Accurate Miniatures
Encyclopedia
Accurate Miniatures is an American
manufactuter of scale
plastic model
kits. It is owned by Collins-Habovick, LLC and is located in Concord, North Carolina
, United States
. Their products primarily consist plastic model airplane kits from World War II
, though they also make model kits of planes and automobiles from other eras.
based plastic model company that began business in the mid 1990s. They filed for bankruptcy
in June 2001. Later that year, Accurate Miniatures was purchased from the original owners by Hobby Investors LLC, now called Collins-Habovick, LLC. The transfer included the sale of the company name, logo, inventory, and intellectual property. Paul Bedford, former general manager of the original Accurate Miniatures claims the deal was part cash and part debt assumption.
In July 2001, Accurate Miniatures, in an attempt to get out of debt, prepared to sell as much as 70% of their tooling (model molds) to the Bologna, Italy based Italeri
. Some of the molds included molds for the Avenger, Dauntless, Grumman F3F, Mustang, Stormovik, and Yak kits. However, the sell to Hobby Investors LLC nullified this deal.
Unseen to Collins-Habovick was the financial disaster left by the previous management. When the previous management ceased operation, substantial debt remained behind. Mold sets like the B-25 and F-3F were not paid off completely, and mold commitments for the NASCAR stock car, SB2U, and an R-4 were not funded at all even though a fair amount of tooling had been complete. All of this (not including unpaid artists, printers, and many others) had to be overcome before anything else could be achieved.
Only through the diligent work and patience of the small staff was Accurate Miniatures able to be resurrected to become a successful company that is praised by model builders for their high-quality kits and attention to detail.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manufactuter of scale
Scale (ratio)
The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such...
plastic model
Plastic model
thumb|300px||4-year-old boy starts painting a plastic model he has assembled of the South Goodwin LightshipPlastic models, often called scale models, are models manufactured as kits which are assembled by hobbyists, and intended for static display....
kits. It is owned by Collins-Habovick, LLC and is located in Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Their products primarily consist plastic model airplane kits from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, though they also make model kits of planes and automobiles from other eras.
History
The original Accurate Miniatures was a Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
based plastic model company that began business in the mid 1990s. They filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in June 2001. Later that year, Accurate Miniatures was purchased from the original owners by Hobby Investors LLC, now called Collins-Habovick, LLC. The transfer included the sale of the company name, logo, inventory, and intellectual property. Paul Bedford, former general manager of the original Accurate Miniatures claims the deal was part cash and part debt assumption.
In July 2001, Accurate Miniatures, in an attempt to get out of debt, prepared to sell as much as 70% of their tooling (model molds) to the Bologna, Italy based Italeri
Italeri
Italeri Incorporated is an Italian manufacturer of plastic scale models of airplanes, military vehicles, helicopters, ships, trucks, cars and figures...
. Some of the molds included molds for the Avenger, Dauntless, Grumman F3F, Mustang, Stormovik, and Yak kits. However, the sell to Hobby Investors LLC nullified this deal.
Unseen to Collins-Habovick was the financial disaster left by the previous management. When the previous management ceased operation, substantial debt remained behind. Mold sets like the B-25 and F-3F were not paid off completely, and mold commitments for the NASCAR stock car, SB2U, and an R-4 were not funded at all even though a fair amount of tooling had been complete. All of this (not including unpaid artists, printers, and many others) had to be overcome before anything else could be achieved.
Only through the diligent work and patience of the small staff was Accurate Miniatures able to be resurrected to become a successful company that is praised by model builders for their high-quality kits and attention to detail.
1:48 Scale
- Bell P-39/400 Airacobra
- Curtiss SB2 HelldiverSB2C HelldiverThe Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced...
- DouglasDouglas Aircraft CompanyThe Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
SBD DauntlessSBD DauntlessThe Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was largely replaced by the SB2C Helldiver... - General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
TBM Avenger - Grumman F-3FGrumman F3F|-Popular culture:The F3F was featured as an "experimental fighter" in Warner Bros's Wings of the Navy .The F3F-2 was featured in the 1940 film Flight Command, starring Robert Taylor as a pilot whose work developing instrument landing systems helps his lost squadron return to NAS North...
- Grumman TBF AvengerTBF AvengerThe Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
- IlyushinIlyushinOpen Joint Stock Company «Ilyushin Aviation Complex» , operating as Ilyushin or Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a Russian design bureau and aircraft manufacturer, founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Ilyushin was established under the Soviet Union. Its operations began on January 13, 1933, by...
Il-2 Shturmovik - YakovlevYakovlevThe Yak Aircraft Corporation is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer...
Yak-1 - North AmericanNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named... - North American P-51 (F-6) MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
- VoughtVoughtVought is the name of several related aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace , Vought Aircraft Companies, and the current Vought Aircraft Industries. The first incarnation of Vought was established by Chance M...
SB2U VindicatorSB2U VindicatorThe Vought SB2U Vindicator was a carrier-based dive bomber developed for the United States Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role. Obsolescent at the outbreak of World War II, Vindicators still remained in service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but by 1943, all had been withdrawn...
1:72 Scale
- BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
F4 - Curtiss P-6
- Curtiss P-40 WarhawkCurtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
- North American P-51 Mustang
1:100 Scale
- MesserschmittMesserschmittMesserschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s... - North American P-51 Mustang
- SupermarineSupermarineSupermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. The name now belongs to an English motorboat manufacturer.-History:...
SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
Miscellaneous
- 1/24 scale model automobile wheels
- 1/48 scale model aircraft decals and accessories