The REVELL Company, located in Venice, California, was founded by Lewis Glaser in 1943 as a plastics molding firm called PRECISION SPECIALTIES, eventually branching into plastic toys. The name REVELL came from the French word “reveille,” meaning “new beginning.” In the early 1950s, REVELL offered its first unassembled plastic hobby kits, which helped kick off the model building craze of the 1950s and 1960s. In the later 1950s, REVELL started producing more automotive-themed models. Cars tended toward a more global selection than other American plastic model makers, with several European brands produced. The models were typical for the time in that there was full chassis detail, and bodies were cast in several pieces. The kits were sold in cardboard boxes with elaborate artwork created by skilled commercial artists.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the VW Bus in the 1960s, REVELL reissued its Microbus model as the DELUXE VOLKSWAGEN STATION WAGON (H-1267). The kit was similar to the 1958 issue (V1), but with details of the 1967 21-window model. The kit featured a detailed engine, undercarriage, running gear, chrome hubcaps on plastic wheels with rubberlike tires and full interior with seats, dashboard, controls and door panels. Body details included hinged doors and engine lid, beltline trim, bumpers, skylight windows, chrome front VW emblem, and the sunroof could be built open or closed. Clear plastic windshields and skylight windows were included, along with a sheet of clear plastic and templates in the instructions for the builder to cut his own windows. This REVELL VW Bus model was later reissued in several variations, but without the passenger Bus details of the originals.
