Stanzel (Victor)

Model Aviation Jan-2018 wrote:The Dawn of RTF

Victor and Joe foresaw a changing market. Less attention would be given to modelers who built their own kits, a practice that was prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. The time was right to build and assemble airplanes in the factory, place them in an attractive box, and market the product as a ready-to-fly toy. They began to design RTF models, incorporating an electric motor and dry-cell batteries as the power source. The focus was on developing toys for children ages 6 and older.

They designed and produced a new series of toy airplanes. The airplanes were attached at the end of a cable, which transferred battery power to the model. The airplane was approximately 7 feet from the flier, and flew in a circle overhead. The Stanzel brothers fueled their toy business for the next 40 years with 33 aeronautic designs that possessed the capability to fly fast.

The primary objective was to produce a well-constructed RTF airplane that was safe for children, had a low noise level, and contained features that made it lift and fly like a full-scale aircraft.

Joe passed away in Houston in 1990. Victor followed several years later at his residence in Schulenburg. By 2001, the company had discontinued producing RTF models.

Victor Stanzel & Co. was completely unknown to me until an antique airplane caught my eye and I learned of its deep roots in the early years of CL model airplanes. Sterling Models, Veco Products, Carl Goldberg, Jetco Models, Scientific Model Airplane Company, and Midwest Products Co. were among the manufacturers that many of us grew up with and whose kits we built, thanks in part to the forward-thinking vision of Victor and Joe Stanzel and their 1939 Tiger Shark CL kit.

MauricioB wrote:Hey Roddie Thanks for doing this! ... I would like pictures of that model if they were possible. Maybe I could draw them on my board and make a similar model day for .020 !!! YEA!