News - Model Makers Bristol / Amalgam Model Making

Tidal Turbines, Milan Design Week and Brutalism

April 14, 2014

This week we have been ramping up the marketing of our recycling displays and have been taking orders for a few products from the range; as these projects are completed we will be updating the website with photos of these new builds. These engaging and informative displays are usually used by councils and recycling officers to communicate important information about recycling. Also our SeaGen Tidal Turbine for MCT has been in the news this week. This popular model has made a few media appearances over the years and has so far survived nearly four years of touring and public engagement. We are also enjoying the trickle of photos coming out of Milan Design Week which have made their way into various Twitter feeds and photoblogs, showcasing the range of product design this year has to offer. Another event in our calendar that we're looking forward to is the…

Cutaway Models – Compost, Insulation and Secrecy

March 31, 2014

This last week we have made a number of models which share a common theme - having bits cut out of them to see what's going on inside. The first was a set of wall insulation models for Concept PR, made with the permission of the Centre for Sustainable Energy with whom we designed the original set. Concept PR's set brings our total up to 14 sets of these popular units. They are simple cutaway models showing the different layers of wall insulation that can be applied to the interior and exterior of a house, depicting the necessary layers of render, mesh, insulation and other materials to make a home more energy efficient. Meanwhile, our new trading arm, Recycling Displays, has been hard at work making cross-section compost bins, showing the strata of decomposing vegetable matter and how household waste can be recycled into nutrient-rich compost for gardens and vegetable…

Recycling Displays website launch

March 14, 2014

Our new trading arm, www.recyclingdisplays.co.uk, is up and running! Go over and have a look at the products available. Through the website orders can be placed for specific products, such as cutaway compost bins, games and activity sets, perfect for schools, waste management companies, event organisers, recycling officers and local councils. The recycling displays are informative and engaging products that encourage recycling practices, and how household waste can be better managed, reduced and reused. As well as made-to-order displays, we are also able to make bespoke items. Our team of exhibition design specialists and fabricators can offer advice and support through all stages of a project, from design right through to completion, providing a comprehensive in-house fabrication service along the way and organising transportation and installation. Head to Our Work to see some of our projects. We have made a range of models for environmental concerns over the…

Julio Bashmore stopframe animation props

March 7, 2014

A while back we made a set of stopframe animation props for Blinkink and the Julio Bashmore music video they were creating. The video for the Bristol producer's single 'Peppermint' is available to view online. Among the other animation props made by various techniques, the video includes the hands of our own Andy Wright, which were deemed holy enough to be cast in both Jesmonite and the role of God, where they can be seen clapping out a TR-808 style drumline and giving divine life-energy to a developing golden foetus. Our propmakers have lent their setbuilding and sculpting skills to range of stopframe animation projects over the years, including hundreds of cast Creme Egg props for Aardman and the Goo Games, and a set of hand-painted Russian dolls for an Eircom television advert. As well as the sculptural and artworking side of stopframe animation props, we are able…

Triggertrap Ada product prototype

March 5, 2014

We recently created a look-and-feel product prototype of the Triggertrap Ada, and the project has been back through our doors for some modifications before being vacuum cast in a new incarnation. Matt from Triggertrap goes into further detail in a video on their kickstarter page, which shows our technicians working away at preparing the master for casting. Our initial involvement was to create a look-and-feel prototype. This first object was a hand-finished object created using 3D printing processes, sparked and finished to look like the production component; models of this nature are useful as marketing tools. The vacuum casting process allows us to create a functional product prototype - a component with material properties much closer to those of the production object. This is useful for real-world condition testing but also allows the designers to iron out any further niggles in the design (if there are any). We…

The lure of the bright lights calls Laurens Nockels to Pinewood Creative

February 18, 2014

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Laurens Nockels has left the building" Pinewood studios is a name synonymous with the film industry and UK film in particular. So many blockbuster productions have been made there it is hard to know where to start on any list of film and TV credits. Little wonder then that when one of Amalgam’s team of sculptors and project managers, Laurens Nockels got wind of an opportunity to work there he found it was a temptation well beyond resisting. It is therefore, with some sadness, that we have to announce “ Laurens Nockels has left the building.” We totally understand of course that people need to follow their dreams and wish him every success with his new venture as Head of Pinewood Creative, his cheerful personality and optimism, not to mention his creative talents will be missed by us all. Laurens has of course been a popular and long-standing member…

Cast hands props

January 23, 2014

We've been making some cast hands, but can't let you know what for just yet. They're props. That's as much as we can say. Over the years we have cast a range of strange objects for various purposes, including Creme Eggs, lungs and bits of sheep. Our casting facilities are well equipped to handle intricate tolerance-specific components as much as they are body parts, and we can offer a range of materials depending on the purpose of the cast; from soft rubber stunt-safe props, to high-impact durable resins. Head to Our Work to find out more.

CSE Home Energy Display Model

January 9, 2014

Our portable, engaging Energy Display Model made for the Centre for Sustainable Energy can be seen on the CSE website. This model was made to illustrate various methods for creating a more energy efficient home, featuring energy usage monitors, solar panels, roofing insulation and draft snakes. The model is also populated with other engaging features such as bedroom posters, furniture, houseplants and modern appliances. We built the display model to be portable; when stored, it fits snugly together as a single block, but can be unclipped and opens out to slot together into a cross-section model of a modern home. We had a great deal of fun adding all the miniature features to humanise the model and are very glad to see it still being used. Other models we have made for CSE include the Wall Insulation Models, of which we made many sets. Models along similar lines…

‘The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box’ clip and film props

January 8, 2014

We have made a broad range of film props in the last few years, many of which were for the film adaptation of G. P. Taylor's Mariah Mundi novels. 'The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box' opens in cinemas this year, and a clip can be viewed here: While we cannot yet show you what we have made for this production, we have made a range of weapons, sets and ephemera for the BBC fantasy drama 'Atlantis'. These included rubber stunt-safe swords, axes and daggers, huge setpieces of demon goddesses, crumbling seafloor ruins and vials, boxes, locks, and petrified stone rats. These projects drew on the talents of our sculptors and artworkers and made use of our comprehensive vacuum casting facility to create exquisite replicas of the original objects. Head to Our Work to find out more.

Triggertrap Redsnap Vacuum Cast Prototype

December 13, 2013

Amalgam prototype modelmakers recently completed a set of prototypes for the Triggertrap Redsnap, an affordable timelapse and high-speed camera system funded through Kickstarter. Our vacuum cast prototype of the look-and-feel enclosure is one of many similar projects we have undertaken over the years, a list which includes the Gapgun, which we produce in batches as a fully functional production model. Our vacuum casting facility and hot new 3D printer enable us to offer a comprehensive prototyping service for a range of products, and our understanding of materials allows us to make these objects suitable for practical testing and ergonomics as much as look-and-feel display pieces. Our method combines the reliability and speed of 3D printing and additive manufacture with craftsman-level hand skills to turn a stepped rough build into a fine-tolerance, exquisitely finished casting master. We are then able to make batch casts of this object to replicate its form, texture…