Micromodels, London. Vintage modelling toy, card models to cut out and assemble. Aimed at older people, 1940s. Modelcraft, London office. Inventor Geoffrey Heighway noticed people keeping their project in old wooden cigar boxes so they could work on them away from home, and coined the sales slogan, “Your Workshop all in a Cigar box!“. A phrase that became synonymous with the product name “Micromodels”. They even issued all the buildings from the Festival of Britain as a set and later sold some very large sets including a complete Hampton Court Palace. Airfix
Micromodels were launched in London during the early days of the Second World War. Modelcraft originally sold plans for modelling enthusiasts but launched the first micromodels when they realised there could be a market for a quiet self contained hobby toy. Each models was printed in pieces on sheets of flat card, usually colour printed, and sold inside a wrapped with a cover illustration for a shilling. All you needed was a steady hand, a sharp modelling knife and adhesive. They proved so popular that the product became a separate business, with a London office, after the war ended. After some military subjects, Micromodels branched out with trains, buildings, cars and aircraft. Inventor Geoffrey Heighway noticed people keeping their project in old wooden cigar boxes so they could work on them away from home, and coined the sales slogan, “Your Workshop all in a Cigar box!“. A phrase that became synonymous with the product name “Micromodels”. They even issued all the buildings from the Festival of Britain as a set and later sold some very large sets including a complete Hampton Court Palace. The owner sold the business at an opportune moment at the end of the 1950s, perhaps sensing the arrival of detailed plastic model kits from firms like Airfix was the future. The firm closed in the 1960s but large stocks of the models remained in circulation through the 1970s at model train and hobby shops. Today several firms make and sell similar models and some of the originals have been reproduced as well by a German publisher, along with new models to match the style, while collectors have assembled a database of all the original models for collectors.
Size: 2819px × 2903px
Photo credit: © Simon Robinson / Easy On The Eye / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1940s, britain, card, festival, geoffrey, heighway, hobbyist, london, micromodels, modelcraft, modelling
