List of scale-model industry people
This list contains the names of significant contributors to the history and development of the scale-model and model-kit industry, including engineers, artists, designers, draftsmen, tool-makers, executives, historians, writers, promoters and notable builders.
A
- Steve Adams: founder of Adams Models
- Juha Airio: writer, builder
- Harold Alden: early aircraft modeler and industry promoter
- John Allen: influential model railroader
- John Amendola: kit-box artist
- Budd Anderson
- John Anderson (1925–2000), design engineer
- Mel Anderson: gas engine designer (for flying scale aircraft)
- John Andrews: artist, kit designer and marketer for Hawk
- Ray Arden: inventor of the Glo-Plug
- William Atwood: engine designer (for flying scale aircraft)
B
- Bob Barnett
- George Barris: auto customizer and designer of film and TV cars as well as kits based on his full-sized prototypes. Notably associated with AMT and MPC
- Charlie Bauer: flying aircraft kit designer
- Edward Beshar: early model designer and builder
- Jack Besser: co-founder of Monogram Models
- Maxwell Basset: gas-powered model pioneer
- Hank Borger: writer; builder
- Pieter Bervoets: co-founder of Serpent
- Tim Boyd: writer, builder
- Dick Branstner: co-founder of MPC, kit designer, creator of the 'Color Me Gone' dragsters
- William Brown IV: created first successful gas engine for mass-marketed flying aircraft
- Alan Bussie: industry historian
C
- Bill Campbell: illustrator, kit-box art designer/painter; creator of the Weird-Ohs and Silly Surfers series for Hawk
- Tom Carter: industry executive
- Bill Coulter: writer; builder; kit-developer
- James "Jim" Petit Cox (1910-1993): illustrator, kit-box art designer/painter. Notably associated with Aurora
- Dave Cummins: builder
- John Cuomo (1901-1971): first salesman for Aurora
- Bill Cushenberry: custom kit designer, notably associated with AMT
- Roger Curtis: Co-founder of Associated Electrics and R/C car designer (RC10, RC12)
D
- Tom Daniels: kit-designer of custom and caricature subjects for Monogram Models
- Dennis Doty: writer, builder
E
- Scott Eidson: kit-box artist
- Don Emmons
- Fred Ertl, Sr.: founder of the Ertl Company
- Virgil Exner: automotive designer, notably associated with Studebaker and, later the Chrysler Corporation. A series of kits by Renwal were based on the Exner and Ghia's "revival models" of famous automotive marques in the early 1960s.
F
- Jacque Fresco (1916–): co-founder of Revell
G
- West Gallogly: founder of AMT
- Lorenzo Ghiglieri: kit-box artist
- Joseph E. Giammarino (1916–1992): co-founder of Aurora Plastics Corporation
- "Dirty Donny" Gillies: kit-box artist
- Lewis H. Glaser (1917-1972): co-founder of Revell
- Walt Good: considered "the father of remote-control aircraft modeling"
- Carl Goldberg: model aircraft designer and industry executive
- Kevin Gowland, John Gowland and Jack Gowland: co-founders of Gowland and Gowland; the company's Highway Pioneers line of early car model kits was marketed by Revell in the early '50s, and was instrumental in the early growth of the scale model hobdy in the US.
- Paul K. Guillows: founder of GHQ Model Airplane Company (later known as Guillows)
- Mark S. Gustavson: writer, builder
- Leonardo Garofali: co-founder of SG Racing Cars and Blitz Model Technica
H
- Scott T. Hards: entrepreneur, founder of Hobby Link Japan
- Ken Hamilton: writer, builder
- John Hanley: tool and die maker; founder of Jo-Han
- Suguro Hasegawa: founder of Hasegawa Corporation
- Roger Harney: industry executive
- Augie Hiscano: writer, builder
- Don Holthaus: founder of Modelhaus
- Juraj Hudy: founder of XRAY and Hudy
- Gene Husting (1927-2014): executive of Associated Electrics
J
- Herb Jackson
- Dean Jeffries: kit designer, auto customizer, notably associated with MPC
- Phil Jensen
- Terry Jessee: writer, builder
- Bob Johnson: industry executive
K
- Al Kalmbach: founder of Model Railroader magazine and Kalmbach Publishing, early industry promoter
- Yuichi Kanai: radio-controlled car designer, significantly for Kyosho (Inferno)
- Shigeru Kawada: radio-controlled car designer and founder-owner of Kawada Model
- Jim Keeler: industry executive
- Levon Kemalyan (1907–1976): manufacturer, founder of Kemtron
- Tom Kirn: builder
- Richard Kishady: kit-box artist
- Akira Kogawa: radio-controlled car designer, significantly for Kyosho (Optima, Scorpion) and Hobby Products International (Baja 5B and 5T)
- Shigeru Komatsuzaki: science-fiction illustrator; kit-box artist
- Jo Kotula: aviation illustrator; kit-box artist
- Dick Korda: award-winning model airplane designer and flyer
- Nicholas Kove (1891-1958): founder of Airfix
- Oscar Koveleski: CanAm racing pioneer; founder of Auto World; promoter of slot car racing, model building, and RC racing and building
- Mort Künstler: kit-box artist, notably associated with Aurora in the 1960s.
L
- William M. "Bill" Lester (1908-2005): founder of Pyro Plastics Corporation, pioneer in the development of injection molding
- Jack Leynnwood: kit-box artist
- Paul Lindberg: founder of Lindberg Products, Inc.
- William, Walter and Arthur Lines: co-founders of Frog
- Dick Locher: kit-box artist
- Ted Longshaw (1926-2011): hobby shop owner and founder of BRCA, EFRA and IFMAR
- Gil Losi: founder of Losi
M
- Joe Mansour: co-founder of Frog
- Dick Mates Sr. and Phil Mates (brothers): co-founders of Hawk Model Company
- Dick Mates Jr.: executive at Hawk
- Bob McCleod: industry executive
- Fred Megow: founder of Megow Models (Philadelphia, 1920s)
- Tom Morgan: kit-box artist, most notably associated with Hawk in the 1960s, as well as Monogram
- John Mueller: directed product and mold design and technical illustration groups for AMT
O
- Irwin G. Ohlsson: gas engine designer and manufacturer (flying model aircraft)
P
- Bob Paeth
- Keith Plested: founder of PB Racing and co-founder of BRCA
- Irwin S. Polk and Nathan J. Polk: owners of Polk Hobbies; promoters of the scale model hobby
- Ernest Provetti: founder of Trinity Products
- Tarquinio Provini: founder of Protar
R
- Bob Reder: co-founder of Monogram Models
- Mike Reedy (1941 - 2011): founder of Reedy
- F. Lee Renaud (-1983): founder of Airtronics
- Ed "Big Daddy" Roth: kit designer, creator of the Rat Fink caricature models for Revell
- Bob Rule, founder of BoLink[1]
S
- Franco Sabatini: designer and co-founder of SG Racing Cars
- Michael Salven: radio controlled car racer, executive of Serpent, designer (Impact, Vector)
- Gary Schmidt: industry executive
- Cyril Schumacher: founder of Schumacher Racing Products
- Dave Shuklis
- Leon Shulman: aircraft kit designer
- Abe Shikes (1908–1997): co-founder of Aurora Plastics Corporation
- George Siposs (1931-1995): radio controlled car racing pioneer and founder of ROAR
- Victor Stanzel: flying aircraft model designer
- James Hay Stevens (1913 -1973): aircraft kit designer, notably associated with Airfix
- John Steel: kit-box artist
- Henry Struck: aircraft kit designer
- Hisashi Suzuki (1936-2010): radio controlled car racing pioneer (in Japan), founder of Kyosho and JMRCA
- Masayuki Suzuki: former president of Kyosho
T
- Fumito Taki: radio-controlled car designer, significantly for Tamiya (famous works: Sand Scorcher)
- Yoshio Tamiya (1905 - 1988): founder of Tamiya
- Masayuki Tamiya: president of Tamiya
- Shunsaku Tamiya: chairman of Tamiya
- Nils F. Testor: founder of Testors
- George A. Toteff Jr. (1925-2011): founder of MPC, inventor of the AMT 3-in-1 kit; innovator of one-piece body car-model tooling.
U
- Yukijiro Umino: designer for Yokomo (Yokomo MR4TC BDx)
V
- Dave Vander Wal: industry executive
- Gordon Varney: founder of Varney Scale Models, developer of early injection molded plastic kits
- Norm Veber: industry executive
- Jim Walker: inventor of U-Control Line Flying (scale aircraft)
- Jairus Watson: graphic designer, automotive conceptual artist, kit-box illustrator.
- Dick Wellman: kit-box artist
- Tom West: industry executive
- Linn H. Westcott: long-time editor of Model Railroader, hobby industry promoter
- Charles Wilmot: co-founder of Frog
W
- Gerald Wingrove: model engineer
Y
- Tomoaki "Tom" Yokobori: founder of Yokomo and Yatabe Arena
References
Notes
External links
- Old Model Kits; http://www.oldmodelkits.com
- Hobby Manufacturers Association (HMA); http://www.hmahobby.org/die-cast-legends.html
- Plastics Academy Hall of Fame; http://www.plasticsacademy.org/swp/articles.php?articleId=89
- International Model Car Builder's Museum: Hall of Fame; http://www.themodelcarmuseum.org/Programs/Hallofame/hallofame.html