MAC Forum

History of the firm Hammerer & Kühlwein, Nürnberg, Deutschland

1903
Founder Johann Hammerer starts producing cars, ships, locomotives and airplanes with windup mechanism. Type numbers proceeded by HK.

1936/37
Acquired by Eduard Möbel and Max Zeilein , moves to Fürth (Germany)
1945: factories completely destroyed and rebuilt. Focus on airplanes, helicopters, action figures and an occasional car.

ca. 1950
Uses also MF, MZF and FMZ (Möbel Zeilein Fürth).

1963
Stops production. Some planes are being sold as replica’s










And now for the airplane lovers two HK's:



That's all for today!

Thank You for so much news ! ! !

I didn't know Hammerer & Kühlwein was founded as early as 1903. That would make it a contemporary of Bing, Carette, Märklin. I did not know the firm made so many whirlybirds.

Also thank you for confirming that this firm is also known as "HUKI."

flieger contributed scans of a 1959 HK catalog so we could all see the tin toys. I have a "Future Jet" C111-566 (it looks like your blue one except no props), the Boeing 247 #541, and a silver Four-Engine Airliner #542 by this firm. The last mentioned was made in US Zone so it would date from 1947-49. I posted photos of the first two up in the tin airplanes forum, but I need to take better photos of the silver one.

Caution: HUKI = Hubert Kienberger! This is a different company and not HK.

I do not know any planes made by HUKI. HUKI is well known for their "TOPMOD" series of 1/32 scaled tin toy cars, which were made until the mid 70s in Germany. HUKI was one of the "last men standing" making tin toys until the very end of this era. They have all my respect!

FLIEGERII is spot on... to the best of my knowledge, HUKI never made any helicopter toys. But, who knows, maybe one will turn up sometime!?

Arne has shown quite of the few HK toys out there... I might add the following based on my research to date:

The HK-560 Strato Copter toys are by far the most expensive and desireable HK helicopter toys. The toy came in the two versions shown above with some variation to the rotors.

The HK-565 came in both clockwork and friction versions. The clockwork version used the same box as the friction versions. Typically you see the silver/red/yellow toy, but there is also a yellow/blue variation out there. And, there are two different friction motor styles as well (one with hubcaps and one without). Arne already showed the friction variation with the plastic canopy - that's a pretty hard to find version.

I believe the blue HK-557 came in two different box styles. I have an older box style with the blue HK-557. I believe the second, newer box style is shown above (perhaps improperly pictured with the HK-570?).

The HK-570 toy came in two different paint schemes that I'm aware of... there is a red and blue version not shown above.

Finally, I'll add that there is somewhat hard-to-find HK 559-1 friction toy. I've never seen the box, but I do have the toy:

My HK570 in red and blue: