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Company History

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The KV Wooster company was founded in the late 1950s by Kenneth Victor Wooster and was involved in the supply of disposable in-flight catering products.  The founder died in 1971 and the company was subsequently bought by Director Roger Clark for £20,000 and they opened a factory in Aylesbury that produced products mostly for the UK holiday package airlines.  Production was relocated to Corby, Northants in 1980.

 

In 1982, Monarch Airlines suggested the idea of a replica model aircraft which it could sell on board its aircraft, so Wooster produced its first model, a Monarch Airlines Boeing 737-200.  Subsequent 737 models were ordered by Air Europe and British Airtours.  British Airways became aware of the success of sales on board their subsidiary and placed their own orders, eventually being supplied with over one million models over ten different types.  As a result of this success, many other airlines around the world placed orders.

 

In 1986, the company began moving once again, this time to Campbeltown, Argyll in Scotland, due to increasing costs.  Model aircraft production now accounted for 40% of output.  Only six staff relocated with the company and significant training of a new workforce was required and KV Wooster International Ltd took several years to build up to full production but eventually model production accounted for ninety percent of business, forty percent of which was for export.

 

In 1991, partly due to world events, British Airways froze its purchasing budgets and Air Europe ceased operation, events which deprived Wooster of over half its order book.  However, the next year production had built up again and retail models accounted for forty percent of total output, including supplying Harrods with its own range.   The range grew to 350 liveries and 21 model types.   Manufacturers such as Saab and Dornier began using Wooster as their supplier and tooling was specially made for them.

 

By 1993 the company employed forty staff and had a yearly turnover of one million pounds with liveries now totalling 390.  Airline and retail sales were evenly split and exports accounted for 85% of business.  Up to 33,000 models were produced per month.

 

However, in October 1995 the Wooster factory was victim to an arson attack by a disgruntled employee which seriously damaged the facility and resulted in most of its stock being destroyed.  The employee was later jailed for five years for the attack and Wooster began the process of rebuilding itself.  

 

Production was restarted a year later using two buildings, one an industrial unit adjacent to the destroyed building and the other part of an old whiskey distillery.   Much of the work required to fit out these buildings was performed by the loyal  Wooster staff, with Roger Clark, still the managing director, constantly praising their efforts.   Several new model types were introduced and production was targeted back up to 33,000 models a month again.

 

Unfortunately, in 1999 the company fell victim to financial problems and ceased to operate, with the last models being released in December of that year, a Delta MD-11 and B777 and a British Airways BAe146.  In 2000, the Wooster name was bought by Herpa PPC and production started in Germany  of a range of plastic models under the Wooster name, although many would say that they were not up to the original Wooster standard....

 

Original  Wooster  Aircraft Models