New Blades Show 2016 – thinking about a career in model making?

Amalgam are very familiar with building trade show display models, however, it’s a rare opportunity for us to get out today, to visit New Blades Show, the annual model makers’s fair to visit if you’re considering a career in model making.

Hosted by 4D modelshop at the Holborn Studios, London, the show features work by graduates from the Arts University Bournemouth, University of Hertfordshire, University of Bolton, City of Glasgow College, University for the Creative Arts and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. And we are looking forward to seeing the displays, usually widely diverse in techniques and creative ideas.

It’s an exciting day for the graduates. Industry sponsored prizes are available – and it’s an opportunity for them to meet potential employers and consider their career path. We wish them all the best of luck.

Our recruits

While we’re visiting the New Blades Show, it’s a chance to reflect on some of the great people working here, who we originally met at previous New Blades Shows.

Glen McDouall designed and built two models for his presentation, winning the Best of Show and Best Product Awards in 2010. Shown here is his model of a Singer sewing machine, with its intricate detail. For our clients, he now manages product development and prototyping projects.

Julia Nichols’ display in 2014 was a puppet, with an armature inside. “The puppet was designed for use in a concept for a children’s television program, “Charlie’s Garden”, which would teach children about planting and growing to encourage their understanding of where food comes from. I also created the imagery and front page layout for launch.”

Paul Pritchard, also a Best of Show winner at New Blades, now focuses on our architectural models, with a specialist interest in electronics and dynamic lighting.

A career in model making

When working on live projects, the key benefit a model maker provides is a valuable resource to make the designer or architect’s life as simple as possible, during the concept development and design process.

They are often working to very tight deadlines and under a lot of stress to complete the design. We get to help them realise their idea, presenting it in the most positive light for their audience.

If your model making career is underway, there are advantages of joining a commercial model making team. It means the customer benefits from advice on styles, materials, colour and technology based on years of experience, and from a diverse team of experienced makers – and you will learn those techniques very rapidly. Workshops can also react quickly and produce models in a short time-frame, because if they are like Amalgam, there are a large number of processes we can do under one roof. We have the ability to make any type of model, from short deadline competition models to high detail, full colour, presentation and marketing models.

If you are studying, Amalgam hires one undergraduate every year for a placement of 6-8 months. We take applications from September to review by February, to appoint them the following summer for 6-8 months. For more information, contact us via info@amalgam-models.co.uk

We might be biased, but a career in model making is diverse and creative too!