Herpa
| Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH
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|---|---|
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1949 |
| Seat | Dietenhofen |
| management | Walter Winkler and Hermann Prinz zu Leiningen |
| Number of employees | 180 |
| sales | 14.36 million euros (2009/10) |
| Website | www.herpa.de |
Herpa miniature models , based in Dietenhofen (Bavaria), is one of the largest producers of full-scale automobile and airplane models. The company is the world market leader in model airplanes in the standard 1: 500 scale.
history
The company was founded in Nuremberg by Wilhelm Hergenröther in 1949 . The name is made up of Her genröther Pa tent together. Herpa initially manufactured model railway accessories.
In 1961 Riwa-Plastik was founded, also in Nuremberg, a manufacturer of plastic parts for the photo and phono industry. In 1965 the company moved to a larger production facility in Dietenhofen, and Herpa was taken over in the same year. The two brand names were retained. In 1978 Herpa showed its first 1:87 scale car models at the Nuremberg Toy Fair . The first truck models of the same scale followed in 1980. Since 1989 there has also been production in the Far East. In 2009 Andreas zu Leiningen took over Herpa, the Wagener family left the company.
Herpa also maintains a museum at the production site, in which the models from Herpa's beginnings, many rarities and a large exhibition are presented.
range
The range includes motor vehicle models in the scales 1:43, 1:87, 1: 120, 1: 160 and 1: 220 made of plastic , aircraft models in the scales 1: 160, 1: 200, 1: 300, 1: 400, 1 : 500 and 1: 1000 as well as ship models in the scale 1: 1250. Herpa produces over four million car and truck models every year - more than all other German model car manufacturers combined. The company employs 220 people and also has production facilities in China and Hungary. According to Herpa, the models are produced according to the manufacturer's original plans - that's why there is almost always a real prototype for the model. Especially for advertising purposes, fantasy models are made, which are then printed with the corresponding logo and serve as a promotional gift for the respective company. For the hobbyist and rebuilder market, models without printing appear from time to time, but they are not much cheaper than printed models. At Herpa, the unassembled models of trucks and cars that are intended to appeal to model railroaders are inexpensive. Special feature of the Herpa models: All parts are inserted and not glued, which makes mold construction much more difficult, but also makes conversion possible in the first place. With this technology, Herpa was able to achieve a significant increase in popularity in model construction among renovators.
Herpa wings
The Herpa Wings are miniature aircraft models mainly on a scale of 1: 500. The first was presented on the occasion of a Lufthansa aircraft inauguration in 1987 at Nuremberg Airport , at the time still made of plastic. Today, with a few exceptions, metal models of almost all commercial aircraft are offered; by far the most current role models of numerous airlines around the world, with a certain focus on role models coming to Europe. Since 2001 the models have been offered in a revised form as the so-called "New Generation" (NG). Instead of wheels that were previously rollable, but especially in the case of smaller models, much too large wheels, the models have since then had true-to-scale, but mostly functionless undercarriages and wheels.
Other product lines of metal models are (tend to be much smaller) prototypes on a scale of 1: 200, here also including various fighter jets . and a very small offer on a scale of 1: 400. In addition, there are simple plastic models without chassis on a scale of 1: 100, 1: 200 (mostly) or 1: 250 - depending on the size of the prototype - for partial self-assembly as a "snap-fit" series. Occasionally models in other scales have also appeared, such as a Junkers Ju 52 / 3m in 1: 160 or some simple models in 1: 1000.
On a scale of 1: 500, Herpa serves the market almost alone; in 1: 400 you are just one manufacturer of many that add up to a slightly larger range. At 1: 200, the range also served by many manufacturers is much broader, not necessarily deeper.
Magazines
Herpa regularly publishes two collector's magazines , DER MASS: STAB (since 1982) and WingsWorld (since 1997). Here you are informed about innovations six times a year. THE MASS: STAB deals with the automobile program, WingsWorld is intended for the aircraft range. The main catalogs (also separated into Herpa Cars & Trucks and Herpa Wings ) appear twice a year (integrated in the new items brochures May / June and November / December). In addition to these, brochures with new items appear every two months.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Florian Langenscheidt , Bernd Venohr (Ed.): Lexicon of the German world market leaders. The premier class of German companies in words and pictures . German Standards Editions, Cologne 2010, ISBN 978-3-86936-221-2 .