Final Model

Even some longstanding friends of Herpa must be wondering how we can celebrate the entire half century that Herpa can boast about this year. Those who know a bit of the company's history are well aware that Herpa has only been producing its car models for 21 years. It was in February 1978 when the company presented its 1/87 scale car models for the very first time at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, and the history of Herpa Wings is even less than that. Exactly fourteen years later, after the success of the 1/200 scale models – produced exclusively for Lufthansa– the first models in the 1/500 scale were made in 1992, and presented to the public at the Nuremberg Toy Fair of that year.

Our company’s history, however, reaches much further back in time than a mere 21 years. Long before Herpa surprised the general public with its high quality car models, the enterprise had made a name for itself as a producer of accessories for model trains and model car racing courses. In fact, there were even two separate beginnings of Herpa. The RIWA Company was founded by Fritz Wagener but the name Herpa had already been born twelve years before that time. On March 15, 1961, Fritz Wagener founded his small family business RIWA in Nuremberg – the name was derived from portions of his own name Fritz Wagener – to produce plastic items for the photo industry. His production and sales business for colour slide frames, blowers, small cogwheels and other small items, quickly became too successful for the former car repair shop in downtown Nuremberg. In 1964, Fritz Wagener found an ideal piece of land – although about 30 kilometers (some 19 miles) outside the city limits – where his company was able to expand without any problems. In the fall of 1965, his firm moved to the newly built 1,000 square meters (10.760 square feet) facility in Dietenhofen and, in that very same year, Fritz Wagener bought the Herpa Company which had a small branch in Beilngries in Bavaria which was already producing model railway accessories.

Grown Up with the Small Scale

It was the beginning of a new and successful line of products. Under the name of RIWA, Fritz Wagener continued to produce plastic items for the photo industry, as well as model railway accessories under the Herpa name, with which he was soon setting new standards. In 1967, Herpa was the first company to produce accessories for car racing courses. Only one year later, he presented the first house building kits for model railways in N scale (1/160 scale) at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. It was with these highly detailed houses in particular that he made a name for himself inside the business. He then had the idea to enrich the model railway dioramas, for which houses and people were already available, with cars in the same HO scale (1/87). Using the actual drawings of the car manufacturers, the first car models were produced, and the public was fascinated by the most precise details like the true-to-scale wing mirrors from the very first day. These car models were quickly accepted by both model railway enthusiasts and a whole new group of collectors who were interested in model cars as a specialty. Many of the new car models became sought-after collectors' items. Claus and Dieter Wagener, Fritz Wagener’s two sons and now both executive managers at Herpa, further extended this line of products. In 1979, car models were already being produced in snap-in style without any glue, so they were the ideal models for all who want to change or convert the small cars. A short time later, the first trucks and buses came out, and they quickly found public acceptance with their fine details including windshield wipers, maneuverable front axles, and trailer couplings that were true down to the last detail. The car models had become Herpa’s main product line, and the original RIWA products were gradually phased out. Then, Herpa began producing car models in the new 1/43 scale, and all the models became increasingly detailed. There were new lines of products including a motor bike, the Private Collection models (in display cases), vintage cars, and the very special high tech models. Later came the development of aircraft models in a number of scales, one of the most important milestones on the company's road to success. Those who want to read more about the history of Herpa Wings will find it in WingsWorld’s 3/97 issue.

Today, Herpa is an enterprise with some 440 employees, and the world’s market leader for HO track car and truck models. Its branch in Eisfeld in Thuringia with some 120 employees makes life easier for the production staff in Dietenhofen. Since the 1990s, a large part of the airplane model production is carried out by a partner company in the Far East. The latest major investment was the construction of a new company headquarters in Dietenhofen in 1992 – and even this new building is beginning to become a little too small. On July 3, 1999, the Herpa Company celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, since the Herpa company that was bought by Fritz Wagener in 1965 was originally founded in 1949. This world famous name, incidentally, was made up from the name of its founder, Herr Hergenroeder and his Patents, in the same way that RIWA was developed from the names of its founders.

Below the production process from initial design to finishing...