Plastic Model Kit History

The history of plastic modeling originated shortly before WWII, albeit in very limited form. Mass produced plastic kits came in the post WWII era, but you can not look at the history of plastic model building without considering the long history of model building in general, which dates back at least to ancient Egypt. Some burial sites contained models of chariots and of ships. Throughout history models were used to represent ideas and to record constructions. Before photography models ranked with art to record contemporary events. In the lobby of the El Presidente Hotel in downtown Santo Domingo is a model of the Santa Maria. It is 20th century model used to illustrate the islands history. In fact, most models from the past seem to be ships and many are well crafted. Most warships were constructed in model form before the actual vessel was built. Up until the mid 20th century model building was a hobby that took great amounts of time. With the availability of mass marketed plastic model kits and the disposable income in the (relatively) prosperous times following WWII and the rebuilding in Europe and Japan, a new hobby was born Plastic Model Building.

One of the prime selling points was a connection with history. Another was a hunger for an understanding of how various machines functioned.  Model building creates an interest in subjects that will build into every thing from what is the color of the engine in Richard Petty's car, or what color was an F6F-5 Hellcat. Model building allows anyone to own a representation of the USS Constitution or to hold Darth Vader's Tie fighter.

The first plastic models were manufactured in the 1950s by the British firms Frog and Airfix. American manufacturers such as Revell, AMT, and Monogram gained ascendancy in the 1960s as French Heller SA in Europe. Since the 1970s, Japanese firms such as Hasegawa and Tamiya have dominated the field and represent the highest level of technology. Brands from Russia, Central Europe, China, and Korea have also become prominent recently. Many smaller companies have also produced plastic models.
While injection-molding is the predominant manufacturing process for plastic models, the high costs of equipment and making molds make it unsuitable for lower-yield production. Thus, models of minor and obscure subjects are often manufactured using alternative processes. Vacuum forming is popular for aircraft models, though assembly is more difficult than for injection-molded kits. Resin-casting, popular with smaller manufacturers, particularly 'Aftermarket' firms (but also producers of full kits) yields a greater degree of detail moulded in situ, but as the moulds used don't last as long, the price of such kits is considerably higher. In recent times, the latest releases from major manufacturers offer unprecedented detail that is a match for the finest resin kits, often including high-quality mixed-media (photo-etched brass, turned aluminum) parts.
source : http://www.megahobby.com/plasticmodelhistoryandfactsmegahobbycom.aspx