SIKU Aircraft
Among the many letters we have had from our readers following
publication of Avia Mini I and II have been a number requesting
one-make histories of various toy and model aircraft ranges. A
name that cropped up repeatedly was that of Siku, so with the
aid of Jonathan Morley of Sieper Werke GmbH, to whom we express
our grateful thanks, here is a brief history of Siku aircraft.
Richard Sieper launched his new company in Germany into the
raging inflation of 1921, building a foundry in Lüdenscheid.
First production was of aluminium cutlery, but once a
toolmaker's workshop was added, the company was able to make
many other products, tobacco tins, tin matchboxes, ashtrays and
so on. By 1933 production had expanded into badges and belt
buckles, a patent for an alloy buckle being a key factor. Alloy
uniform buttons with an oxidised finish led to experimental
production in plastics.
Thereafter, injection moulded products such as badges, plaques
and figurines formed the basis of future production. During the
Second World War, in 1943 a second factory was opened 100km
distant, in Hilchebach, where buttons were made in the post-war
period, but new specialist plastic products including bathroom
furniture are made there.
At the Lüdenscheid plant, plastic combs and advertising items
were made, leading to the Sieper Kunstoff (plastic) name,
shortened in 1950 to Siku, which was registered as the new trade
name.
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SI
KU Aircraft
The same year toy production began, with farm animals and a toy
aquarium, followed by a wide range of cheap toys and gift ware.
This in turn developed into a toy car range, which by 1958
became the main product of the company, with over 100 plastic
vehicles and 400 accessories.
Now we come to the aircraft. In 1959 twenty different subjects
were launched in 1:250 scale. These proved very popular and were
good sellers; in fact this was their undoing! In 1964 production
of the aircraft range had to be terminated. As the Siku
management now say, the reason for this decision is almost
unbelievable today: Lack of a sufficient work force!
In 1963 the model car range switched from plastic to diecast
zinc alloy and developed into the range which still exists
today.
In 1984 Siku took over Wiking's 1:87 plastic range, so they are
also the inheritors of the old Wiking aircraft tradition. Today
Siku is a market leader around the world for diecast model
vehicles, with three factories in Germany and one in Poland.
There are 820 employees and with 75 years in business behind
them, Siku have lots of plans for the future. These plans
however, do not include resurrecting the Siku plastic aircraft,
unfortunately.
[There followed an incomplete list of Siku models, which I do
not quote here.]
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