THE BEST Models

A fantastic gift for fans of architecture and design, this kit lets you make a pint-size wooden model of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Guggenheim Museum. The model measures just 6″x 4.5″ x 3.5″, and takes about 4 hours to complete. Made from aspen and American cherry, and licensed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

While we’re perplexed by Liberman’s musical selections, we are impressed with what he was able to construct on his workbench. Watch as he puts together a working model of a helicopter rotor from plywood, rulers, popsicle sticks, and off-the-shelf hardware. We love how it even can adjust the angle of its blades.

Miniature model maker Hoo’s mini world shows off an incredible build, a teensy version of a Leica M10 camera, complete with a removable lens. No detail was overlooked, from the curvature of the lens glass, to the leather case, to the aperture settings on its lens ring.

Microworld makes these intricate metal building kits of mech-animal hybrids. The collection includes a polar bear, crocodile, lion, flying tiger, scorpion, and a police dog. Each one is made from iron and brass, with fade-resistant color coatings. Expect a challenge for all but the most experienced builders.

Dreipunkt’s flat-pack wood kit lets you build your own orbital model of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. As you move its lever, each astronomical body rotates relative to the others, as an arrow indicates the date on which they take up those positions. Available from Laserdeko, who has all kinds of nifty laser-cut stuff in their Etsy shop.

Restoration junkie MrRescue got his hands on a toy Porsche 356 model that looks like it was stomped and kicked into a pile of dirt. From the looks of the undercarriage, it doesn’t look all that ancient, but we’re still impressed with the finished car after he brought it back to its former glory with that glossy peanut M&M paint job.

Time for Machine makes amazing metal and wood models of vehicles. Among them is a tiny tank called the “Marvel.” TOMs Modeling in Motion assembled one of these mini mechanical marvels and captured the build as a time-lapse, stop-motion video. We also enjoyed watching him put together a metal Hindenburg from AEROBASE.

The supersonic Concorde jet planes have been retired, so the only way to witness the majesty of this marvel in flight is through replica models. RCScaleAirplanes shares footage of Otto Widlroither’s incredible 1/6-scale version of the jet. It measures 33 feet long, has a 13 foot wingspan, and is powered by four JetCat P300 Pro turbines.

YouTuber HMS2 is known for creating impressively accurate miniature versions of real-world objects. This build is a spot-on, Lilliputian replica of an aquarium complete with gravel, rocks, plant life, and a weensy little school of fish floating in its simulated water.

Flat pack model maker Ugears 48-piece kit is one of their easier builds, yet it’s simply fascinating to watch. The mechanical contraption converts air pressure to movement, which in turn spins a pointer which acts as a sort of decision maker for the next task for you to work on.

Here’s another nifty wood model kit from Nashville artist 1Man1Garage. This laser-cut wood kit comes with everything you need to build a 14″ long zeppelin model, inspired by a 1929 model flown by England’s Royal Air Force.

Miniature model maker HMS2 shows us how to make some ridiculously tiny and accurate replicas of fast food and their packaging from McDonald’s. We love the individual french fries, and how the Coke even has microscopic ice cubes.

Artist Jason Freeny is best known for his see-through anatomical figures of pop culture characters. These version of his LEGO-inspired Brickman figure let you assemble his innards yourself. Choose from a 16-piece, 5″ tall model, or a 12″ tall model with over 40 pieces.

Flat-pack model makers Ugears offers this very cool kit that lets you build a mechanical monowheel that actually drives. It has retractable training wheels, but can roll without them on smooth surfaces. With 300 parts, it looks like a challenging 3-hour build. No glue required.

We’ve see the amazing tiny worlds of Hamburg, Germany’s Miniatur Wunderland before. The attraction will soon have over 51,558 feet – or nearly 10 miles of model railway track. Guinness World Records tallied up some other impressive facts and figures about the attraction.

Designer James Paulius extends his collection of colorful wooden architectural blocks with a miniature version of New York City. The full set features two iconic skyscrapers, a handful of shorter buildings, and a smattering of urban greenspace. The Empire State building and greenway models are available separately as well.

Ukraine model designer Denis Ohrimenko of TimeForMachine makes a variety of cool laser-cut wood kits, including a series of awesome robot monsters. Each one has movable legs which can be swapped out with other models. Choose from Scorpio MN 3.1, Scarabeus MN 9.1, Arachnoid MN 2.1, and Prometeus MN 1.1 designs.

For those looking for a more realistic – and less expensive – snap-together version of Volkswagen’s iconic Type 2 van than LEGO’s kit, look no further than this Airfix Quickbuild model. It requires no glue or paint, and clicks together in minutes. Choose from sky blue or red paint jobs. They also make a matching VW Bug.

David Damek of Plasmo shows off an impressive (and depressing) build – an incredibly detailed 1/72-scale diorama of an abandoned house inspired by the scenes of devastation around Pripyat, Ukraine after the Chernobyl disaster. The tractor is based on a kit, but David’s artistry really elevates it.

LEGO CREATOR Expert set 10266 is an intricate 1,087-piece replica of the lunar lander module from the Apollo 11 mission. Designed in collaboration with NASA, it features separate ascent and descent stages, and a lunar surface with footprints and a U.S. flag. The Eagle lands on June 1, 2019 at LEGO Stores and shop.LEGO.com.

Eaglemoss offer this exquisite 1:8-scale die-cast model of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. It includes working lights, pop-out machine guns, flipping license plates, ejector seat, and more. The kit ships as 86 weekly issues ($10.90 ea), spread out over 22 months.

The Honda Civic Type R is the latest in the growing number of life-size LEGO car models. Honda Australia commissioned the project, which took over 1300 hours to make and has over 320,000 pieces. It has lots of functioning lights. More on Carscoops.

LEGO enthusiast Lachlan Cameron designed and built a remote-controlled Technic scale model of Ken Block’s Ford Mustang Hoonicorn. The all-wheel drive toy has working steering and suspension, doors and a hood that open, and lights.

These books are the perfect gift for any Star Wars fan. Each one comes with a laser-cut and engraved 3D wood model of an iconic vehicle, spaceship, or droid. Display them as-is, or paint them to your liking. The accompanying books provide background details.