60 years of Pocher – the story so far

This year marks Pocher’s 60^th birthday! Since 1966, we’ve been producing premium model kits that modellers adore, but the story of Pocher starts back in 1911, with the birth of our founder, Arnaldo Pocher.

A legend begins

Arnaldo was born in Trento, Italy. He trained as a goldsmith engraver and worked in Turin. After the Second World War, his attention turned to railway modelling, so when he formed Pocher Micromeccanica S.n.c. with his partner Corrado Muratore in 1951, model train signals, platforms and points formed the core focus of the business.

The business changed its name to The Corrado Muratore and Arnaldo Pocher Company in 1954, and its offering expanded to finely detailed freight and passenger carriages. These hand-engraved, white metal models delighted model railway enthusiasts who appreciated their limited-edition value, high quality and authentic nature.

Fiat was so impressed with the models that, in 1961, it commissioned The Corrado Muratore and Arnaldo Pocher Company to create models of the Fiat 1300 to showcase at the Turin Automobile Show. The 1:13 scale model had working steering, an electric motor, and sculpted tyres. The hood could be opened to display the replica engine inside.

This expansion required capital, and in 1963, Rivarossi stepped in with funding. This allowed the business to replicate every new car that went through the Fiat factory.

Pocher unveils its first masterpiece

In 1966, The Corrado Muratore and Arnaldo Pocher Company astounded the world when it unveiled its first model kit at the International Toy Fair of Milan. The Fiat 130 HP F2 was an excellent replica of the car that won the 1907 French Grand Prix, presented in 1:8 form.

The team created the kit using original plans from the manufacturer, incorporating 144 high-resistance plastic parts, 173 brass parts, and 506 steel, copper, leather, rubber, and aluminium parts. It was a huge success, prompting the company to follow up with ever-more detailed models such as the 1931-34 Alfa Romeo 2300 Ac Monza (with 1,450 pieces) and the 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Drophead Sedanca Coupe. The models are placed in three different ranges: Classic, Prestige, and Pocher Trucks.

Despite this success, in the 1970s, Corrado sold his half of the business to Rivarossi. In 1981, Pocher did the same, and so manufacturing moved from Turin to Como. Then, in 2004, The Lima Group, who owned Rivarossi, went bankrupt.

The Hornby Hobbies era

Hornby Hobbies was quick to rescue the ailing heritage company, but the big relaunch didn’t happen until 2012. Termed ‘the resurgence of a myth’, the first kit was a 1:8 scale Lamborghini Aventador. Unveiled at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, the car weighed 7.3kg and was made of premium die-cast metal. It boasted 796 pre-painted parts and came with the option of left- or right-hand drive. With working steering, suspension and spoiler mechanisms, as well as opening doors and hatches, it was the perfect comeback for the brand. There were colour variations too, allowing modellers to build a whole rainbow fleet of premium Lamborghini models.

Soon after, Pocher updated the tooling to release the Lamborghini Huracan in Isis White or Yellow. In 2015, it launched the Ducati Panigale Superbike. For a few years, modellers were treated to variations of vehicles from these two brands.

In 2022, we secured a new licence. The Lotus 72D, as driven by Emerson Fittipaldi, was an instant success. And things have evolved even more since then, with our premium Porsche and Pagani kits.

A premium modelling future awaits

Most recently, we revived our partnership with Ducati, unveiling our latest Panigale V2 Superquadro kit and the associated engine kit. And very soon, we’ll be able to reveal what we’ve been working on with Ferrari.

It feels like Pocher is back to its best with our latest wave of model kits. But as always, we will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in kit creation, bringing ever-more advanced, detailed and authentic models in 1:4 and 1:8 scale.