Humbrol Limited is a British

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

and former manufacturer of

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

s, and other accessories for

scale model A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...

kits and

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

s. In the past, Humbrol produced under its own brand and the

Airfix Airfix is a British brand and former manufacturing company which produced injection-moulded plastic scale model kits. In the U.K., the name 'Airfix' is synonymous with plastic models of this type, often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even ...

, Sky Marks, Young Scientist, 1st Gear, High Speed and W. Britain brands. In 2006, the company entered administration, but later the same year was acquired by Hornby plc, who has since re-launched the brand.

History

Humbrol was founded in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

as the "Humber Oil Company" in 1919. After supplying oil for bicycles the company produced black paint for renovating them and then a range of twelve colours. During the 1950s and 1960s, Gerald Barton turned Humber Oil Company into "Humbrol" which developed a range of model paints and other modelmaking paraphernalia. In 1976, Humbrol became part of the Hobby Products Group of the international Borden, Inc. group. Five years later, Borden also acquired the French kit manufacturer Heller. The

model company joined the group in 1986, transferring its kit production to the Heller factory in

Trun, Orne Trun () is a commune in the Orne département and the region of Normandy in north-western France. Geography Administration Population Economy * Heller SA, manufacturer of plastic scale model kits. * Electrical Ruins and monuments Aerial ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1994, the group was acquired by an Irish investment company, Allen & McGuire, and the business was restructured under the Humbrol name. Heller was sold off in 2005 but continued to manufacture kits for Humbrol. White paint

On 31 August 2006, following the collapse of Heller SA, Humbrol

went into administration As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions, similar to bankruptcy in the United States. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on ...

. It was announced on 10 November 2006 that

Hornby Railways Hornby Railways is a British model railways manufacturing company. Its roots date back to 1901 in Liverpool, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, ...

would acquire certain assets of Humbrol, comprising Airfix, Humbrol paints and model accessories and the Young Scientist brand for £2.6 million. Humbrol is possibly best known for the enamel paints manufactured for use with plastic model kits, such as Airfix, Tamiya and Revell kits. The paints are manufactured in multiple finishes: matt, satin, gloss, metallic and metalcote. The archetypal container was a 14 ml tin with the lid illustrating the paint colour and an embossed reference number. Humbrol does, however, sell 50 and 120ml tins and spray cans in some colours. The 50ml enamel paint tins and spray paints remain available. The tins are called "Humbrol DIY". Humbrol's main factory was located on Hedon Road,

Marfleet Marfleet is an area of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the east of the city, near King George Dock. Marfleet was until the late 20th century a small village outside the urban area of Hull – developments includi ...

in Hull. In 1988, an

acetone Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour. Acetone is miscib ...

spill at the factory caused a fire resulting in the death of an employee. It closed c.2006 and the site was completely redeveloped by 2014.

Notable people

George Shaw George Shaw may refer to: * George Shaw (biologist) (1751–1813), English botanist and zoologist * George B. Shaw (1854–1894), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Irish playwright * George C. Shaw (1866–196 ...

uses Humbrol enamel paints to create highly realistic paintings on MDF board. Penny Taylor-Beardow, Chairman of the Guild of Waterway Artists uses Humbrol enamels on prepared Birch ply to create her waterways paintings.

References

External links

* {{official website
Official history
Model manufacturers of the United Kingdom Hornby Railways Paint and coatings companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1919