Today I visited a professional model maker friend who I had not seen for many years,like a lot of industries he is struggling to survive as a lot of the companies that he used to do work for have now closed,he showed me an album of some of his work in the past year,simply staggering,a small seat that mushrooms out into a table for luxury boats that need space saving ideas,the cantilever action was a work of art,then some very special diecast limited edition cars as gift incentives for a large company and a model of the booms used in oil pollution control work.But what really caught my eye was a large lens which folded into a spun alloy cone,take a look through there he prompted and a needle was in view,when I looked carefully within the eye of the needle was a model of the Statue of Liberty ! it was so tiny that you would not be able to see it with the naked eye,it was made in brass.I then asked him what prompted him to make it so tiny and he replied he wanted to make something smaller that the grain of rice that someone else uses to make images of famous people,he cuts the brass through a powerful lens with great precision and has sold quite a few of these what he termed as 'works of art' there was a big pile of boxes ready to be shipped out to collectors worldwide,everything he makes he just sells out ! these items have been his saviour over the past months when times have been hard for him,it was either this or go into making fitted kitchens,how mundane and boring when a person has skills like this.We shook hands and parted and I wished him the best of luck in his ventures,people like this deserve to do well even if they are sometimes hitting on hard times.We do model building as our hobby but these people rely on it for their living,that must be very difficult at times.
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the wife and me once went to Blackpool and someone there wrote her name on a grain of rice, which impressed me as her name is Madeleine, a lot to fit on, but to do the Statue of Liberty smaller than a grain must take a lot of skill, would be nice to see the work he does. -
the wife and me once went to Blackpool and someone there wrote her name on a grain of rice' date=' which impressed me as her name is Madeleine, a lot to fit on, but to do the Statue of Liberty smaller than a grain must take a lot of skill, would be nice to see the work he does.[/quote']*** Well John the site does not mention his micro models,but just take a look at the ingenuity of this fine craftsman-
Above all he has not forgotton his roots as an ordinary model builder,he has asked me to provide him with some plans to build a model of the Dakota in between jobs,because he just like the design.
His workshop is situated alongside the main canal basin in Coventry,a tranquil setting for his work to take place. :bravo:
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i too graduated from university with a degree in industrial modelmaking nearly 2 decades ago and have been in the industry ever since, as wonwinglo states it is now a dying industry,especially with Computer modelling - alot of the 'bread and butter' work has gone, architects no longer comission as many models its all created on screen, industrial prototypes are similar -and if a 3D version is required its often produced via CAD CAM techniques.....gone are the days of modelmakers completing a prototype.....
visual effects for Film and TV are no more.... with big effects now being generally CGI..... ( yes alot of these are general sweeping statements but the industry and the skills it used to contain are dwindling day by day !) set building at studios is still done by craftsmen and some props and models are still made... but 15 -20 years ago there was alot more work to go round....
things got tough for me about 12 years ago, having being involved with the design and protoype of alot of new toy concepts....( i was paid to develop and make action mans motorbike, skis, jeeps and space satellite ! and Dr X and Gan Green !!!!! )
now having moved into a similar but unique division of the modelmaking industry i am kept constantly busy.... but i do feel for these people trying to keep it all together !- its tough.....and trying to keep up with the industry as it changes is hard for a small business, laser cutters, stereo lithography and vacuum resin casting equipment dont come cheap nowadays..
so now during the working week i shift my skills to more design and a little bit less build - and in my free time i now try and make time for more 'hobby type modelmaking' and less high tolerance machining and working from engineers drawing.... and let my imagination take over- i think i prefer this however its a totally different mindset, working from prototype enginners drawings tells you all the detail you need to make an exact working industrial model, t you make what is drawn, if its not drawn it does not get produced.... now its make a ficticiuos hill side to run model trains through, or i wonder what is involved in making a working RC model submarine with CCTV in it ?
-now there is no drawings to limit what i do !
but if it is a lifestyle you can be happy with its great, i now get paid to design and build models all day and this pays for me to build models at night !Comment
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That is a really heart warming story my friend,it is also good to hear that a professional can still enjoy his or her hobbies,too many times when a person advances to turning his or her hobby into a profession the interest dies,I know this has happened with the many people now producing resin models at home for sale,it can knock the gloss from everything if you are not careful,in my own case I had a model shop business,although stressful it did not stop me from carrying on with my hobby,but many after a day in a shop just want to curl up in front of the television ! it just depends on the sort of person that you are,if you are dedicated and keen then you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
The best of luck in your endeavours,you deserve to do well.Comment
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