With remote controlled illumination of water.

This simple but eye catching model was commissioned to illustrate the size and position of two proposed tidal lagoons in the Bristol Channel. The lagoons are designed to generate renewable energy by harnessing the rise and fall of the tides in an area that has the second highest tidal range in the world. The topography is represented as a stylized contour map (with exaggerated vertical scale) laser-cut from white acrylic sheet. The water is shown as blue acrylic with LED edge-lighting to add visual interest. The LEDs can be set to varying brightness and colour using a hand held remote control (visible on the front edge of the model in the main pic above).

Highly detailed model of American house.

Now en route to the USA (in a custom-made flight case) this was a very technically demanding model with lots of complex curves, highly articulated elevations and multiple level changes as the building responded to the contours of the site. The architect wanted the model to reflect the different external materials so we used our top of the range laser-engravers to pick out the stonework elements, fine brick detailing and traditional shingle cladding for roof and elevations. If you click on the lower right image above to enlarge it you’ll see some of this detail. The project was further complicated by the requirement for internal illumination – our solution was to incorporate commercial grade RGBW LEDs with remote control which allows full adjustment of colour and brightness. This was one of the most complex architectural models of a single building we’ve ever made but we were very satisfied with the finished result and we’ve had extremely positive feedback from our US client.

Detailed sales model for North London residential development

Sometimes a project turns out to be much trickier than expected and this was definitely the case with this illuminated sales model for a North London residential development. Not only was it on a complex sloping site with lots of surrounding context buildings, it also had heavily articulated elevations composed of many different materials including a very specific range of metallic finishes. The client was very concerned that these finishes should be accurately represented and we spent a lot of time working with the architects creating sample swatches to make sure the colours on the model were as authentic as possible. The requirement for general illumination added further technical complexity to the project but in the end it all came together as planned and the client was delighted with the finished result. In fact we had an email from him with the following comments "We have just been to the agents office to see the model for the first time. It’s fantastic! Thank you so much for all your hard work on this project. I’m sure it will help enormously to sell the units off plan...".

Our Cardiff model shines at Cannes Mipim

We’re just recovering from transporting our 6.5m x 5.5m interactive model of Cardiff all the way to Cannes and back for the Mipim 2015 property marketing event. We had to pack the model up in two large vans, drive for 2 days to Cannes via Eurotunnel, set the model up, hang around Cannes for 3 days (it wasn’t all hard work) and then do the whole process in reverse, getting the model reinstalled in its marketing suite in Cardiff for a VIP event last week. Fortunately the model was specially designed so that it could be taken apart and transported to different locations as this was a major requirement in our original brief. So far it’s been to Cannes this year, London Mipim last October, and a couple of local venues earlier last year. No doubt we’ll be off on our travels again soon – watch this space.

 Interactive Masterplan Model 1:750 Scale

By all accounts, our 6.5m x 5.5m interactive model of Cardiff stole the show at Olympia during London’s inaugural MIPIM global property conference last week. Our team set it up on Tuesday for the 3 day event and then dismantled it on Friday evening, bringing it back to Cardiff (in two vans) where it is shortly going to set up in a permanent marketing suite. Once the model is in its new home it will be used to promote the city of Cardiff to national and international investors. It is a fully interactive model controlled via a large touchscreen which activates over 30 different lighting zones on the model and at the same time displays relevant information pages on the touchscreen. The screen images will also be projected onto a giant screen so that the information is visible to all.

Wooden playground equipment models at 1:10 scale

We actually produced this set of 10 playground equipment models back in early June but we’ve been so busy through the summer we haven’t had time to update our recent projects pages. These models were commissioned by the UK’s biggest manufacturer of wooden playground equipment and were for use at exhibitions. The main picture above shows the models at their first event. It was enjoyable for us to work with real wood for a change rather than the usual plastics, resins, etc. The client was really pleased with the how the models looked and is planning to commission more models of other designs for future shows.

Realistically detailed model creates a splash at show

The client for this project wanted a model that would be an eye catching centrepiece on their stand at several trade shows throughout the coming year. The company produces a wide range of water tanks for markets all over the world and they wanted the model to illustrate several technical details about their products, both inside and outside. For this reason we made the models as half tanks so the inside could be viewed as well as the exterior. If you click on the photos to enlarge them you’ll see the high level of detail we’ve been able to show at this scale. We also provided a purpose-built aluminium framed flight case to protect it during shipping.

 Industrial model with cut-away internal view

The client for this project was actually the supplier of the oil that goes inside the transformer who wanted to show a typical application of their product in use. That’s why the model shows a cut-away view with a representation of the transformer being full of oil inside. The contained oil is represented by 0.5mm clear acrylic with a pale, slightly rippled amber lacquered finish. It was important that the volume of oil was visible to the eye but clear enough to allow slightly distorted views of the transformer’s internal components. The model was supplied with a purpose-built, aluminium framed flight case because its first use was to be shipped overseas to a trade exhibition.

 Realistically detailed model of Europe’s new space observatory

Having already made several models of Britain’s UKube satellite we were pleased to get this new commission for a model of the European space Agency’s latest spacecraft being launched in October this year. As you can see from the images, large areas of this spacecraft are composed of different coloured, highly reflective fabrics and we needed to replicate the uneven, shiny character of these materials on the model. We also had to create a representation of the optical bench (complete with concave mirrors) inside the main body of the spacecraft. It is hard to see in these photos but it is just visible through the “window” openings. Since completing the model, we’ve actually been commissioned to produce three further copies for the UK Space agency.

Two more industrial models – Sub-sea control module & Ukube Satellite.

Not all the models we make are scaled down to a smaller size. These two industrial models are both life-size replicas of the real thing. The subsea control module is about 900mm square and was commissioned because the client wanted a lightweight version of the product to take to exhibition venues. The real unit was extremely heavy and difficult to transport whereas our lookalike version, made from thin plastics, could be easily lifted by two men. The Ukube satellite model, made for the UK Space agency, was unusual in that the original satellite was only about 350mm long so there was no need to scale it down. We’ve actually made four of these satellite models with possibly more to follow. They’re used for educational presentations and were made with working hinges so that the solar panels and antennae could be deployed in the same way as the real thing.

Three presentation models for drilling rig manufacturer.

At 1:400 scale these drilling rig models were only just over 200mm wide so were extremely small and fiddly to make. For example the handrails you can see in the close-up photos were less than 3mm tall. Because of the small scale the client said the models could be slightly simplified, which they are, but as you can see from the pics we still managed to show a high level of fine detail. When completed the three models were shipped to the client in Aberdeen, after which they were shipped on to their own clients as gifts.

… with added Scalextric track!

This 3.6m long exhibition model was built in 3 sections that could be bolted together on site. The model was designed to demonstrate three steel framework designs for the client’s car port systems which feature solar panels on the roofs. The client also produces steelwork for field mount solar panels which you can see on the first inset photo above. The model was built at 1:32 scale (the same scale as Scalextric) so that a track could be incorporated to attract visitors to the stand.

Stylized model showing multiple industries.

The brief for this project was to create a physical model of an existing CGI created landscape showing all the various industrial sectors the company worked in. The only information they were able to give us was a set of still-frame images of the landscape so we had to create our own CAD from scratch before we could start constructing the model. The muted greys and greens are an exact copy of the CGI graphic but we feel they work very well for this stylized industrial landscape. As you can see from the photo above, we also incorporated LED lighting. The system allowed 16 zones to be individually controlled from the client’s laptop.

They’re like busses!

You know how it is, you don’t get a warehouse model for ages then two come along at once. We’d only just started our previous very large warehouse model when this project came in from a completely unrelated client. Although this building was a lot smaller, the overall spec was very similar in that it too had to have a cut-away roof to show the internal automated pallet retrieval and return system. Because the building was smaller we were able to use a larger scale than the previous project (1:200 instead of 1:300) which allows us to show a slightly higher level of detail for the internal components – and made them marginally less fiddly to produce!

A big model for a mega sized warehouse.

Representing a half kilometer long warehouse, at 2.4m x 1.2m this model was close to the limit for a model that could be made in one piece whilst still being a manageable size to transport. And when I say “manageable” it still took four men to move it any further than a few meters in our workshop. We quoted for this 1:300 scale option but also showed costs for a smaller 1:400 scale version which is an equally suitable scale for these type of large industrial buildings. A further option was a cut-away roof which, as you can see, the client went for as he wanted the model to show the automated retrieval and storage system.