Two models of the same car at the same scale can be made in completely different ways. The method explains most of what you notice: whether the doors open, how sharp the panel lines are, how heavy the model feels and how many were made. Three methods account for nearly every model you will come across.
Die-cast: metal from a steel mould
Die casting forces molten metal, usually a zinc alloy, under pressure into a hardened steel mould called a die. The body comes out as a strong metal shell that can carry hinges, so die-cast models often have opening doors, bonnets and boots.
Steel dies are costly and slow to make, but they last for a very large number of castings. That suits long production runs, which is why die-casting is the method behind most models made in large numbers. The same tooling sets the limits. A metal shell needs a certain thickness, so the gaps around opening parts tend to be wider than true scale, and very fine vents and sharp creases are harder to reproduce.
Resin: sealed bodies in small runs
A resin model starts with a master pattern. A silicone mould is taken from it, then liquid resin is poured in and left to cure. Silicone picks up very fine detail, and a silicone mould is far quicker and cheaper to make than a steel die. It also wears out quickly. A mould is usually good for a few dozen castings, so resin is a method for short runs.
Resin bodies are almost always sealed: nothing opens. In return you get crisp panel lines, thin window frames and an accurate stance, and the maker can offer one car in many colours, or a rare version that would never justify steel tooling. Resin is lighter than metal and more fragile, and it is more sensitive to heat and sunlight.
Most of the modern supercars at the House are resin. BBR, in Saronno, and MR Collection, in Gerenzano, both build resin models by hand in northern Italy. BBR's main subject is Ferrari, as in the 12Cilindri in Rosso Corsa. MR Collection covers Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bugatti, as in the Countach LPI 800-4.
Hand-built metal: a model made of parts
The third method also uses metal, but treats the model as an assembly, not a single casting. CMC is the clearest example at the House. Its 1:18 classics are put together by hand from separate parts in zinc, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and brass, with fabric and real leather inside. CMC counts 1,841 parts in its Ferrari 250 GTO, 1,215 of them metal, and threads the spokes of its wire wheels by hand in stainless steel.
A model made this way opens up. Doors, bonnets and boots are hinged, and what lies under them is built from separate pieces. The 250 GTO in bare metal shows the idea plainly: the body is left unpainted so you can see what it is made of.
Large scale: built one at a time
At 1:8 the work becomes slower again. Amalgam Collection builds its large models by hand, and says each of its 1:8 Ferrari Daytona SP3 models takes more than 300 hours to build.
Why edition sizes differ
The method sets the numbers. Tooling in metal has to be spread over a larger run. Resin runs are held down by the short life of the moulds and by the hours of handwork in each model. The table shows the edition sizes on the pieces at the House where the maker's figure is recorded.
| Maker | How it is made | Edition sizes at the House |
|---|---|---|
| Davis & Giovanni | Resin, sealed | Most often 8 to 16 |
| IVY | Resin, sealed | 10 to 40 |
| MR Collection | Resin, sealed | 63 to 149 |
| Amalgam Collection, 1:8 | Built by hand at large scale | 199 |
| CMC | Metal, assembled by hand, with opening parts | 300 to 2,200 |
What each is good at
- Die-cast: weight, strength and opening parts, in larger numbers.
- Resin: an accurate exterior, rare subjects and colours, and small numbered runs.
- Hand-built metal: mechanical detail that you can open and study.
None of the three is better than the others. They suit different cars and different collectors, and many collections hold all of them. The differences are easiest to judge with the models in front of you. You can see them at the House in Al Quoz 3, Dubai, open 10am to 10pm every day and 4pm to 10pm on Fridays.