Company History

Foundation of the company “Dörfelt & Hentschel Modellfabrikation” in 1924
by Mr. Paul Gerhard Dörfelt together with partner Hentschel,
without their own land.

The first years of Modellbau Dörfelt were very successful, until the Great Depression of 1929.
The original partners separated in 1931 and Paul Gerhard Dörfelt became the sole Managing Director.

1923 – 1936 training of Herbert Dörfelt as model maker.
Then from 1936 to 1945 he was in the army.

The construction of the new workshop commenced in 1938 on their privately owned land in the Wildenfelser Straße in Zwickau, with 100sqm production area on the ground floor and a storage space for wood on the top floor.

After the death of the founder Gerhard Dörfelt, Herbert Dörfelt took over the business.

Bernd Dörfelt began in the family business in 1961 – 1964 as an apprentice model maker and subsequently undertook evening courses from 1964 – 1969 at the School of Engineering Zwickau. He graduated as an engineer technologist for mechanical engineering. He then worked from 1974 – 1982 as a technologist and equipment design engineer at the “Eisenwerk Zwickau”. Bernd Dörfelt continued to study by correspondence from 1976 – 1982 at the Bergakademie Freiberg and completed a diploma in foundry technology.

Biggest crafted wooden models.

All models for the cast parts of the ship’s steam engine were produced during operation.

After the sudden death of Herbert Dörfelt (aged 63), Bernd Dörfelt took over the business, with five employees working for the company.

In the eighties, wooden models continued to be produced until the production rooms were too small. The production area was then extended to 60m² in 1986.

Modellbau Dörfelt made the transition to a business within reunified Germany successfully, but it was not easy. With the help of business partners Modellbau Dörfelt succeeded in entering the Styrofoam model making and manufacturing by CAD / CATIA.

Began to specialize in Styrofoam model making

Kay-Uwe Dörfelt began work with the company as a trained
model maker with 4-years work experience in former West Germany.

Construction of a new workshop and office building

Acquisition of a new exhaust system, a new CNC milling machine and remodeling of the assembly hall.

Business takeover by model master builder Kay-Uwe Dörfelt,
after a long illness and the death of Bernd Dörfelt

The company today