needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . july 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message paul k. guillow inc. industry hobbies founded 1926 headquarters wakefield ma united states products balsa wood model airplane toys website http www.guillow.com paul k. guillow inc. is a manufacturer of balsa wood model airplane toys . it was established in 1926 in wakefield ma united states . the company was founded by paul k. guillow a world war i u. s. navy aviator and was originally called nucraft toys . 1 guillow was a naval aviator during world war i and later went on to graduate from worcester polytechnic institute in 1920 . 2 soon after charles lindbergh s famous solo transatlantic flight in 1927 a craze for all things aeronautical swept over america . guillow capitalized on that fad by introducing a line of balsa wood model kits . the first line of guillow balsa shelf model kits offered consisted of twelve different world war i biplane fighters with 6 inch wing spans that retailed for 10 each . each kit contained a 3 view plan balsa wood cement 2 bottles of colored dope a strip of bamboo for wing and landing gear struts this was considered relatively good value for such toys at that time . in 1933 demand for the kits were high enough as to enable guillow to move out of the family barn that it started from and into its present day location in wakefield . the company also supplemented the production of model airplanes with the publication of several books on flying model planes in the 1940s . constructing a balsa stick & tissue model airplane the mainstay product of paul k. guillow inc. during world war ii the supply of balsa wood was diverted to the war effort for the manufacture of rafts and life jackets . guillows was forced to use alternative materials like cardboard or pine to manufacture the model kits . in the meantime the company also diversified into building target drone aircraft as training aids for gunners . after the war to meet changing customer tastes it shifted its emphasis from stick & tissue kits to concentrate on the mass production of inexpensive hand launched and rubber band powered toy planes that were sold a variety of retail outlets . in early 1998 guillow purchased long time competitor comet industries north pacific of chicago . to date the manufacturer is the largest of its class . references edit guillow s website worcester polytechnic institute wpi external links edit website v t e wakefield massachusetts incorporated in 1812 based in middlesex county massachusetts population 24 932 general information wakefield photos history crimes massacre geography climate demographics 2010 census 2000 census government board of selectmen finance committee fincom school committee wakefield public schools board of health boh board of appeals fence viewers wwii memorial committee full list of governmental positions education neighborhoods transportation media points of interest annual events sports notable residents suggested reading institutions camp curtis guild center for applied special technology daily item daily times chronicle greenwood mbta station hockey east headquartered in wakefield lucius beebe memorial library mbta bus routes nazareth academy our lady of nazareth academy paul k. guillow inc. wakefield mbta station wakefield high school whs xura inc. attractions pleasure island defunct lake quannapowitt saugus river notable residents lucius beebe elizabeth boit scott brown joe cannata carleton s. coon david dellinger israel horovitz mark kumpel dave lapham john lilley a. david mazzone marcia pankratz jimmy pedro buffy saint marie louis sullivan richard tisei john anthony volpe national historic places houses 18a & 20 aborn st. 6 adams st. 380 albion st. avon st. 23 25 5 bennett st. e. boardman house elizabeth boit house chestnut st. 15 21 95 39 converse st. 28 cordis st. cowdry houses jonas nathaniel 40 crescent st. emerson franklin poole house 26 francis av . captain goodwin james custis house samuel gould house green house capt. william green house deacon daniel green house 118 greenwood st. 20 hancock rd. 42 hopkins st. dr. charles jordan house deacon thomas kendall house 15 lawrence av . lawrence st. 20 23 556 lowell st. main st. 190 196 1 morrison av . morrison rd. 20 32 2 nichols st. 509 north av . 52 oak st. oliver house park st. 8 18 22 parker rd. prospect st. 88 90 richardson avenue rowhouses 35 37 38 48 dr. s. o. richardson house salem st. 7 19 21 38 113 sheffield rd. 13 30 dr. thomas simpson house 54 spring st. william stimpson house sweetser houses daniel michael d. horace tilton house 193 vernon st. 12 w. water st. wave av . 11 15 9 white av . 28 wiley st. suell winn house charles winship house 1 woodcrest dr. national historic places buildings and districts beacon street tomb beebe homestead center depot church lafayette sts . hist . dist . common district flanley s block greenwood union church col. james hartshorne house item building lakeside cemetery chapel lynnwood massachusetts state armory south reading academy st. joseph s school temple israel cemetery main post office wakefield park wakefield rattan company wakefield trust company wakefield upper depot h.m. warren school west ward school woodville school woodward homestead yale avenue historic district neighboring towns reading template north reading lynnfield i 93 woburn template breakheart reservation wakefield stoneham template melrose template saugus template media related to wakefield massachusetts at wikimedia commons retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title paul k. guillow inc. & oldid 737598572 categories toy companies of the united statesmodel manufacturersmodel aircraftcompanies based in massachusettswakefield massachusettscompanies established in 1926hidden categories articles needing additional references from july 2010all 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