Comet Metal Products Company produced the majority of the models used by the services during WWII. The company was founded by the Slonim brothers who had emigrated from Germany to England, via Sweden, about 1938. While in England it is reported that they work for TreMo, a manufacturer of small scale ship models, before emigrating to the United States and establishing Comet Metal Products company.

　　Comet apparently produced individual models for the services as early as 1/42, a model of the Curtiss (AV) carries this date, these early models are painted a lighter gray than models found in the later sets. Army Air Force stock numbers found on individual model boxes indicate that these models were also issued individually. The earliest models produced by Comet are undated, they are identified by an ink stamped name on the bottom of the hull instead of the later cast identification on the side, some have COMET cast in raised letters on the bottom of the hull. Some of these models appear to be copies of Wiking models from the late 1930's.

　　Comet's first set of models contains only eight models of US Navy ships. These models are carried in a small wooden case with their mounting sticks sliding into grooves cut into the pieces separating the models. The case is stained instead of being painted and is of a different type than any of the other sets. The bottom of the case is stamped with "Case & mountings created by KAY DISPLAYS, INC.", along with their address in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Some cases may also have a stamped U.S. Navy anchor. The dark blue mounting sticks are marked with the type and class name and a scale of 1" = 110'. The models are actually built closer to a scale of 1:1250; some may be dated 1/43 which would indicate an update of earlier undated models, these scale close to 1:1200 scale.

　　Comet and South Salem companies jointly produced models for a set containing 47 U.S. Navy ships models. Comet manufactured 30 of the models and South Salem manufactured the remaining 17. All of the models are identified with a name or class name and type cast into the starboard side of the hull, with one exception, the model of the Yorktown class has the identification cast into the port side. The Comet models are all marked 1/43 on the bottom of the hull except for the Bogue class which is marked 2/43. The South Salem models have no bottom of hull markings. All of the plywood mounting boards for the Comet models are stamped with the ship name and "Mfg. By Comet Metal Products Co., Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y.". The mounting boards for the South Salem models are printed with the ship class name & type and "South Salem Studios, South Salem, N.Y".

　　South Salem Studios was a small shop owned by Mr. Enzo Yocca who emigrated from France prior to WWI. He specialized in miniatures and with the outbreak of WWII offered the services of his shop to the Navy. South Salem also received another contract to produce a set of 16 models of merchant ships that are dated 2/45. They continued producing models under these contracts throughout the war but for reasons as yet unclear they received no further contracts for 1:1200 scale models. They also produced a set of "Auxiliary Pocket Models" of merchant & warships in 1:2000 & 1:5000 scale.

　　Beginning in late 1942 Comet received additional contracts to produce a set of 15 German Navy ships models, two sets totaling 28 Japanese Navy ship models and one set of 25 Japanese Marus (merchant ship models). In late 1945 or early 1946 Comet bought out South Salem and may have continued selling models under that name. The Comet Japanese Marus are not the same models as the South Salem merchant ships. The Merchant Ships of All Nations, sold by Comet at the end of the war, are renamed Japanese Maru models. Comet continued to produce models for sale to the public well into the post war years and greatly expanded the number of models offered. $80.00 for the set plus shipping, reply to ad or call.

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