Graham Price

Designer

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Graham Price was a 1980s entrant into this white metal world of ours. He returned home from Heng in Saudi Arabia in 1980, and took a job at a local paper mill. In 6 months, due to the “Last In First Out” principle, he was made redundant.

Together with a colleague who also had a fibreglass car – Graham had a Lotus Europa, and Terry had a Marcos 3 litre – they set up a business repairing fibreglass cars. Sadly, Terry found he was allergic to the fibreglass dust, and so Graham bought him out.

Subject ID: 82856

Not long after, another ex-colleague arrived and asked him if he would spray some models for him. These were white metal MGs, probably of the Abingdon Classics range, and Graham charged him £2.00 each. Amazed at the standard of finish, the satisfied customer happened to be working with Max Kernick, who hearing about the standard achieved, asked Graham if he would spray for Max.

The MGs were destined for Richard Briggs of Minimarque43, and in turn Richard Briggs also wanted some of this standard of finish for his range. So Graham found himself spraying a variety of bodyshells for both Max Kernick and Richard Briggs.

For the next 2 years, Richard was sending more and more, and had taken on 2 staff of his own. By this time the fibreglass repair work was in decline, as the requirements of the motor insurance industry precluded small businesses from getting repair work.

With potential for a full-time market in white metal casting and assembly, Graham found himself a suitable unit in Broadclyst near Exeter, and, in 1987, bought a casting machine. The bulk of his work was for Minimarque43, but with bigger orders coming in, he began to find that Richard Briggs would delay payment for a wide range of reasons. Graham’s staff needed paying, and when Jeff Sharrock of Pathfinder Models approached him, having had problems with his previous painter, Graham took over the entire casting, painting and assembly work for his models. Patterns for the Pathfinder range were being made mostly by Ian Pickering and Pete Kenna, and once approved, would be sent to Graham for moulding and casting. He always kept the pattern for the duration of the production run, in case of mould failures, and would then return it to Jeff Sharrock once the next model was released.

This was full time employment, handling up to 600 castings at a time, for 3 British car models per year, together with special issues, so whilst continuing to produce for Minimarque43, this became a lesser priority.

Arrangements were also made with John Martin of JM Toys to launch and make the Viscount range, as a spin off from Pathfinder, but this was short lived, as the models were less popular.

Sadly due to the retirement of Jeff and Sue Sharrock in 2002, largely due to Jeff’s ill health, a major sector of the white metal market had lost a quality product. It was the Lansdowne range from Brooklin that filled the gap first established by Pathfinder.

In due course, the patterns for the Pathfinder range were finally polished up and mounted on a perspex plinth, and sold to a loyal customer Gregg Clay, on condition that they would not be sold on for an agreed period. Subsequently, some were sold on to Mike Rogers of J & M Classics, and Crossway Models, whilst Pete Kenna acquired the Austin Dorset and Hereford.

Around this time Richard Briggs died, and the Minimarque43 range was no more. There were four main makers for Minimarque43, Ian Birkinshaw, in Yorkshire, Steve Overy of Illustra Models, GTA Models, Western Models, and also latterly SMTS, who had manufactured for MM43 in the early days, along with Keysers.

Commissioned work from Minimarque43 was always on a verbal basis, and often, although Richard Briggs intended to produce up to 300 units of a new model, he would then only order 50 as a first batch. Mike Stephens at Western insured himself against this by insisting on a minimum run of at least 200 sets of castings. Thus, on Richard’s death, there were moulds and tooling work undertaken by these makers that had not been paid for. Regrettably, a submission to the executors of his estate brought forth no response.

It is worthy of note here, that the caster and assembler is a sub-contractor, and therefore in a difficult position, especially when a commissioned line stops. Does he own the pattern? He certainly has made the moulds, and until full funds are received, may be entitled to make further castings to recover his costs.

Graham resurrected the Minimarque43 name again, qualified by a sub title of “by GTA Models”, as he has a number of patterns of Cords, Auburns and Duesenbergs. The first planned model was the Austin Sheerline Belfast Telegraph van.

Over the years, Graham has cast for Crossway, operated by Amanda Redman and Karl Merz, J&M Classics, owned by Mike Rogers, and recalls his early days producing for Max Kernick. Max was one half of K&R Replicas, the other being John Roff.

Subject ID: 82856

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Subject ID: 82856