…well, an event nearby, at least. .

We were asked to take our 6.5m x 5.5m interactive model of Cardiff up to London for an event that coincided with the London Marathon. As it happened, the venue was very close to the finishing line in Pall Mall which caused all sorts of problems with access for unloading and setting up the model. With some detailed advanced preparations, including advising the police that two white vans and a six man team would be arriving in the area, we were able to overcome all the issues and ensure the model was on site looking its best for the event. Our well-travelled model has been to many different venues including three trips to London and one to Cannes.

Replica of Vintage Aircraft – Scale 1:1 (actual size)

The message on my desk said “Model of a Walrus??” One of my colleagues had taken the telephone enquiry when I was out of the office and I rang the client back straightaway. It took a minute or so of confused conversation before I realised that what was needed was a life-size replica of a WW2 Walrus Seaplane rather than a model of a toothsome mammal. And then it got even more interesting. The “Walrus” was actually going to be a sunken plane-wreck in the huge seawater tank at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. It was a daunting job to say the least but also an irresistible challenge and we were glad to take it on. With a 14 metre wing span and 12 metre long fuselage this is the largest fibreglass model we’ve ever undertaken and we’re only half way through it. This wing is actually just a first stage installation to generate some publicity for the whole project which is due for completion at the end of next month. By the way, it’s meant to look dirty and damaged because it is, after all, supposed to be a wreck. The wing was built in 4 main sections so we could get it in the building and to keep it manageable for the divers. One of the images shows the divers assembling it at the bottom of the tank (with an inquisitive shark for company). The other shows how the assembled wing looks from one of the main viewing windows. We should be posting images of the completed project in early June – watch this space.

Roof terrace presentation for our 6.5m x 5.5m city model.

Four years ago when we built this giant masterplan model as the centrepiece for a Cardiff marketing suite, little did we know that it would become one of the most “travelled” models we’ve ever produced. We’ve set it up at numerous different local events, three locations in London and even a major property show in Cannes. This latest outing was for an important presentation on a roof top terrace of the new BBC headquarters in Cardiff city centre. The building was actually still under construction so we had to negotiate our way past all the different trades working on site when we brought the model in. Luckily for us, the weather was good, as you can see from the pics, and no seagulls came in to land on our scaled down version of Cardiff Bay. The model is now back in its usual location until the next time it has to go on its travels. We don’t know where that will be but wherever it is, we do know the sky’s the limit for our Cardiff City model!