Through the ages

Unfortunately, it is still mistakenly believed today that the Austrian Heeressportverein (Model Building Section) is the creator of the Vacu kits. However, this is not correct. This widespread misconception originated from an article published in 1985 in the magazine Modellfan, which reported on the first Vacu kit by Matthias Pehofer. Unfortunately, Matthias Pehofer was not mentioned by name in the article, which gave the impression that the Heeressportverein (Model Building Section) was the creator of the kit.
 

In fact, Matthias Pehofer was a member of the Austrian Heeressportverein (Model Building Section) and exchanged ideas about his projects with other members there. Some members, such as Thomas Hufnagl and Ernst Pathy, also actively contributed to the development of individual kits over the years.

Matthias Pehofer once commented:

"Choosing the brand name HSV-Vacu was unfortunate. At the beginning, I never thought that the kits and the brand would become so well-known. Once HSV-Vacu became prominent in the model building community after the article in Modellfan, changing the name would have been unreasonable. Therefore, HSV-Vacu remained. It is only very regrettable that the Austrian Heeressportverein (Model Building Section) is always considered the creator of the kits, and not me, who did all the work."




The abbreviation HSV-Vacu was redefined in 2012 as Hobby-Spezial-Vacu for legal reasons. Since then, there has been no connection to the Heeressportverein or the Austrian Armed Forces.

Timeline

1982 - the company Hobbymodellbau Franz Schmidt from Mutterstadt released a Vacu-kit of the Pinzgauer 710M in 1:35 scale. At that time, it was the only available model of an Austrian Army vehicle in this scale. Matthias Pehofer was so impressed by the model and the production method that he immediately began experimenting with manufacturing Vacu-kits himself. This led to a close and friendly collaboration with Mr. Franz Schmidt.

1983 – After a year of intense work, Matthias Pehofer proudly presented his first Vacu-kit, the Steyr 680M in 1:35 scale. The small series was produced personally by him in his own model workshop using a custom-built vacuum forming machine. The kit received a great deal of acclaim from model builders.

1985 – As a member of the Austrian Heeressportverein (Model Building Section), Matthias Pehofer had the opportunity to present his Steyr 680M Vacu-kit at the special exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Austrian Armed Forces. The Vacu-model also attracted the attention of model building press. An article about the kit appeared in the magazine Modellfan, but unfortunately, Matthias Pehofer was not mentioned by name, which gave the impression that the Heeressportverein (Model Building Section) was the creator of the kit.

With the help of fellow modelers, Matthias Pehofer developed a variety of fascinating Vacu-kits in the years that followed. Remarkably, all stages of the process—from planning to production—were carried out in his home hobby workshop.

2009 – Matthias Pehofer’s enthusiasm and passion for his hobby are reflected in his final projects, the ÖAF Gräf & Stift ZA 200/2 6x6 and the Saurer 6-GAVR-Z.

ÖAF Graf & Stift

ZA 200/2 (6x6)

ÖAF Graf & Stift

ZA 200/2 (6x6)

Saurer

6-GAVR-Z

Saurer

6-GAVR-Z

2011 – In search of a successor, Matthias Pehofer offered Wolfgang Inzinger the opportunity to take over HSV-Modelle, due to their long-standing friendship.

2012 – Wolfgang Inzinger took over HSV-Modelle, moved the location from Neunkirchen to Salzburg, and redefined the abbreviation HSV as Hobby-Spezial-Vacu for legal reasons. The production of the popular 1:35 scale Vacu kits continued, and the exclusive marketing of the limited edition kits was carried out under the slightly modified name Hobby-Spezial-Vacu, exclusively through SCALESHOP.AT 

2013 – Thirty years ago, Matthias Pehofer produced his first Vacu kit in Neunkirchen (Lower Austria), laying the foundation for HSV-Modelle. Reflecting the spirit of the times, Hobby-Spezial-Vacu established its own online presence with www.hsv-modelle.at

2014 – The HSV-Modelle website has been redesigned and is now fully optimized for smartphones and tablets.

2017 – On April 19, Matthias Pehofer passed away at the age of 79. He will be remembered as a particularly kind-hearted and warm person, a good friend, and an outstanding model builder.
 

2024 – Even though demand in recent years has not always aligned with economic requirements and it seemed as if the era of Vacu kits was over, there was still a dedicated group of enthusiasts for HSV kits. The desire to continue bringing joy to these enthusiasts was a key reason for remaining active, even though production should have long been discontinued for purely economic reasons.
In this context, and to preserve the brand, the HSV-Modelle website has been comprehensively updated to ensure a modern online presence and improve user experience. Additionally, investments have been made to enhance the quality of the kits and better meet the high standards in model building. Nevertheless, a Vacu kit remains a Vacu kit and cannot be fully compared to the quality of injection-molded, resin, or 3D-printed kits.

Do you have historical knowledge about 1/35 scale Vacu kits of vehicles by Franz Schmidt (Mutterstadt) or Matthias Pehofer (HSV-Vacu)? If so, please contact me. Gathering information about the history of HSV-Modelle is challenging. Therefore, this article will be continuously revised and updated. The success of HSV-Modelle is based on the contributions of many individuals. As soon as their names are known, they will be properly acknowledged. Any support—whether in the form of photos, newspaper clippings, background information, or similar—will be warmly welcomed and gratefully received.