Cleveland Model Supply — Seventy Years in the Business
By James Busch
Walk to this old warehouse, cross the loading dock on Detroit Avenue, open the unmarked door, and you're in modeling heaven.
E. T. Packard started the Cleveland Model and Supply Company in 1919. That fact wouldn't be unusual—except that he's still at it. Way back in the late thirties and early forties I would hitch a ride to Cleveland with my dad when he went there on business. A streetcar ride east on Lorain Avenue brought me to heaven: long showcases full of dope and glue, shelves and shelves loaded with model airplane kits—this kid was overwhelmed.
In 1947 I built my last Cleveland-designed model, a 72-inch Giant Condor glider. The plans are still available. Early this year I learned that Cleveland Model is not only still in business, but they are offering plans for scratch builders. I sent for their catalog and ordered what is probably a life supply of plans.
The order was filled promptly, and I expected a big, fully computerized order department. But no such thing. Mr. Packard and his capable assistant, Mrs. Mildred Flitsinger, do it all!
The current location of the shop is a bit off the beaten path. Patrons park behind an old building on Detroit Avenue, walk over a loading dock to an unmarked door, then climb three flights of stairs. Whew! Maybe it's this daily climb that keeps Mr. Packard so young and energetic. More likely it's his enthusiasm for the world of modeling.
With a twinkle in his eyes he bid me welcome, and I instantly realized my trip had been well worth it. Of course there are a few kits still available, but for me it was the plans—the wonderful plans!
There are 275 scale plans in the Cleveland-designed series and over a hundred more in other series. Most are available in 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch, and 3/4-inch scales. Many are printed in 1-inch, 1-1/2-inch, and 2-inch scales, and some are even in 3-1/4-inch scale. Wingspans range from a mere seven inches to a whopping 124 inches. The RC crowd could find plans for some really unique models here.
Mr. Packard has a large stock of balsa wood and the tools for forming glider wings. Boxes and boxes of hardwood parts for Cleveland-designed scale trains are ready and waiting for train buffs.
Still, what impressed me most were the models. A few are still intact, but most have suffered varying degrees of deterioration. Many are in pieces or missing parts, but the plans are here—and that is what counts.
Mr. Packard credits volunteers who helped in drafting and inking the plans for reproduction. In 1945 nearly a hundred employees were producing kits. Young people today have fallen victim to the plastic plague; stick-and-paper builders have a good friend in Cleveland Model Supply Co.
Cleveland Model Supply Co. 10307 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Telephone: 216-961-3600
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
