Maker record
Josef Sperl
Josef Sperl was a Vienna model-making and publishing business whose products included model-aircraft plans, materials and kits. Its catalogues and plans covered aircraft modelling, and its name appeared on plans by other designers as well as on its own model-building publications. A 1947 catalogue is preserved in a specialist historical toy archive. The business also supplied model-building materials and published plans for ship models.
- Founded
- 1900
- Final year
- 1960
- Countries
- Austria
- Locations
- Vienna, Austria
- Founders
- Josef Sperl
The story of Josef Sperl
Josef Sperl operated a model-building business in Vienna that published plans and supplied materials for model makers. A catalogue titled “Schiffsmodell-Werkstoffe, Pläne-Werkstoffpackungen” is dated approximately 1940 in a bibliographic listing, documenting a ship-modelling range as well as printed plans and material packs. The Verein für historisches technisches Spielzeug lists a Josef Sperl catalogue and order card from Vienna dated December 1947 in its document archive.
Sperl's name also appeared on aircraft-model plans. The Austrian aero club's model-flight magazine includes Josef Sperl among figures associated with the development of Austrian model flying. Later bibliographic records list Walter and Josef Sperl together on a glider-model plan, while surviving plan references identify Josef Sperl as a Vienna publisher. These records show a business spanning model plans, publishing and supplies; they do not document a die-cast vehicle or train line.
