Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/335762
model mania | continued July 2014 | EquipmentWorld.com 30 makers and specialty model produc- ers, there are a number of custom model creators, who specialize in made-to-order and one-of-a-kind units. Some of these can get quite large, such as the 1:3 model of a Cat D11, one of several large size models owned by our cover subject, Leon Thompson with Thompson's Grad- ing, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Getting to market Buying and selling models is a global business. "Depending on how the dollar is doing, in some years our overseas sales might be better than our domestic sales," says Chuck Sword with dealer DHS Diecast. The company has a 12,000-square-foot warehouse at its headquarters in Berea, Ohio, devoted to construction and truck models. Like everything else, the Internet has changed the market signifi cantly. "Models used to be hard to fi nd," Sword says. "Now the competition is a lot tougher." Brandon Lewis, president of construction model dealer Buffalo Road Imports, Clarence, New York, also has a physical store, but "we sell models anyway we can get them out there," he says, including websites and events, such as his own International Model Construc- tion and Truck Show, just held last month. (For more construction model events, go to equipment- world.com/modelmania.) "Everyone who comes is serious," Lewis says, estimating that he gets a few hun- dred attendees, including collectors, Confi dentiality is a key concern with OEMs, especially when scale models are released the same time as the real machines. Model makers and producers – usually based in China – sign confi dentiality agreements, "and we make sure our models are the only ones being produced on a factory fl oor," Volvo's Mats Bredborg says. Tom Ristow, vice president of scale models for model maker Norscot, describes the diecast model making process: s 5SING A #!$ l LE FROM THE /%- TOGETHER WITH MACHINE PAINT CHIPS and trade dress fi les, Norscot creates a 1:50 resin prototype using A $ PRINTER s 4HE PROTOTYPE GOES THROUGH ROUNDS OF APPROVALS BOTH BY .ORSCOT and the OEM, and is then released for molds and related tooling. "The prototype review is really important, because after it, there's the point of no return," Ristow says. The reason: model tooling, created by the company's production partners in China, costs $100,000. s .EXT .ORSCOT GETS A hl RST SHOTv FROM ITS PRODUCTION PARTNER n an unpainted model that is reviewed for fi t and fi nish. s !FTER VARIOUS APPROVALS THE FACTORY WILL THEN PRODUCE A PRE production sample, painted and decaled, and sent to the OEM for design and trade dress review. s $URING MASS PRODUCTION INDIVIDUAL MODELS ARE PULLED OUT FOR SPOT check inspections. s 4O PREVENT DAMAGE EN ROUTE SHIPPING CONTAINERS USUALLY CARRY ONLY SIX MODELS n SOMETIMES TWO IF THE MODEL IS LARGER n TO PREVENT damage en route. How a construction scale model is made Production to scale: The majority of model makers produce their units in China, in a process that goes from CAD fi les (1) to fi nished product in about a year. Here, Volvo Con- struction Equipment shows the step-by-step procession on its new L150H loader scale model. A tooling model (2) is made from ABS resin material. After the tooling model is approved, the model producer makes a painted prototype with additional details, which goes through another round of details. During mass production (3), some parts may need hand crafting and painting. The model is then boxed (4), ready for market. 4 3 2 1