Founded in the early 1940s by Lewis Glaser in California, Revell began as an injection molding company before revolutionizing the hobby industry. By the early 1950s, Revell marketed the Highway Pioneers line of 1/32 scale plastic car models, which took the nation by storm and marked the birth of the modern hobby industry. The first design from Revell was the 1953 ship, the USS Missouri, followed by fighter jets and space kits.

In 1956, Revell established a German subsidiary that eventually developed its own independent product lines. The company expanded into standardized scales during the 1960s and pioneered 1/32 aircraft kits in the early 1970s. Revell's product range spans military vehicles, aircraft, ships, automobiles, and licensed subjects like Star Wars.

In 1995, the mark of over 5,000,000 model kits sold was exceeded for the first time, demonstrating Revell's global success. Today, Revell operates primarily through its German division, producing kits in Poland and China while maintaining its reputation for detailed, historically accurate models across multiple scales.