Revolving Globe Display

The client for this project, Nottingham University wanted to create an eye catching icon that they could use as a marketing tool at various promotional events. To emphasize their strong overseas connections they wanted to visually portray their marketing strap line “Closing the Global Knowledge Gap” by creating a world globe made up from jigsaw shaped pieces with their logo as the final piece of the puzzle. We developed this brief from loose concept stage to a fully realized functional display that they could transport and set up easily themselves at any venue. We even threw in the idea of making the globe rotate slowly and up-lighting it from below to add extra visual impact. The globe itself was made from fiberglass (for strength and lightness) with a painted and lacquered finish.

Shipyard Model – 1:1250 Scale

Every now and then we are asked to turn around a project within a very tight deadline and this was a particularly demanding one with only 8 days to get the job done. The client was actually another model making company who, due to other commitments, didn’t have the capacity to do the whole job in the time available. So they commissioned us to produce the model base/landform whilst they created the ships, cranes, buildings, lights and other surface detail. Once we’d done our bit we “shipped” the base to them so that they could add all the detailed elements that bring the model to life. The model then had to be boxed up and sent to Libya. The developers were very pleased with the final result, particularly as it had been completed in 2 weeks. Typically a model this big would need at least 3 – 4 weeks to complete.

Exhibition Model

This unusual, life-size model was designed to illustrate the technical aspects of the client’s product at a trade exhibition. The product is a moulded paver panel that creates durable and attractive parking and vehicle access areas, with a choice of either gravel or grass top filling. Essentially, the model shows a typical construction method from surface to subsoil level. The whole thing comes apart for easy transportation and the client has since added branding to the panel in the centre of the tyre.

Toner Cartridge Display Model

The brief for this project was to create a simple, sturdy yet portable display that enabled the client to demonstrate the minimal number of parts in his Toner Cartridges (on the right) compared with the complex myriad of components in a conventional cartridge. We created this simple design which shows the two sets of components fixed on to clear Perspex up-stands mounted on plain white plinths. The Perspex covers helped “frame” the displays visually and protect them from dust and damage.

Small Scale Housing Model – Scale 1:500

This is an unusually small scale for a housing development marketing model – 1:200 scale or 1:250 is more typical for this type of project. This small scale was chosen due to limited space and a tight budget. But although this lacks the detail of the larger scales it does convey a clear easy to understand overview of this large spread out site. The grey blocks represent existing buildings that are not part of the development. If you click on the Enlarge Image feature on the picture, you’ll see that a surprising level of detail is shown (even though the house elevations are only about 14mm high) and we’ve even created accurate topography with stepped roof levels and sloping contours, etc.

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.

New client commissions first sales model.

After a run of industrial models we were happy to return to our roots with an architectural sales model for a nationwide house builder. This project was for their upmarket division who hadn’t traditionally used sales models in their marketing suites but wanted to “give it a try” for this compact development of detached executive homes in the north of England. Time will tell but hopefully they’ll discover, like our regular housing clients, what an effective sales tool these models can be and will come back to us for further models in the not too distant future.

Second model this year for the subsea industry.

Last month we produced a life-size model of an offshore mooring component and we’ve followed that up this month with another “under water” project, a 1:8 scale model of a seabed scanning machine that locates unexploded ordnance on the sea floor. This was a technically complex project because it had to include a movable boom arm and a traversing gantry linked to two belt and cog mechanisms on opposite sides of the main structure. The model was set on a sloping seabed to demonstrate the self levelling legs that were a major feature of this sophisticated piece of equipment.

Industrial Model For The Offshore Mooring Market.

When we were commissioned to produce this 2.2m high display model of a mooring component for the offshore wind turbine industry, the client’s overriding brief was to keep it as light as possible to make their lives easier when transporting it overseas to exhibition events. They also wanted it to fit into two compact, flight cases, including the stand, so it could shipped as “extra luggage” on flights. Our solution was to use vac-formed plastic shells for the main body of the model and hollow box construction for the yellow end sections which kept the overall weight under 20Kg. To split the model between the two flight cases we designed it in four main sections that could be easily assembled on site. We then designed a stand that could be “flat-packed” into the flight cases but was also easy to assemble on site.