Manufacturer: Reinhard Oestmann

In the early 1980s, the choice of 1:87 scale model cars was limited, as was the number of manufacturers. A number of small-scale producers stepped into this gap, including Reinhard Oestmann from Lilienthal in Lower Saxony. His models became known simply as “Oest models”.

The first model Oestmann released was a Messerschmitt KR 200. His models were made from transparent casting resin poured into silicone rubber moulds, then primed and painted.

They were available either as primed blanks for collectors to paint themselves or as finished models. It was not until the 1990s that IMU released the Messerschmitt as a mass-produced model. For many years, however, no mass-production manufacturer could match the quality of the Oest models.