Modelmakers Archive - April 2009

Fantasy Ice Cream Machine

The client’s brief for this project came in the form of the very rough sketch you see in the inset photo along with a verbal description of what he wanted - a working fantasy ice cream machine to go into his brand new, ice-white themed, children’s party room. On a very tight budget we came up with this design featuring lots of buttons to press, revolving poles, moving lights, sound effects, voice-over instructions and incorporating a working freezer in the middle as well as hoppers for dispensing various toppings on the right hand side. We would have loved to have done something much more organic and Willy-Wonka-esque but there just wasn’t the budget so we had to keep the cabinet shapes simple and boxy to save money for the interactive element. The idea of the machine is that children can “make their own ice cream” and add whatever toppings they want. I just hope that the children have as much fun using it as we had making it.

Fully Functional R/C Crane Model – Scale 1:12

The client for this model, a provider of specialist training for signalmen and crane operators, needed a fully functioning crane model to use during his training sessions but the right type of crane just wasn’t available on the market. His solution was to ask us to convert an off-the-shelf toy into a purpose-built machine. This involved scrapping about 70% of the original model, adapting the radio controlled motors to perform new functions, adding a completely new winch, new main boom, new pulleys, new ‘A’ frame, new hook, new base (it previously had caterpillar tracks), and a new power supply plus a few other cosmetic alterations. In fact, about the only thing we haven’t changed is the driver’s cabin. The model is now fixed to a desk in their training rooms and used on a weekly basis for tests and as a teaching aid. It’s definitely not a toy (although we did have a lot of fun “testing” it before it left our workshops).