Pete Kenna

Pete Kenna is an excellent example of a pattern maker first and foremost. Born in 1946, Pete is a toolmaker and pattern maker by trade. He has not collected model cars at any time. His first job as a model pattern maker was with Mr K.C. Keyser, the founder of K’s model kits He was with them for 6 years, and remembers that they produced their first white metal item – a coal carrier in the 1950s.

Pete recalls that Keyser made some masters for Richard Briggs, of Minimarque43 fame, but this ended in an acrimonious court case, which cost him many thousands of pounds.

Subject ID: 82185

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Pete Kenna is an excellent example of a pattern maker first and foremost. Born in 1946, Pete is a toolmaker and pattern maker by trade. He has not collected model cars at any time. His first job as a model pattern maker was with Mr K.C. Keyser, the founder of K’s model kits He was with them for 6 years, and remembers that they produced their first white metal item – a coal carrier in the 1950s.

Pete recalls that Keyser made some masters for Richard Briggs, of Minimarque43 fame, but this ended in an acrimonious court case, which cost him many thousands of pounds.

His first pattern was a 1:24 scale Ferrari Dino. He assembled 3, and Keysers made about 40 – 50 kits, and he had made a pattern for a Daytona too. These were then purchased by SMTS. K’s kits used to make the tools, and whilst Pete was working for them, he also made the tooling for Keilkraft plastic kits of trams and traction engines.

To earn his living in those early days, until 1986, Pete was a member of a folk band, and when on tour, would often be “whittling” away at a brass pattern on his bedside cabinet!

Pete teamed up with Alan Novak of Motor City USA in 1986, making patterns for the range and stayed with Alan in the USA regularly. However, when he launched his own Kenna Models range he had to withdraw for a while. Later, Alan asked Pete to join him again, after which he made many patterns for the range, including all the woodies, hearses, and some 1:24 scale models.

Pete’s skills and experience have meant that over the years in business as a toolmaker, he has made patterns for a wide range of makers, some of whom are listed below –

• Conquest/Madison – the Rover P5B, now re-mastered; 300C Chrysler, Buick, and Jaguar 420.
• Belgium Trucks/Jupiter models
• Gear Andreason of Norway
• SMTS
• K&R Replicas
• Western Models
• Brooklin Models – and still working for them today.
• Motor City – most of their better ones, over the last 20 years! Pete has been a partner with Alan Novac in this business.
• IMP of Birmingham – a pewter range of Land Rovers, Triumph Stag etc.
• Vulcan Models– his first pattern as an independent maker was a Rover. This company became CMA Mouldcast.
• Crossway Models – the first patterns to launch the range
• Spacroft – the first two patterns of Austin Goodwood and Hampshire woodie to launch Spacroft
• Pathfinder Models – Austin Devons and Herefords, then took the patterns back and made convertibles, complete with added detail. He then took on the Standard Vanguards and made over 5000 of these, and has now sold over 3000 vans and pickups.

Pete has now settled into a business model in which he undertakes most of the processes himself, including having his own eBay shop, from which he sells direct to his customers.

Some of his range have a history, for instance, his Wolseley 9 is an ex-Motorkits model. Western patterns are now done in-house, and so that long held association has finished. Pete helped Roger Tennyson by making his first few patterns when he started in business. He had a stand at ModeleX once, and then shared a stand with Sun Models, run by Geoff Moorhouse, who traded as Pit Stop Models, now Heavy Goods.

Doug McHard approached Pete to buy Somerville Models from him when he decided it was time to retire, as he was keen to ensure his business and its goodwill would be in good hands. Pete had previously made the pattern for the Hillman Minx and the Sunbeam Talbot models in that range. He was offered the Somerville business, which was integral with Doug’s own home, just for the price of his property. At one point, Doug had asked Pete to improve on the Allegro pattern, as he didn’t think it was an accurate model. Pete declined as he felt there may be unfortunate comparisons, and so Doug remade it himself! Eventually, Graham Ward bought all the patterns, and they are now owned by his company, Promod.

Motor Pro was a company set up for ex-miners with a government grant, and Pete made their patterns for them, including Ford Escort and Sierra castings. These subsequently went to K&R Replicas. Dinkum Models of Birmingham were a casting company of excellent quality, run by Peter Mulder, and still going.

It was John Haynes of Historic Replicars who showed Pete how to spray models. John died of emphysema, and was an agoraphobic; he did all his work, including spraying in a converted bedroom. Pete made one pattern for him of a Mercedes 300SL. His only outing was to go to Silverstone with Ernie Knott.

Recently, Pete has been re-mastering old patterns, such as the Allard P1 of Auto Replicas, that had previously been passed to Adrian Swain by Barry Lester. Once Pete has produced a new master that is up to current day standards, he will make the model for his range, and then pass the pattern back to Adrian Swain, who may use it himself again in the future.

Such is the quality of Pete’s models, that owners of real vehicles use them as a basis for restoration! A re-creation of the Standard Vanguard transporter is being made using a Standard Vanguard van chassis and body, using Pete’s model as a guide!

Similarly, a European owner of an Allard K1, which had suffered a bad rear end collision, sought Pete’s help in crafting a new rear body section. Pete sent him a casting of the rear body section of the model, and again, the real bodywork was formed using this as a guide.

Subject ID: 82185

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