The Conrad company of Germany has for almost fifty years designed and produced scale diecast models.
In 1956, Ludwig Conrad established the company with the main objective of producing accessories for model railways. In 1971, the company also began to introduce high quality diecast models. The manufacturing of models has been the main focus of the company since 1979.
The Conrad brand name, according to Dr. Edward Force, arose from the success of the introduction of diecast models of heavy equipment by the Gescha company (founded in 1923), a company that made various types of toys, including mechanical tinplate toys. However this does not tie in with the limited information on the company's history shown on the Conrad web-site.
Conrad is internationally recognised as a manufacturer of high quality and detailed models, generally in 1:50 scale - although some models are available in 1:25, 1:43 and 1:87 scales. They are reputed to have an excellent working relationship with the original manufacturers of the full size vehicles, which in my opinion must be true given the high quality of the models Conrad produces.
Conrad's commitment to quality and diecasting tradition is reflected in the manufacturing process where the models are mainly composed of metal parts that are only combined with plastic parts when absolutely necessary and, if necessary, the diecast metal parts are hand assembled.