VEB Plasticart

VEB Plasticart was a state-owned East German manufacturer of plastic model kits and toys, established in 1958 in Zschopau. The enterprise operated under several names during the existence of the German Democratic Republic, beginning as KVZ, or VEB Kunststoff-Verarbeitung Zschopau, and later becoming MPKAB before adopting the VEB Plasticart Zschopau name in 1973. After the political and economic changes surrounding German reunification, it operated as Mastermodell GmbH from 1989 to 1991. The company became best known for inexpensive, relatively simple-to-assemble scale models of aircraft, helicopters, military subjects, and spacecraft. Its range included aircraft associated with East Germany, the Soviet Union, other Warsaw Pact countries, and selected Western manufacturers. Airliner kits were a particularly important part of the catalog. Many were produced at 1:100 scale, while smaller aircraft and some later subjects appeared at 1:50 or 1:72. The product range also included large or unusual subjects such as the Soviet Vostok spacecraft at 1:25 and the Energia rocket with the Buran space shuttle at 1:288. Plasticart's kits were designed for broad distribution in the socialist trading bloc. Packaging and instructions were adapted for consumers in Comecon markets, and kits commonly carried German, Russian, Polish, and Czech instructions. Although the models were generally less elaborate than premium Western products, they were affordable, accessible, and often supplied with sturdy parts and substantial decal sheets. Their availability and subject selection made them an important source of aviation and space-themed model kits for hobbyists behind the Iron Curtain. The enterprise also had an unusual export role. East German industry sought hard currency through sales to Western countries, and Plasticart kits were among the consumer products exported for that purpose. In the United Kingdom, some products were distributed under importer-associated names such as Playfix and Nu-Bee. The company produced approximately 40 different kits as well as a small number of games, including the plastic mancala-style game Badari. Its catalog combined domestic, socialist, and Western subjects. Early products included models of the Ilyushin Il-14, Aero 45, Baade 152, and Ilyushin Il-18. The later range expanded to Soviet types such as the Tupolev Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154, Ilyushin Il-62, Antonov An-24, Let L-410, Yakovlev Yak-40, and Tu-144. Western subjects included the Douglas DC-8, de Havilland Comet 4, Sud Aviation Caravelle, Boeing 727, Hawker Siddeley Trident, Dassault Mercure, Junkers G 23/24, and Saab Draken. Helicopter and military-aircraft models broadened the range further. Following reunification, the Treuhand organization sold the business in 1993 to Manfred Wader, after a two-year interruption. The renamed Plasticart continued from a new factory in Elterlein, Saxony, and initially employed more than 70 workers after the transition. By 1993, however, only 37 employees remained in the business. The factory closed in 2011, ending the Plasticart brand as an operating manufacturer. In late 2012, Reifra resumed production of some former Plasticart kits. Original examples remain sought after by collectors because of their distinctive East German packaging, unusual subject matter, historical significance, and limited production history.

VEB Plasticart was founded in 1958 at Zschopau in the German Democratic Republic. Its original designation, KVZ, stood for VEB Kunststoff-Verarbeitung Zschopau. In 1969 the enterprise became MPKAB, the VEB Modell- und Plastspielwaren Kombinat Annaberg-Buchholz, and from 1973 to 1989 it operated as VEB Plasticart Zschopau. These changing names reflected the organization of East German state-owned production rather than a conventional private-brand strategy. The company developed a catalog centered on plastic construction kits. Early aircraft subjects included the Ilyushin Il-14, Aero 45, Baade 152, and Ilyushin Il-18. Plasticart then built a substantial range of Soviet and Warsaw Pact aircraft, including the Tupolev Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154, Ilyushin Il-62, Antonov An-24, Let L-410, Yakovlev Yak-40, and Tu-144. The company also produced helicopters, military aircraft, Western airliners, and historical aircraft. Airliner models were often made at 1:100 scale, while other subjects used 1:50 or 1:72 scales. Plasticart kits were marketed as economical products. Their packaging, multilingual instructions, simple assembly, sturdy landing gear, and decals suited mass distribution across Comecon countries. At the same time, the company exported selected goods to Western markets to earn foreign currency. UK importers used the Playfix name for some mid-1980s products and the Nu-Bee name for some early-1990s products. The catalog included a limited number of games, among them Badari, and also included die-cast car and military-vehicle models associated with the ESPEWE and Plasticart model labels. The company's space subjects were especially distinctive. It released a 1:25 model of the Vostok 3KA spacecraft and a 1:288 model of the Energia launch vehicle with the Buran shuttle. These, along with unusual Soviet, East German, and less-common Western aircraft, later became important to collectors. Certain short-lived decal or packaging variants, including an Il-62 with KLM markings, are particularly scarce. From 1989 to 1991 the business used the corporate name Mastermodell GmbH. After a two-year break, the Treuhand privatization agency sold it in 1993 to Manfred Wader. The operation was renamed Plasticart and moved to a newly built factory in Elterlein, Saxony. Although the post-reunification enterprise employed more than 70 people in the following years, its workforce had fallen to 37 by 1993 according to the reference account. The factory ultimately closed in 2011. In late 2012, Reifra resumed manufacture of some former Plasticart kits, preserving parts of the product legacy without restoring Plasticart as an operating brand.

• 2012

  Reifra resumes selected kit production

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  Reifra begins producing some kits originating from the former Plasticart range.

• 2011

  Elterlein factory closes

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  Closure of the factory marks the end of Plasticart production.

• 1993

  Privatization and renaming

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  Treuhand sells the successor business to Manfred Wader, who renames it Plasticart and later operates from Elterlein.

• 1989

  Mastermodell GmbH period begins

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  The business begins operating under the Mastermodell GmbH name during the transition out of the GDR state-enterprise system.

• 1988

  Energia and Buran kit released

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  Plasticart produces a 1:288 scale model of the Energia rocket and Buran space shuttle combination.

• 1973

  VEB Plasticart Zschopau name adopted

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  The company adopts the VEB Plasticart Zschopau designation and uses a new company logo on its packaging.

• 1971

  Short-lived KLM Il-62 variant

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  For a brief period, an Il-62 kit is sold with KLM markings connected with the airline's short-lived cooperation with Aeroflot on Moscow flights.

• 1969

  Name changes to MPKAB

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  The enterprise becomes the VEB Modell- und Plastspielwaren Kombinat Annaberg-Buchholz.

• 1963

  Tupolev Tu-104 model enters the range

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  Plasticart introduces a 1:100 Tu-104, establishing the scale and product approach used by much of its later airliner catalog.

• 1958

  Enterprise established in Zschopau

  [1]VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org

  The state-owned plastics and model-toy manufacturer begins operations under the KVZ designation.

Affordable, export-oriented scale modeling for East German, Comecon, and selected Western markets, combining accessible construction with subjects from socialist aviation, space exploration, and international civil and military aerospace.

• Civil aircraft model kits · 1963

  Soviet and Warsaw Pact airliners

  A central Plasticart range covering Soviet and allied passenger aircraft. Subjects included the Tupolev Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154, Ilyushin Il-62, Antonov An-24, Let L-410, Yakovlev Yak-40, and Tu-144. Many kits used 1:100 scale and were supplied with airline decals, including Interflug and Aeroflot markings.

• Civil aircraft model kits

  Western airliners

  Plasticart also modeled aircraft from Western manufacturers and airlines. The range included the Douglas DC-8-54, de Havilland Comet 4, Sud Aviation Caravelle, Boeing 727-100, Hawker Siddeley Trident, and Dassault Mercure. Original kits with KLM, BOAC, Pan Am, British European Airways, British Airways, Air France, or Air Inter-related markings are of particular interest to collectors.

• Military model kits

  Military aircraft and helicopters

  The military and rotary-wing catalog included Soviet and other European subjects such as the MiG-21, Sukhoi Su-7, Mil Mi-10 flying crane, and Saab Draken. Scales varied by subject, including 1:100 and 1:72, and the kits extended Plasticart beyond its better-known airliner models.

• Spacecraft model kit

  Vostok 3KA

  A large 1:25 model of the Soviet Vostok 3KA spacecraft, representing the vehicle used for the first crewed Soviet space missions. The kit is one of Plasticart's most recognizable space-themed products and is now encountered primarily through the collector market.

• Launch-vehicle and spacecraft model kit · 1988

  Energia/Buran

  A 1:288 model depicting the Soviet Energia launch system with the Buran space shuttle. Released in 1988, it reflects Plasticart's interest in contemporary Soviet aerospace achievements as well as historical spaceflight.

• Game

  Badari

  A plastic mancala-style game included among the company's smaller non-model products. It demonstrates that Plasticart's output extended beyond scale aircraft and spacecraft kits into simple molded-plastic games.

• 2012

  Selected kits transferred to Reifra productionProduct launch

  Background

  The closure of Plasticart's factory left a legacy of recognizable kits with continuing collector and modeling interest.

  Action taken

  Reifra resumed production of some former Plasticart model kits.

  Aftermath

  Parts of the product range remained available under a successor company's production rather than through the original Plasticart operation.

  Source

• 1993

  Privatization and move to ElterleinM&A

  Background

  Following the collapse of the East German economic system and a two-year production break, the Treuhand agency sought to privatize the former state enterprise.

  Action taken

  Treuhand sold the business to Manfred Wader, who renamed it Plasticart and established a new factory in Elterlein, Saxony.

  Aftermath

  The successor operation continued for a number of years but ultimately closed its factory in 2011.

  Source

• 1989

  Transition from state enterprise to limited-company operationStrategy

  Background

  The end of the GDR state-enterprise framework required the business to operate under a different legal and commercial structure.

  Action taken

  Production was carried out under the Mastermodell GmbH name from 1989 to 1991.

  Aftermath

  The enterprise later underwent a two-year interruption before being privatized and renamed Plasticart in 1993.

  Source

1. 1VEB Plasticarten.wikipedia.org