Awesome Models

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.

This awesome 1/8th-scale metal model from Eaglemoss’ Die-Cast Club is a perfect replica of the iconic Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds. The finished car measures 22.9″ long and weighs 17.6 lb, and is quite the investment of time and money, with its parts arriving in small kits which arrive over the course of 27 months.

We’ve seen lots of beautiful and unusual items turned on a lathe, but we’ve not seen a woodworker use the method to create a model of a jet airplane engine until now. Gao Wood Lab used walnut, magnolia grandiflora, and red cedar wood to create this wonderful miniature engine, complete with a spinning turbine fan.

Hamburg, Germany’s Miniatur Wonderland is one of the most incredible places we’ve ever seen, with amazing scale models that go on for days. The attraction has now set a world’s record for the longest melody played by a model train. Sit back and enjoy a medley of classical tunes as a miniature train taps on water-filled glasses.

Jason Shron is so obsessed with railroads that he built a full-size train car inside his house. He’s also got a sweet HO-scale model train that he rigged a camera inside of to give us a passenger’s perspective. We honestly thought the view out of the window was from a real train.

Generic Woodworking has built some pretty amazing mechanical wooden models, including a drill-powered wooden car, complete with a working engine, transmission, and steering. He recently upgraded the car with a functional odometer, which can track the distance that its wheels have traveled. See it in action at 10:55.

Working with styrofoam can be pretty tricky, especially the way that it tends to break. But that doesn’t stop artist Vinayak R, who makes detailed architectural structures out of the material. He uses hot-wire cutting, hand carving, and sanding to create the pieces for his models. He then spray paints them to bring out the details.

Taat Handycraft took a dirty cigarette lighter, cleaned it up, disassembled it, and transformed its translucent red shell into the body of a miniature Ford Mustang. We’re impressed with the creativity and the amount of cutting and shaping it took to create the model car. He’s also made a pickup truck and some Mini Coopers.

(Gore) Attack on Titan’s Chō ōgata Kyojin aka “Colossal Titan” is one of the most terrifying and gruesome characters in the history of anime. Artist Dr. Garuda shows off his process as he sculpts a miniature clay model of the powerful god of destruction, exposed musculature and all.

As we’ve seen before, Ouroboros_ARQ are experts at miniature construction techniques. In this video, they turn their attention to building a miniaturized replica of a McDonald’s, using real wood framing, along with bricks and mortar. We can almost hear the tiny person at the drive-thru saying “Would you like fries with that?”

Morris Models makes mechanical wooden models inspired by engines. They show how crankshafts, pistons, and other parts work in sequence to generate propulsion. They come in 7-cylinder, V-Twin, lawnmower, opposed aircraft, and Wankel rotary variants. They also make a model of a repeating weapon known as a Chu-Ko-Nu.

Marc Hagan-Guirey – aka “the dark king of kirigami” – creates marvels with paper, a ruler, a sharp blade, and an equally sharp eye. For Le Corbusier Paper Models, he created templates and step-by-step guides so patient crafters can cut and fold their own mini-models of 10 iconic buildings by modernist architect Le Corbusier.

Model railroad enthusiast Engineman takes us on a ride through his enormous H0 scale railway. As it winds from room to room, you’ll enjoy grassy hills dotted with tiny trees and detailed miniature buildings. The stark, unfinished sections where the tracks wind through tunnels remind us that it’s only a model.

Why buy off-the-shelf Star Wars figures when you can build your own? These flat-pack metal models aren’t easy to assemble, but the resulting sculptures will be worth the effort. They come in Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Boba Fett, C-3PO, and R2-D2 variants. Patience and tweezers not included.

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. From Laserdeko, who has all kinds of nifty laser-cut stuff for sale.

Wood model makers Time for Machine have a new series of kits that let you assemble objects that move. Each plywood model features a splash of color in its wheels or spring-wound mechanism. Designs include a supercar, vintage car, hot rod, minibus, locomotive, and a lockbox.

This tiny billboard lets you live out your graffiti fantasies right on your desktop. The kit is made from recycled chipboard and can be assembled in just a few minutes. Buy a bunch and create a whole bookshelf full of your own original street art. Grab ’em while you can. Sadly, its maker Boundless Brooklyn is closing up shop.

Model maker Boylei Hobby Time loves to incorporate light into his dioramas. In this clip he shows us how he took an off-the-shelf 1/12th-scale model of Darth Vader and took it to the next level with a backlit metal base and a bright red lightsaber that runs on a flexible LED filament set inside of a cocktail straw.

This flat-pack wooden kit not only comes together to look like a camera, it actually works. Rather than using a lens, it has a small pinhole opening which captures fuzzy, but artful images onto 35mm film. The 79-piece plywood kit takes about 2 to 3 hours to assemble, and the camera even has a tripod mount.

We can think of no better gift for an aviation fanatic than this metal model inspired by the iconic Hughes H-4 Hercules. Like the real Spruce Goose, this miniature has eight propellers, though these turn using a wind-up mechanism rather than 28-cylinder Pratt & Whitney engines. The 219-piece kit is best for ages 14+.

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.

LEGO My LEGOs uses stop-motion to show off the assembly of a really cool Chinese dragon boat model, complete with mechanical oars. This impressive looking model isn’t actually a LEGO kit, but comes from a company called Xingbao. The 3325-piece kit is a veritable bargain at just $68 from Brick Me up Scottie.

The real Notre Dame Cathedral suffered from a devastating fire in 2019, and it may take decades before it can be restored and made safe for visitors. For now, let’s enjoy this miniature version of the iconic Parisian landmark, courtesy of builder FoBIRD, who created a replica from wooden popsicle sticks and kebab skewers.

Model maker Boylei Hobby Time shows us how with a little creativity and skill, off-the-shelf model kits can become so much more. For this build, he took a miniature X-Wing Fighter and a duo of TIE Fighters, and brought them to life using LED filament lights to simulate lasers, and a little steel wool to create a spark effect.

Expert modelmaker Luke Towan shows off how he built a tiny HO-scale replica of a Land Rover Defender. What makes the miniature so impressive is that it not only is motorized, but can be remotely controlled to drive along tiny roads. He bought the model in kit form from Tiny 4×4, but it’s definitely an advanced build.

Artist Rayclay used a combination of 3D modeling software, 3D printing, and hand-finishing to create miniature models of a freediver and a manta ray. He then precisely painted the pieces and submerged them in transparent resin to create the illusion they were swimming beneath the ocean’s surface.