Praesidian Capital’s Portfolio Company Round 2 Acquires Lionel, LLC; Forms Lionel Brands Group – A New Home for Iconic, Fan-First Brands

The deal brings together two companies with passionate communities across trains, model kits, die-cast, and racing – anchored by Lionel’s 125+-year heritage – to strengthen investment in product and storytelling

NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 4, 2026 – Round 2, a leading collectibles company and portfolio company of Praesidian Capital, today announced it has acquired Lionel, LLC (“Lionel”), a historic brand that has been beloved by generations of fans and collectors for more than 125 years. The transaction creates the Lionel Brands Group, a bigger, fan-first home for the brands and categories collectors care about most.

The deal unites two category leaders under one roof, giving the newly formed company the ability to strengthen its investment in product development and storytelling while enhancing what already works best for each brand and honoring the heritage and authenticity that have defined Lionel for more than a century. To accomplish that goal, the leadership and product teams behind both brands will remain in place.

The acquisition builds a stronger platform for adjacent product categories and shared fandom, while continuing to rely on the leadership and product development teams that know these brands best. Round 2 and Lionel bring complementary products and capabilities, additional opportunities in licensing, and increased ability to show up as an even more important partner to key retailers.

The acquisition closed on March 2. Transaction details were not disclosed.

Richard Barry, CEO of Lionel Brands Group, said: “Lionel is one of the most beloved and historic names in American collecting, with a history of craftsmanship that deserves thoughtful stewardship. We’re proud to be the custodians of this iconic, fan-first brand as we combine it with Round 2’s fan-first portfolio to invest in new products, better storytelling, and more ways to show up for fans and collectors.”

Howard Hitchcock, President and Chief Operating Officer of Lionel Brands Group, added: “Lionel has always been about that train-under-the-tree magic, and that same spirit shows up everywhere the brand lives, from the rails to the racetrack. This next stop on the brand’s journey will keep the heart of the brand intact and will put more support behind the people building it. We’re going to protect what fans and collectors love and give them even more reasons to climb aboard for what’s next.”

Jason Drattell, Praesidian Capital Founder and Managing Partner, said: “True heritage like Lionel’s is both rare and powerful. Combining the strength of Lionel’s legacy with Round 2’s fan-favorite products allows us to build a stronger platform for the communities that have kept these brands for generations while increasing our ability to invest in long-term growth.”

Tom Duffy, Praesidian Capital Partner, added: “Lionel and Round 2 share a vision of delivering products built around authenticity and detail across brands collectors and fans love. We look forward to supporting the talented management team as they build a platform for the future.”

About Lionel Brands Group

Lionel Brands Group is a home for iconic, fan-first brands focused on modern collectibles, including its legacy model trains, die-cast vehicles, model kits, slot cars, and other hobby products. Serving passionate communities of fans, hobbyists, and collectors across categories where authenticity and craftsmanship matter, the company owns several well-known brands, including Lionel, Lionel Racing, AMT, Polar Lights, Hawk, MPC, Lindberg, Auto World, and Big Country Toys. The company produces products through dozens of licensing agreements with iconic brands, such as NASCAR, Disney, Warner Bros., The Polar Express, Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, General Motors, Ford, Star Trek, and Star Wars. For more information about Lionel Brands Group or to purchase products directly through the company’s dedicated e-commerce platform visit https://www.lionelbrands.com/. 

About Praesidian Capital

Praesidian Capital is a private equity firm focused on providing capital to established lower-middle-market businesses. With decades of experience, the Praesidian team partners with management to support growth, strategic acquisitions, and operational excellence. For more information, visit www.praesidian.com.

It’s with great honor that we introduce Round 2’s new Head of Model Kit Development, Aaron Skinner! Aaron began as a passionate hobbyist, building model kits at the age of 4. From there, his passion for model building was ignited and paved the way for his future career. He joined the team at FineScale Modeler magazine in 2006, and during his time there Aaron operated in many different roles and provided more than 100 in-depth reviews on model kits. These reviews highlighted kits from all the major manufacturers in the industry, including our own AMT, MPC, and Polar Lights. His expertise in the modeling industry is extremely valuable, as Aaron will help facilitate and coordinate all of the exciting releases we bring to fellow hobby enthusiasts. Welcome aboard, Aaron!

This weekend, Nov. 23-24th, the Auto World Store will have a booth set up at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, for the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN). Be on the lookout for our booth to stop by and check out our wide range of products that will be available for sale, including this year’s event car. This year, the official 2024 MCACN event car is a Johnny Lightning 1964 Pontiac GTO Royal Bobcat.

Show Hours:

Saturday, November 23, 2024: 9 AM – 8 PM

Sunday, November 24, 2024: 9 AM – 5 PM

Follow our social media pages as we will be posting content throughout the show and the days after! If you can make it to the show, keep an eye out for members of our diecast and marketing teams. We will be walking around the show floor and hanging out at our booth. So, stop by, ask us questions, or simply say hello! We look forward to seeing you at the show!

For more information on the show, be sure to visit the official website of the MCACN show here.

Steve Goldman the Round 2 Model Kit Line Planner and John Greczula the Model Kit Development Director will be attending the Detroit Area Auto Modelers show in Warren, Michigan. This event will take place on Sunday, November 10^th from 9 am to 3 pm. While at the show Steve and John will showcase several current releases, new releases, and a first look at a couple of future releases. Be sure to follow Round 2 socials; we will provide more information as the year progresses.

CLICK HERE to visit the website and to get more information on the show.

Recently, Chad Reid, Round 2’s Manager of Marketing and Trends was a guest on Diecast Breakdown again. They delve into the new releases from Round 2’s brands, including Auto World and Johnny Lightning. Chad reveals exciting upcoming models including an exclusive first look at an all-new TRUE 1/64 casting. We also discuss the process behind diecast production and talk about some intriguing industry trends.  Check out the full episode on YouTube or wherever your favorite podcasts are streamed!

Get in-line! Introducing Auto World’s Newest Addition to Our Electrifying Lineup of Slot Car Offerings – The AMP™ (Accelerated Modern Performance) chassis!

Designed and engineered with the latest in-line slot car technology, our new AMP™ chassis provides added performance for maximum racing excitement. Blistering top speeds, superior track-gripping handling, and extended mechanical longevity are built-in to bring you hours of accelerated racing action. AMP chassis variations will be available to fit a vast majority of our slot car bodies- X-Traction™, ThunderJet™, Super III™ and 4Gear™.

Our new AMP chassis are an expansion of our current H.O. slot car product lines. We will continue to offer our “Legacy” chassis- X-Traction,ThunderJet, Super III and 4Gear, and support the hobby base with many new products utilizing both our classic and new chassis. Look for AMP to make its debut in upcoming race sets early 2025!

Get AMP’d with Auto World … WE’LL SEE YOU IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE!

The Round 2 team is hitting the road again for the National Retail Hobby Stores Association Convention and table-top expo in Las Vegas. The show runs from September 15th-18th and we will be set up at tables #602-604, where we will have die-cast replicas, slot cars, and model kits on display for all to see! Be sure to stop by the booth and say hi to the Round 2 team, and we look forward to meeting you in Vegas!

On July 12-14, 2024, Round 2 and the Auto World Store will be attending the Goodguys 26th Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets are $25 in advance or $28 at the gate plus service fees and taxes. This show is the biggest event put on by Goodguys Rod & Custom Association every year. There will be over 6,500 rods, customs, classics, muscle cars, imports, and trucks thru ‘99 on display. The Columbus show also boasts over 450 vendors & manufacturer exhibits, a Builder’s Autograph Session featuring the top names in Autocross Racing, a swap meet, a Cars 4 Sale corral, a Kid’s Zone that includes a free model kit Make-N-Take sponsored by the Auto World Store, and so much more.

Come visit the Auto World Store team at the Bricker building next to the Make-N-Take booth for a chance to explore our wide range of high-quality products. From top-notch model kits to intricately crafted diecast vehicles, we have something for everyone. Don’t miss out on our special weekend show offer – stop by the booth today!

Make sure to drop by! We are excited to meet you to discuss our products and more. For more information on the show, please visit the Goodguys website HERE.

Earlier this month at the Wonderfest event, we had the pleasure of sponsoring this year’s Build-Up Challenge. The challenge was simple and began late 2023. It offered builders the opportunity to build the Galileo Shuttle mashed with a form of pop culture from the 60s-90s. Highlighting this challenge, Adam Savage’s “Tested” series checked in with the build-up contest promoters at Wonderfest a few weekends back and did a great job showing off the wide variety of creativity displayed through this challenge. Check out some of the builds featured in this video, along with some other fantastic Star Trek builds!

The 34^th Annual Wonderfest Convention will be taking place on June 1-2, 2024, at the Crowne Plaza Louisville Hotel in Louisville, KY. Wonderfest is a weekend of hobby escape held every summer and holds the largest modeling contest in the U.S. for sci-fi, horror, & comic-related subjects. Head of Product & Development Jamie Hood, Product Designer Chelsea Ray-Dye, Product Designer Chris Purvis, and Marketing Manager Chad Reid will be at the show in our regular location of Dealer Room A, Tables 75 & 76.

Last year we had another huge showcase with plenty of great announcements that generated a lot of excitement. This year we will have plenty of products on display of current, upcoming, and future releases for Round 2 Sci-Fi and Pop-Culture products. So, be sure to stop by the booth to see all these wonderful kits plus news about fantastic unannounced items. Our crew would love to chat and answer questions that you may have.

Wonderfest hosts a massive sci-fi modeling contest that has topped over 800 entries in recent years. One of the awards handed out goes to the winner for the best use of any of our model kit brands (AMT, MPC, Polar Lights, or Hawk Lindberg) and is sponsored by Round 2. The model can be used in any manner, whether it’s a box-stock build or just using one recognizable part uniquely or substantially. Contestants just need to mark what kit was used on their entry form. The winner will receive a $100 credit to autoworldstore.com and an award certificate.

For those wanting to participate, Round 2 is sponsoring a Galileo Mashup Challenge. The rules are simple, take the new Round 2 Star Trek Galileo Shuttle and redress it, create a mash-up from a different TV or film vehicle from the ’60s-’80s, and of course, have fun. On the show floor will be a section dedicated to these Galileo ships. Famed Star Trek illustrator John Eaves will pick his favorite to award an EFX Boba Fett chromed ESB 40^th anniversary helmet proof. For more information about this challenge, check out the Facebook page with more details https://www.facebook.com/groups/284636724273143/.

This year Round 2 will also be sponsoring the Make-N-Take program. Kids in attendance will have the opportunity to build one of our MPC Star Wars Snap X-Wing Model Kits. We’ll also be giving out a tube of non-toxic cement and a non-toxic primary paint kit. The paint kit includes a brush and 6 different colors of acrylic paint (gloss blue, gloss yellow, gloss red, gloss black, gloss white, and silver).

During the event, Jamie will be hosting an event in Upstairs Theater A from 4 to 4:30 pm on Saturday, June 1st. We are also planning to do a live stream of the event on our YouTube channel. Jamie will spend this time talking about Round 2 models with the latest releases and a look at what might be in store for the future.

For more information about the show, please visit their website HERE. If you’re unable to attend the show, be sure to check back here, as we’ll have pictures and information about all the unannounced kits.

We’re excited to be a big part of Wonderfest again and can’t wait to see you all there.