Arjan De Roos

Designer

Something Missing?

As a kid Arjan de Roos was fascinated by models of all sorts. Especially plastic model kits got his attention. At an early age he was building several kits his father bought for him. Later on he spent his first earned money on bigger scale models with even more detail. All these of course were to be built precisely according to their instructions.

One day a friend took him to a specialist model car shop in Holland. The shop was crammed with car models, big and large. It was like a candy store! Especially the 1:43 scale models got his attention, some with amazing details, even engine detail.

Subject ID: 82958

As building had his main attention he opted to buy a white metal kit, a Ferrari 500 F2. With his experience of plastic model kits, a white metal kit was something different. It was not as sharply cast as a plastic kit, but it had something a plastic model lacked.

It was the mid 1980s, a period when white metal kits had been on the market for some time. On the other hand, French companies especially, had introduced resin as a material for model car kits. It meant that various companies issued some new kits at regular intervals. It was a wonderful time to be a model car enthusiast. Kit makers developed models of all sorts. Some brands developed models within weeks, after a race or a press presentation. Also, through the years kits developed in detail, finesse and realism.

In 1991 Arjan had his first opportunity to visit a model car meeting in the UK, and not a regular swapmeet or car show. No, ModeleX, as it was called, was a specialized meeting for the artisan makers of model cars. It was a meeting for both collectors and traders. But what had attracted him really was the open UK National Kit Building Championship. In between his studies he was still building kits and had wandered in the direction of super detailed kits, where not only outside detail, but especially engine and cockpit details, were to be added as much as possible.

The meeting was a ‘warm bath’ and those who visited will not easily forget it. Two halls of the National Motorcycle Museum were crammed with small booths for a variety of English and foreign exhibitors; even attracting makers from Japan and the USA. They all showed their latest models and made the show a spectacular event.

This meeting was organized through the 1990s and demonstrated that a specialist meeting for this niche product was appreciated and fruitful. For Arjan in 1991, it had started as a visit for the Kit Building Championship, but convinced him to start a business of his own. It was a first step in getting important contacts in this world. Some people he met in Birmingham he still contacts regularly and became friends with some of them.

One prominent participant and most valuable contact Arjan made was John and Pam Simons of Marsh Models. They managed to bring out a wonderful series of CanAm cars, and Le Mans racers that are strong In Holland. CanAm is not such a popular collector subject and he was elated to see them turn to making more Ferrari models in recent years. In fact, his contact with them started when all Marsh’s models were fully white metal kits. Their series then had 13 references. Today it has grown to 180.

One of their models was the first that Arjan could be named as being the instigator. Having made the Ferrari 512M Sunoco, he offered to send John some documentation of the only works Ferrari 512 M that competed. And what a wonderful model was developed. Not only crisply cast in white metal, but also with double depth photo-etch material for extra detail and realism. The whole cockpit was made out of this aluminum lookalike material with etched in rivets for splendid detail. It was nice to be involved with such an innovator. In later years Marsh Models moved partly from white metal to resin casting especially for body parts. Still they produce wonderfully realistic kits of great sports cars.

Other important makers from the UK are Scale Model Technical Services and Scale Racing Cars. SMTS is popular in Holland as they make several English brands such as Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lotus while SRC made smart kits (now produced by SMTS) predominantly of Formula 1 racers. They are simple but detailed at the same time. At ModeleX, I also met Make Up Co. Ltd. from Japan, at that time making hyper detailed kits like their spectacular Ferrari 250 GTO, with opening doors and bonnet, full wiring and other incredible details.

Arjan left ModeleX, that year not only winning an honorable third prize in the Kit Building Championship, but also with important contacts in this fascinating world. Based on this he has developed a business in Holland, supplying collectors and enthusiasts with the kits and accessories they look for. A business that has not only brought a lot of contacts, but also visits to a variety of companies, busy making the most interesting models.

As in Italy, the land of passion for red cars and speed, one also finds several model car makers who got their inspiration to make white metal models in the 1970s.Around Loano in the Italian Riviera, a group of car enthusiasts had assembled to make this area the ‘silicon valley’ for model kits. The Tron brothers, from whom Paolo had discovered John Day kits and introduced them to Italy, were setting up a sales organization with their own kit series. They were joined by Luca Tameo, a young boy from Milan who had started to make models of Formula 1 cars and with a primary interest in Formula 1 models, had developed a great skill of model making.

Claudio Riva, who started by selling ice creams on the beach specialized in the casting of white metal parts for many named makers as well as other brands. Together with his Meri Kits, he specialized in the whole casting process of white metal and up in the mountains he had a studio for the development and production of kits, for his own brands and those of others. When Arjan visited them he was always astounded by the various moulds from many famous makers such as AMR, BBR, Dallari, Robustelli, and Tron. Together with his wife, and sometimes sons, Claudio Riva involved himself in many projects.

From Tron in Italy, Arjan had the opportunity to offer a wide range of Italian brands to the Benelux collectors and builders. Makers that often operated from their garage but delivered car models that incorporated their love for cars as well as their skills. Also, Tron masterminded great white metal kits, of course, mostly of Ferrari cars.

Luca Tameo developed as a real specialist in Formula 1 kits, going from simple to multi part and material kits, remaining loyal to white metal as the base for his models. What he crafted by hand is nowadays heavily developed with the use of computer technology and precision manufacturing, often reflected in price, but at the same time in the quality of his products. His small but professional company also had to withstand the money greed that is an integral part of Formula 1 racing nowadays. It hasn’t stopped him and Arjan believes he is probably the most well known brand for white metal kits.

Having mentioned the great companies from England and Italy, one other country brought forth a man with a company that became a phenomenon. Andre-Marie Ruf, the maestro from France, who, first from Paris and in later years from the south of France, made kits in his own particular style. AMR was started in the mid 1970s, and was not the first to produce in white metal. That is a feat of English makers.

Andre, however, always wanted to make a statement with each model he produced and by doing so earned great respect and admiration from collectors and colleagues. Most of his white metal kits impress when built, some not exactly to scale and somewhat larger, like 1:40 or 1:41, and always quite heavy due to Andre-Marie’s typical internal construction. He promoted himself and the artisanal model making scene from a cottage industry to an artistic level. Today, some years after his death in 2004 some of his kits are highly sought after and change hands at prices triple or even ten times the original price. His death left a void, although his son in law Michael Craig continued with his own series called Piranha and Mount Ventoux Montage, but built only.

Subject ID: 82958

Less

Subject ID: 82958