Sieper Lüdenscheid GmbH & Co. KG, also known as Siku, is a German company that makes scale models. It is based in Lüdenscheid, Germany. Siku sells products such as model cars, figurines, model airplanes, model commercial vehicles, and model agricultural machinery. In the past, most of its models were made in Lüdenscheid. Today, diecast models are produced in China, the Philippines, Poland, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
History
Founded in 1921, Sieper-Werke (Sieper Works) was originally a company that made metal tools and cutlery from zamak and aluminium. Later, it also produced ashtrays, badges, medals, belt buckles, and buttons. In 1949, its factory in Lüdenscheid was equipped with new molds for casting, sandblasting, and painting zinc items. The company was hired to create Mercedes-Benz’s star-shaped hood ornament.
Sieper-Werke also tested early plastics. In 1943, it opened a new facility in Hilchenbach, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Lüdenscheid (though Lüdenscheid remained the company’s main office). At this location, products such as plastics, furniture, mirrors, and cabinets were made. The Lüdenscheid factory mainly produced promotional items for large brands, including the “elephant shoe” and “Zeller black cat,” which were made using injection-molding.
In 1950, the company began making toys in Lüdenscheid and registered the “Siku” trademark for these products. The name comes from shortening the founder’s name, Richard Sieper, and the German word for plastic, “Kunststoffe” (meaning Sieper Plastics). At first, Siku toys were plastic figures and animals. These were often sold in margarine packages as part of a food promotion. The popularity of these plastic figures helped Siku fund the creation of postwar vehicles.
Between 1951 and 1955, Siku produced its first vehicles, including models of a fire truck, race car, amphibious truck, and moving van. In 1955, it made a model of a Porsche 356. The scale used was about 1:60. By 1958, Sieper-Werke stopped making figures and focused only on plastic vehicles, except for animal models attached to tractors.
In 1994, Siku Toys bought Gama Toys after it closed and added it to its company. According to an archive from the official Siku website in 1998 (December 6, 1998, on archive.com), production at that time likely took place at “Industriestr. 1-3, 12099 Berlin-Tempelhof-Schöneberg.”
Model series
Siku's main product is the 1:55 scale "Super Series" line of model vehicles, which are similar to Matchbox vehicles. The company also owns Wiking Modellbau, a well-known HO scale manufacturer.
In 1955, the first special line of vehicles, called the V-Series (short for "Verkehrsmodelle" or "Traffic Models"), was made. These were plastic replicas of real vehicles in a uniform 1:60 scale. The colors were often light and pastel. The vehicles were well-proportioned and detailed, such as a fire truck with multiple ladders, a detailed electric streetcar, and drivers in models of the Mercedes 190, Porsche 550 Spyder, or Karmann Ghia convertibles. One model, V228, was a plastic Willys Jeep with a trailer that had a detailed driver and a folding windshield.
Most vehicles did not have interiors, except for convertibles and a double-decker bus. Some Mercedes-Benz models even had hood ornaments.
Several American cars were also made, including a 1956 Buick Century, a 1957 Mercury Voyager station wagon, and a 1960 Chrysler New Yorker.
In 1963, 12 new V-Series models made of zinc alloy and painted by hand were introduced. Between 1963 and 1969, new models were made in both plastic and metal, but more metal models were produced over time. The last plastic model was released in 1969, and all new models since then have been made from die-cast zamac. Like Corgi or Dinky vehicles, Siku models used rhinestones for headlights, which looked attractive but were not very realistic.
Most V-Series vehicles came in cardboard boxes labeled "Siku-Flitzer" ("Siku Speedster"), with pictures of the vehicles on opposite sides. Some boxes had blue and red colors, others green and yellow, and others orange and cream. This style was similar to early Solido boxes. This packaging was used until the late 1980s and looked more rustic compared to other companies' use of modern clear blister packs. For a time, the vehicle illustrations on the boxes were lit by a yellow light from the round Siku logo.
One example was a Ford F-500 flatbed "dually" truck made in the mid-1960s. The proportions were realistic, and the colors looked authentic. The grille was detailed with jeweled headlights. The wheels were black, detailed, but without chrome. One model had a dark green body, brown interior, and a red metal chassis.
In 1973, the letter "V" was removed from the model numbers.
The V-Series ended in 1975 when the Super Series was introduced.
In 1959, Sieper-Werke made 20 airplane models in a 1:250 scale. Although these sold well, production stopped in 1964 due to a lack of workers. In the early 1990s, similar airplane models returned and were sold in boxes priced around 19.de.
The Super Series replaced the V-Series as the main product line. Some V-Series models were moved to the Super Series and renumbered, but there were two differences: models were no longer painted by hand, and the scale was slightly larger at 1:55. Models were numbered with four digits, where the first two digits showed the price range. Small cars usually started with numbers 10 or 13, but later included 08 and 14. Larger vehicles, like helicopters, had numbers starting with 16 or higher. The last two digits were the model number within each price range. This system was later used for all new products and gift sets.
Small cars were first sold in picture boxes and blister packs. By the mid-1980s, picture boxes were no longer used. Large models were mostly sold in window boxes, except for some. A controversial design feature during this time was whitewall tires labeled "Siku" on both sides of each tire and white "spoked" wheels on most vehicles. By the late 1990s, more realistic wheel designs were used instead.
The Super Series is still made today. Since the 1990s, the Club Series was added, allowing large trucks, tanks, and some airplanes to be made in the size of small cars (though their scale varies). These are sold in blister packs. This means the 1:55 scale (or 1:60 for old V-Series cars) is not used consistently.
Super Series vehicles include unusual sports cars like the Gumpert Apollo or Wiesmann GT, heavy machinery such as log loaders, snow tracked vehicles, and a detailed Mercedes Unimog. Other models include a triple-engined tractor, modern trams, subway trains, and even the AIDAluna cruise ship in a 1:1,400 scale (18 cm long).
In 1983, the Farmer Series was introduced, mostly in a 1:32 scale. It included a Land Rover used as a farm vehicle, which was common in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. In 2002, the Farmer Classic line was added, focusing on old tractors. Later, more detailed farm vehicles were made, such as tractors with "aged" paint. After 2005, some realistic plastic vehicles, like a MAN refuse truck, were 12 inches long or more and made in China, not Germany.
In 2004, a radio-controlled tractor was added to the new Siku Control line, offering more play value. These vehicles have radio-controlled acceleration, steering, headlights, and turn signals. Other models were later added to the Control line.
In the 1980s, HO scale (1:87) manufacturers like Herpa, Busch, Trident, and Roco became more popular in Europe. In 1984, Sieper-Werke strengthened its position in this market by buying Wiking-Modelbau, a well-known HO scale plastic model maker based in West Berlin.
As the Super Series models used different scales, Siku released the M87 series in 2003. All M87 models are made in a 1:87 scale, but this line is separate from the Wiking line
International markets
Siku competed with Majorette and Efsi for the European market but became the leading diecast toy company in Germany. In the early 1970s, Siku expanded to other countries and had increasing success. The company stopped making most other diecast products and focused on making vehicles.
Although Siku became well known in Europe, the brand was not very popular in the United States. Siku toys were only sometimes sold in specialty hobby shops. They rarely appeared in large department stores like Walmart, Hills, or Target. Siku offered models of American cars, including the Buick Wildcat, Oldsmobile Toronado, Pontiac Bonneville convertible, Cadillac limousine, Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Corvette, Lincoln Continental Mark III, Ford Mustang, and Ford trucks. As of 2010, Siku no longer exports toys to the United States because of problems with the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). However, Siku vehicles are sold in Canada by Mastermind Toys.
Collection and vintage value
The V-Series and the Super Series are currently very popular among collectors. These models are made with much better quality than average, and they cost more than other models. New models from these series still have the same high quality as older toy cars from brands like Matchbox, Dinky, and Corgi from many years ago. For example, Siku toy cars have wheels that are more detailed and shaped carefully. The tires on Siku wheels are separate from the wheels and are made of rubber, while other brands, such as Hot Wheels, usually have wheels that are single pieces made of plastic.