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Raman's criteria to select a car to scale down are generally that the real thing be available in Bangalore - failing which he should at least have access to detailed drawings of the actual vehicle. Working in the experimental field of the aerodynamics division at NAL has given him a better understanding of the intricacies of model building.
Generally, engine blocks and other larger parts are made from resin with plastic parts added on. Raman hand-crafts each and every component of the scratch-built model : nothing is bought out. A Scale 24 model could easily contain over 500 painstakingly fabricated parts. Raman is changing the materials he uses for scratch-building his models with the skills he has developed and honed over the years : from balsa wood he has moved to plastics and is going further to include fibre-glass and metal in his creations. The list of Models created so far are :
To date, Raman has hand-built around 18 cars, mostly from the vintage era. An aeronautics engineer is never far from his planes and Raman also has a reasonably large number - thirty-five Scale 72 planes to his credit : more awesome because twenty of them are scratch-built by him. These date from the World War I and II era and include some jets too. Raman is currently planning a series of antique cars based on the entrants to the Concours d'Elegance Auto Show which will be held in Pebble Beach, California, USA, featuring exotic automobiles with body-styling by coachbuilders Figoni-Falaschi, from France. He will be concentrating on models of the 30's, especially Delahaye or Delage of the 30's. He also plans to make a Scale 43 series of Daimler and Lanchester automobiles, which have not been made as models by any company so far. This series will be created in resin and metal. Being a member of the Daimler Club, Raman has access to more details than the normal auto fancier and this will enable him to create more life-like models with exacting details. Raman has been recently selected as an associate member of the Guild of Motoring Artists, UK. He is also a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the 20-Ghost Club, France, which is an exclusive club for Rolls Royce model collectors. His Rolls Royce Silver Ghost has been displayed on their website. Scratch-building a model takes unhurried patience and time and patience is something one must have plenty of. Raman works at the speed of one perfectly crafted model per year - no compromises. Raman laments that there are not many scratch-building enthusiasts in India and he feels that many people should begin with this hobby, initially by kit-building, then modifying ready kits (this gives you a good idea of fabricating body parts of your own design) and gradually going on to scratch-building. Raman also says that a greater number of scratch-builders will lead to perfection of the techniques used, as people with better ideas come into the fold. |
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