Aircraft model for exhibition display.

This eye catching model of a fire fighting “water bomber” plane was commissioned to hang above a stand at a trade show event. We particularly enjoyed this project, especially when we reached the stage of adding the Canadair red and yellow livery which really brought the aircraft to life. The model had a 1.5m wingspan so for easier transportation we designed it in 3 separate sections – fuselage, wings and tail plane – that could be easily assembled on site using just 3 bolts. The model was made almost completely from balsa wood so was extremely light. If we’d fitted model engines and radio control gear we could have flown it out of the workshop!

Interactive model to illustrate best water management.

This interactive model was commissioned by the NFU as a visual demonstration to farmers of good water management practices on their land. The model shows two different catchments, one illustrating a high risk landscape with poor farming practices and the other showing a low risk landscape where the delivery of good practice minimises risks. The buttons on the front of the model activate LEDs set in the landscape to highlight different aspects of land management practice. The brightly coloured area shows an example of a Scimap, a graphic plan that shows farmers the risk areas across their land.

Cardiff city model relocated to Cardiff Castle.

We’ve just moved our 6.5m x 5.5m model of Cardiff city into the visitor centre at Cardiff Castle, an exciting new venue where it will become part of the organised castle tour. The model is fully interactive with a touch screen interface that provides onscreen information whilst lighting up the relevant building or area on the model. If you click on the left inset pic above you should be able to spot (despite the rain) the profile of the castle’s twelve-sided Norman Keep, one of the finest examples in Wales.

Educational puzzle made from 5mm coloured acrylic.

Alongside our core work we like to fit in one-off unusual projects like these laser cut educational puzzles for the Neuroscience department at Cardiff University. The puzzles, a simplified representation of DNA, were designed as a rough sketch by the client which we then drew up accurately in CAD for final approval by the university. The initial order was for a set of four but with an expectation of additional units at a later date. We’ve produced similar puzzles for the university before (see Laser-cut Brain Puzzle - Recent Projects, March 2017) and actually used the leftover coloured acrylic for this project.

Large sales model at 1:250 scale. 

At 2.7 metres long by 2 metres wide this is one of the largest, housing sales models we’ve ever made. The project started off as a phase 1 model only but then the client decided they wanted to market phase 2 and 3 at the same time so asked us if we could model the whole site in one go. With just under 500 units on a complex sloping site this became a 3 month project and we just managed to meet the launch day deadline. For portability and ease of working, the landform is in 4 sections that butt together on a purpose built plinth. The Perspex cover however, was a one piece unit and we had to take a large window out just to get it into the sales office. We’ve got two other models on the go for the same client but thankfully they’re both more manageable sizes.

Italian Villa Development – Scale 1:200

This model was used as a mobile marketing tool to help sell Italian holiday villas. The project involved very complicated land forming and intricately detailed buildings and had to be built to a very tight deadline whilst liaising with the Italian architects.

White/Perspex Concept Model – Scale 1:500

In contrast to the detailed school model, also shown on this page, this was a very simple model at a much smaller scale, designed to show the proposed massing and site layout for a large residential development.

White Styled School – Scale 1:200

A good example of a detailed white styled model, showing how informative this stylized architectural look can be. It’s a particularly useful approach when a model needs to be produced before final decisions have been made on colours and finishes of external materials.

Winchester Cathedral – Scale 1:200

This stylized part-model of Winchester Cathedral was used to evaluate various proposals for new facilities on this sensitive historic site. The proposed new structures were made as removable blocks so that the location and massing of each option could be assessed in relation to the main building.

Mixed Residential Development – Scale 1:250

We photographed this model in the low angled sun of a late winter’s afternoon which gives it an interesting mellow glow. It could also glow in a completely different way because each block could be individually illuminated at the touch of a button. The development featured a mixture of refurbished existing structures and proposed new buildings