Throughout their first four decades, Norev primarily made simple, single-piece model cars molded in color. Though details were basic, they were generally well-proportioned vehicles suitable as toys or with some detailing, displayed on a model railroad. In the 1990s, Norev began to upgrade their products.
By the time Axel Fischer became company president in the late 1990s, Norev was making more complex and detailed models. The focus had gone from inexpensive toys to collectible models of contemporary European models. Fischer was instrumental in gaining cooperation from the actual car manufacturers to not only create more accurate models but to offer diecast that represented the latest to what was on the road.
The company revived Spot-On, a defunct brand of more toy-like offerings to fill in for what their core business had once been. Norev also brought back CIJ (Compagnie Industrielle du Jouet), a French brand of diecast from the 1950s to create models reminiscent of that era. Between the three main brands, Norev now covers toys, vintage-style collector cars, and prestigious collector diecast.
The latest shift in their offerings includes more art-based models such as the “Citroen on Spheres’. They also offer a new twist on model cars as toys, with modern interpretations of playmats for their colorful Jet-Car play models.
Still in his early 50s, Fischer has been at the head of Norev for basically half his life. It takes more than a savvy businessman to pull off that kind of career. It also requires someone to be passionate about the product as a fan. That’s what makes Axel Fischer the Model Car Hall of Fame’s Entrepreneur of the Year for 2024.
The Model Car Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, on January 30, 2025. Thanks to everyone at Spielwarenmesse for having us as a part of their event.
