Passing the torch on a sunny day

Around 40 show trucks could be marveled at around our company premises, all of them vehicles that are also available from Herpa in the small scale. During a tour of the production facilities, visitors were able to see how time-consuming it is to manufacture such a truck in the 1/87 scale.

There, the model manufacturer’s new investments also became apparent, as numerous new machines have been purchased in recent years, some of which consume only a tenth of the energy and also produce the models even faster.

The highlight on the “Fernfahrer” magazine’s show stage was the handover of the baton in product management at Cars & Trucks. Matthias Wolff had been responsible for selecting models for almost 28 years, and responsibility passed to his successor Stefan Blank during the Open House. “I was always on the lookout for interesting vehicles, and it is then a matter of fathoming out which vehicles might interest the model collectors. We’ve always managed that well so far”, said Matthias Wolff, who will remain with the company in an advisory capacity with a few hours to spare.

He is closely connected to the trucker and collectors scene, which is why so many people attended the official farewell. But also the collectors of Herpa’s second division “Wings”, the aircraft models, got their money’s worth. This market is clearly more international, which you could tell by the fact that their guests from the farthest away, America and Japan, had traveled especially to Dietenhofen.

With more than 6,000 visitors, the Open House takes up the tradition of the events held before the pandemic. “All in all, it was a very successful day, which would not have been possible without the great commitment of the employees”, says Managing Director Hermann Prinz zu Leiningen. Employees had already baked

numerous cakes in advance, which were sold to benefit the Dietenhofen fire brigade. On the occasion of the Open Day, Herpa also launched its new website, as its importance has greatly increased. Nevertheless – keeping in touch in person remains very important in the scene, and so there will be another Open Day next year.

Of course, such a big Open Day is only possible thanks to many manufacturers, partners, volunteers, and the Herpa staff.

These and, of course, our dear customers, make this day unforgettable each and every year!

This year also sees our product manager Matthias Wolff passing on the baton of head of department to his successor Stefan Blank after almost 28 years; in return, Herr Wolff gets something back that he hadn’t reckoned with. There were 150 Magirus Edition tractor units left over from an order placed the previous year ... “What can we do about that?” was the question posed to Product Management ... “Sure, the color scheme fits in perfectly with the Riwatrans shipping company, so there will be a very special ‘show’ model for the summer festival ...”, they both agreed. Since an Ecoflex model of Christina Scheib (item n° 953153) is to be released for the 2023 Summer Festival, it was easy to have the molded parts produced here as well. The trainee in artwork production, Vera Keil, was commissioned to create a suitable design based on the Ecoflex trailer with a few specifications. In the course of approving the design, Herr Blank then had the idea of making something even more special out of it ... The rear of the semitrailer is adorned with a stylized picture of Herr Wolff. A hidden cell phone photo was used to create the image, which was then refined and applied to the model. Only a handful of employees were involved ... for

everyone else, the design was only to be found on our server without the image. It worked out, and until the very end, the “actual” design remained a secret, despite the fact that Herr Wolff is always present in the company on a daily basis and certainly looks “behind” the scenes in the departments. This “homage” has, of course, also a special history ... Both of them (Wolff & Blank) had the idea of the fictitious shipping company called “riwatrans” at the end of 2003 to create a new series with a typical shipping company color scheme here. The blue cabs and flatbeds with red cab applications and red chassis, as well as white superstructures were not only interesting for collectors of the “shipping company”, but also provided rebuilders with the opportunity to draw from all the available resources. More than 80 models were created here in the course of time, and there should be no end. From the small Volkswagen LT box to the heavy-duty semitrailer truck and the transport of the yacht “Catwalk”, the shipping company has shown a wide range of activities in the past. We are pleased to have created a great and hopefully sought-after “rarity” here, which once again links Herr Wolff profoundly to Herpa.