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VEB Plasticart was a model and toy manufacturer established in 1958 in Zschopau, East Germany. VEB Plasticart produced around 40 different kits and a few games (e.g. the mancala game "Badari") made of plastic. Most kits were static models and used scale 1/100 for airliners, 1/50 and later 1/72 for smaller aircraft. They also produced a model of the Soviet spaceship Vostok (scaled 1/25) and the Energia rocket with the Soviet space shuttle Buran (1/288). Many of them are today valued collector items. == History == VEB Plasticart was established in 1958 in Zschopau, East Germany. VEB (Volkseigener Betrieb) was a Communist-era designation, meaning "company owned by the people". The company was called ''KVZ'' from 1958-1969, ''MPKAB'' from 1969-1973, ''VEB Plasticart Zschopau'' from 1973-1989 and ''Mastermodell GmbH'' from 1989-1991. After a two-years break the company was sold in 1993 by the German Treuhand (an organization which privatized state owned enterprises of the GDR) to Manfred Wader. It is today called ''Plasticart''. In 1993 the company had only 37 workers left. A new factory was constructed in Elterlein, Saxony, and now the company counts over 70 workers. They no longer make kits, but playthings for toddlers. In late 2012 German company ''Reifra'' has resumed production of the some former Plasticalt model kits. The "VEB" title was applied to a range of small semi-autonomous businesses in the GDR that made goods especially for export. The GDR needed to export as much as possible to earn foreign "hard" currency as its own "soft" Ostmark was not freely convertible and could only be obtained and used within the GDR. Consequently, VEB Plasticart was able to sell cheap, but well designed, plastic construction kits to the Western countries in exchange for much-needed Western currencies. The factory was located in August-Bebel Strasse 2, 936 Zschopau, German Democratic Republic. For a long time the name "VEB" has stood with modelers for plastic construction kits from East Germany. The company changed its name several times. ;KVZ ("VEB Kunststoff-Verarbeitung Zschopau"): This name lasted until 1969 and is translated as "Plastic Processing Zschopau". The kits had very nice packaging, usually made of thicker cardboard and a great cover image. The company logo was at that time the snake. ;MPKAB ("VEB Modell -und Plastspielwaren Kombinat Annaberg-Buchholz"): This very long name was used from 1969-1973 and stands for "VEB model and plastic toys combine Annaberg-Buchholz". The kits of this period, were packed in the classic familiar blue standard boxes, but, no company logo. :In this era the combined company released 1:87 scale die-cast car and military vehicle models. "ESPEWE MODELLE" logo was used on the package.〔(Small Scale World, March 11, 2009 )〕 ;VEB Kombinat Plasticart Annaberg-Buchholz: This name was used for die-cast vehicle models. "PLASTICART modelle" logo was used on the package. ;VEB Plasticart Zschopau: That was the last name as "VEB" from 1973 to 1989, the packaging was the same as from 1969/70 but from 1973 they then received a company logo. From 1987, some kits appeared in a very novel black box, with a picture of a constructed model on the cover. ;Mastermodell GmbH: From 1989 to 1991 they were produced as a limited company under that name. In addition to these company names, two more brand names were used by UK importers: "Playfix" from the mid-1980s and "Nu-Bee" from the early 1990s.〔John W. Burns, ''The Collectors Value Guide for Scale Model Plastic Kits'', Sixth Edition, 1994, P.134 and P.142〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「VEB Plasticart」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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