Just Because: This Is The Beautiful World Of Scale Models

Photography by Rosario Liberti

When I was a little kid, I used to wait all year for three things: my birthday, Christmas and this, the Hobby Model Expo.

Hobby Model Expo was the event that represented the best fun after summer, and the last before Christmas. It was there that I learned how to appreciate older cars, thanks to the “teachings” of my father, who would explain me each car model I saw, and as a result, shorthand like “Gulf 917”, “Jackie Oliver’s Lotus”, and “Von Trips Ferrari Sharknose” has been in my mind since I was 10.

Besides famous brands like AutoArt and Minichamps, here you’ll find tiny, specialized firms, like Arena, Padua, and Modelling Plus SAS. How can one resist scale models? There’s a saying in Italian that goes, “nella botte piccola sta il vino buono”, meaning “the good wine is in the small barrel”. If you talk to some of the people who make them, you’ll discover an amazing level of craftsmanship, passion and attention to detail.