Product Miniature Company |
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The Product Miniature Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was founded in 1946 by William Edward Ford ("Ed") and his brother, Paul. Ed passed away on September 15, 2004. Collectors might be surprised to find out that the company is still in business today! It is located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin but now goes by the name, PM Plastics. Its president is Bill Ford (Ed's son). Gerald Ford is the sales manager. (They are not interested in talking with collectors.) From the very beginning, PMC manufactured excellent quality toys, using mostly plastic, and emphasizing authenticity along with accurately scaled (1/16 to 1/25) models. They marketed these toys under the name Tru-Miniatures. PMC first concentrated on building cars, trucks and tractors for manufacturers to use in building sales and goodwill. The company soon entered what they considered the toy market - packaging and promoting their products for retail distribution. In 1954, they entered the hobby market by introducing some of their miniatures in kit form. By 1954, the company had grown to include two manufacturing facilities, one in Pewaukee and another in Milwaukee. Together, they employed over 200 workers turning out 12,000 miniatures a day. |
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S-100 Series Pick-Ups |
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PMC produced models for a wide variety of manufacturers using their original blueprints. Trucks by International were a large part of their early production, but they also made excellent models of Diamond T trucks. Plymouths seemed to be the first brand of cars made, but other badges such as Nash, Chevrolet and Ford soon followed. The International Farmall tractor was also an early production item. The line was so prolific it would be a monumental task to attempt collecting one of each item made. The examples shown on the following pages are merely a sampling of the PMC offerings. Product Miniature toys were made to the highest standards of excellence and realism. I can fondly recall many hours of playing with my bright yellow 1948 International pick-up. This was definitely one of my all-time favorite toys. It just felt good in my hands and looked like the real thing. My personal thanks to the Ford brothers for making such a fine line of toys. |
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In 1954 there were sixteen assembly lines with 20 women in each line (above). Upper left - car bodies being stamped out on a 16 oz. HPM molding machine. Left - two-tone paint schemes being applied by hand. |
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at 2240 S. 54th St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. |
The building shown to the right was located at 627 Capitol Dr. in Pewaukee, Wisoncsin. |