Real car or scale model?

As kids we used to create our own fantasies in our minds; Little planets where everything was possible for us and that nobody could get there to destroy them. Those places were sacred, and the only way how we could bring them to the reality was through our toys which, even if were our parents the ones who bought them, we had the authority to decide who and how could use them. The sense of belonging that we had with them was strong enough to establish bonds as solid as the ones that most of us would have for our own cars.

For some those days haven’t finished yet. And I’m not talking about those who are still kids, or those who believe that are kids. I’m talking about those who still dream, and that are mature enough to go to a toys store to buy some models and put them in a place of their house to let everyone know that they love cars.

I consider myself one of those men. And I have become extremely exigent when I want to get one specific model; Must be very detailed and all the parts must be perfectly done. Otherwise I just ignore it and search somewhere else.

And those are the models that I want to talk about. There are some brands that are for customers like me. A level of details that in a good picture can result to be confusing for the inexpert observer. I listed them for you

1. Amalgam

This British manufacturer started to build by hand scale models in 1985. Each model requires at least 2000 components that are made from a CAD that is previously sent by the brand that wants to see a “miniature” version of one of their vehicles. After this, it takes to Amalgam at least 3000 labour hours to complete the job.

But you must be wondering: “What about the classic vehicles? Do they make them? And if they do, How do they get the CAD?”. Of course they make them. The thing is that as there are no digital version of the parts, it is necessary to scan the whole car and capture every single detail.

But don’t hurry up to check your wallet. Unless you don’t have anything else where to spend your money, or in case you have already bought all the cars you want in your real garage, you wouldn’t think it twice to buy any of the models that Amalgam sells. The price tag of a modern vehicle can be around the £5000, and the one of a classic can go up to £7500.

Check their website here

2. Steve Barnett Model Cars

According to his website, Steve Barnett was born in 1956, and since he was a kid he felt a complete passion for the motorsports. Passion that got him into Scalectrix circuits and then into car modeling. By the 1970’s he started to win his first awards for this labour that he was doing with so much perfection. And after getting a degree in arts, and some years of working as a freelance photographer he decided to come back to his roots and start making models for selected collectors.

Steve Barnett mainly produces 1:43 scale models,but he also can make 1:24, 1:18 and bigger scales in case that the customer wishes his model like that. As he tries to replicate all the details of the real car, the materials he uses are also chosen to give the proper sensation, which means that as a perfectionist his waiting list can be of months. Nevertheless he just takes 3 weeks to complete a model.

However, if you want to buy one of his models you will have to pay more than $2500 USD and contact him to his email, or also check one of the contacts that are in his website

3. Morry Barmak’s Collector Studio motorsports memorabilia shop

If you thought that the scale models I mentioned before were expensive, this one will make them look like they are cheap at twice the price! But I won’t tell you the price tag until the end of this paragraph in order to make you dream a bit more.

This store placed in Toronto has been offering scale models for 25 years, and during the latest years they have been selling their models to remarkable customers who consider this pieces as worthy as a real luxury vehicle and as elegant as an expensive timepiece.

The level of the details is astonishing; to build a model in a scale of 1:5 are required 7500 pieces which are made of the materials that the real car has. One model can weigh around 43 lbs, and as I promised at the beginning, the price tag can reach the $50.000 USD.

4. AutoArt

Autoart might not be in the list of the rarest scale model brand. However deserves to be mentioned because of the level of detail of the models they produce.

The advantage of checking their catalogue is that the amount of replicas is huge, and the variety on the scales is also enough for the different kinds of collectors. And if you are not looking exactly for a scale model of a car, you can also buy keychains, watches and many household items.

As Autoart produces in mass, there is chance that the model that you want can be still found in stock, which also means that the price tags are way lower than the brands listed above. Also, if you want to get them, you can go to their webpage or go to your local hobbies store in your city.

5. Kyosho

As Autoart, Kyosho is focused on producing massively scale models, so price tags are also appropriate for the medium-budget collector.

Kyosho is a Japanese brand which also produces R/C cars and airplanes, helicopters and boats. They also have their vehicles classified by type of vehicle, brand, colour and scale which allows the customers to select the model they want just in as they want.

Do you have know any other brands that produces scale models that resemble real vehicles with such a high level of details as the listed above? Share them in the comments!