The intricate art of AMF Modelcars

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Model cars are great, and in some ways they're even better than the real thing. After all, few of us are in a position to put a full-size car on display in our sitting room, much less two dozen of them. Sadly, despite the model-car industry probably being bigger now than it ever has been before, miniatures of veteran and vintage cars are not widely available anymore.

Fortunately, old Models of Yesteryear and the Airfix veteran car kits from years gone by can still be picked up quite easily second hand, but aybe the car you seek has never been modelled before, or maybe you'd like to see your own cherished car replicated in miniature and taking pride of place in the centre of your mantelpiece. You'd do best to get in touch with AMF Modelcars.

Yesterday's cars and today's technology

Antonio Martínez-Fresneda, a young pre-war enthusiast, was slowly growing disillusioned with his work in the modern car industry in Germany. His time there wasn't entirely misspent, though - while developing components for new cars, 3D printing started to become increasingly prominent as a method of production and, since he already had experience of 3D design, he decided to see if he could make use of this new technology.

He experimented by creating digital mock-ups of pre-war cars he admired collection but which were not readily available as models, such as the 1911 Fiat S76, and after sharing some photographs on social media he attracted the attention of a collector and made his first sales. As 3D printing technology developed, Antonio became capable of recreating intricate details in resin. As the quality of the models improved, demand increased, and Antonio soon found himself answering all sorts of requests for specific cars, and what started as a hobby became a fully-fledged business in AMF Modelcars.

Accurate to the smallest detail

Now living and working in Madrid, with a few years' experience, Antonio is accurately able to recreate everything from the minute details of an early Milnes-Daimler omnibus to the fluid curves of a post-war Pegaso. The close-ups of the Austin Seven Ulster give some sense of the precision with which Antonio models - everything from the spark plugs to the numbers on the dials and the 'Brooklands' script on the aero screens is reproduced accurately. We were pleased to be joined by him on our stand at Salon Rétromobile where he exhibited a few of his creations alongside some full-size veteran cars, and it's hard to say which was the greater talking point.

If you feel like adding something special to your own collection, or you'd like to be reminded of your own cherished car when you're relaxing in your armchair, AMF Modelcars can make it for you in resin, at any scale between 1:8 and 1:43. Using photographs, blueprints and measurements, there's nothing Antonio can't replicate. Visit www.amfmodelcars.com if you'd like to know more.

If you're not quite in the market for a bespoke model but you've just had an invite to a smart dinner, he does a nice line in lapel pins modelled after vintage-car steering wheels...
 

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