the GDR Auto Crane ADK 6.3 of the VEB Hebezeugwerk Sebnitz . Recently, replicas of Robur trucks as well as Skoda and Ikarus buses have also been part of the program, including Brekina's first articulated bus, the Ikarus 280.
In 2004, a model of was Rail Road bus the former company NWF presented, that is the model of a two-way vehicle . This model was prototypically equipped with two rail chassis and was offered as a novelty by the Brekina company and in this model segment in general, optionally with a drive for electric model railways . In the spring of 2008, Brekina presented the model of a MAN rail bus , also equipped with a drive , thus a pure railway vehicle, which was previously unprecedented for a manufacturer of car models. This product line was supplemented by railway maintenance vehicles in the form of draisines based on the Klv 12 and Klv 20 (the latter based on the VW T1) of the German Federal Railroad. The Klv 20 draisine was also released in the LGB 1:24 scale for gauge IIm. The quaint Borgward LVT of the Sylt Inselbahn, which was also available for the first time in the narrow-gauge H0m scale, was followed by the four-axle Esslingen railcar, which is in use on many NE railways, and most recently the more modern four-axle branch railcar NE 81 . Brekina finally discontinued the product line of rail vehicles in 2018 in order to focus exclusively on the production of car models from now on.
Brekina has been working with various Chinese partners since 2000 and sells the “Starmada” brands and, since 2009, “Drummer” . Since 2014 Brekina has been selling various model versions of the German “Starlinie” brand, which are based on Austrian commercial vehicles. These Starline models were originally developed by the Austrian Post for merchandising purposes . In 2008 and 2009, the company Brekina had models from the British brand "Classix" in its sales range, which were made of metal with plastic parts in a scale of 1:76 ( nominal size 00 ) and also vehicles (cars, delivery vans and trucks) from the period the 1950s to 1970s as a model. From 2010 onwards, Brekina offered a number of 1:43 scale models ( nominal size 0 ) under the brand name “ Bing ”. Almost half a million miniature vehicles of Brekina models were sold each year in 2012.
Brekina, Herpa , Schuco and Wiking are relevant manufacturers of model cars. In the bus sector, after a flood of many models, it is now limited to a few, older models with a wealth of details.
Manufacturing
Plastic is used as the material for the Brekina models. The processing takes place in the injection molding process. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is used for the bodies and clear polystyrene (PS) for glazing. Other materials also appear to a lesser extent, e.g. B. polyoxymethylene (POM). Some model commercial vehicles and all model railway vehicles have a metal chassis made of die-cast zinc .
With some models such as For example, the VW Beetle and the small Setra S6 coach, Brekina used two-chamber injection molding in order to be able to represent the body and glazing - inextricably linked - more faithfully.
As with all models of this scale, the level of detail of the models at Brekina has increased significantly over the years. Passenger car models produced in China will be painted from 2001 and extremely finely printed several times. Early basic models have since been omitted from the range, for example due to mold wear, but older models also come out in new color or printing variants at longer intervals.
While the models, which except for the axles are made of the scratch-resistant and shatterproof plastic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), are still standard today, some high-priced truck and bus models with metal chassis have been appearing for several years . Of all the available basic forms, variants that are reserved for certain countries have also appeared as foreign models since the 1980s, and advertising models are also produced on behalf of customers, which are not delivered to the specialist trade but to the client.
Publications (selection)
- Brekina car booklet extra 1. Krupp commercial vehicles after 1945. 1989.
- Brekina car booklet extra 2. The Opel Blitz story. 1990.
- IFA hood truck from Zwickau and Werdau. Brekina Auto History, 2001.
- Road vehicles of the Deutsche Bundesbahn. Brekina Auto History, 2002, OCLC 907800901 .
- Chronicle of the Kraftpost. 2005, ISBN 3-00-015453-1 .
In addition, the annual BREKINA Autoheft series
Awards
Brekina models have been voted model car of the year several times in readers' polls. The model cars have also received several awards in the Netherlands.
reception
Andi Payne writes about the company in his book HO Scale Model Buses that Brekina tended to prefer to produce older vehicle types and to cover all vehicle types. The newer models are now much more detailed and of less common types. Brekina is counted among the detail-loving manufacturers by former executives of competitors.
The model railway magazine modellbahninfo.org honored in two model meetings of 2015 and 2018 Brekinas functional and lit replicas of rail buses of DB Class VT 95 scale HO (1:87) that have appeared in different versions. The "perfect" and "uncompromising implementation of the model" was pointed out.
literature
- Uwe Ruck, Eberhard Flühs: Model car catalog HO-LKW - basic catalog for trucks and emergency vehicles. 2nd Edition. Alba-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-87094-447-1 . Brekina, pp. 24-47.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Car models - manufacturer miniatur-automodelle.de
- ↑ Modélisme: SAAB 96 V4 par Brekina au 1/87
- ↑ The strange 1:12 world of model car collectors spiegel.de
- ↑ Children's dreams: Brekina model toys from Teningen badische-zeitung.de
- ↑ Passion for collecting cars handelsblatt.com
- ^ Andi Payne: HO Scale Model Buses. ( limited preview in Google Book search)
- ↑ Berlin weeps for Wiking Autobild
- ↑ BREKINA car notebook
- ↑ Model Cars of the Year 2015 bild.de
- ↑ Model Cars of the Year 2018 bild.de
- ↑ These are the most beautiful model cars of 2013 Die Welt
- ↑ These are the 22 most beautiful model cars of the year Die Welt
- ↑ Vaderlandse DAF 600 is miniature car van het Jaar 2018 for DAF 600 from Brekina; autovandaag.nl
- ↑ Autogekken op zijwegen: Miniatuurauto van het jaar 2013 for 2013 DAF 2000 DO from Brekina; De Telegraaf
- ↑ Andi Payne: HO Scale Model Buses limited preview in the Google book search
- ↑ Berlin weeps for Wiking Autobild
- ↑ modellbahninfo.org, June 27, 2018: Model review: Brekina 64404/64434: VT 95.9 pre-series in Ep. IIIa.
- ↑ modellbahninfo.org, February 26, 2015: Model discussion: The rail bus models in H0 (Brekina) and N (Piko).