An Australia-based industrial designer named Jamie Schena recently completed work on a 1/8 scale metal sculpture of the iconic Chevy Camaro racecar known as Big Red.
This impressive scale model was commissioned by Big Red’s owner, RJ Gottlieb, who wanted a detailed scale model of his famous classic that accurately recreated the car’s exterior, engine bay and interior. Schena started this 500-hour process by bending and welding metal to recreate the first-generation Chevy Camaro’s chassis and body before cutting out the doors and welding in a firewall.
From here, Schena cut the car’s roof off to give him better access to the interior, which allowed him to install the metal dashboard, racing seats, roll cage and other details like the manual shifter and nitrous bottles. He then set to work modelling Big Red’s engine, using actual photos of the car’s Big Block as a guide to ensure the model is as accurate as can be. Some of the finishing touches include metal multi-spoke wheels and tires with working metal bearings, side-exit exhausts and a trunk-mounted fuel cell.
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Schena, who works out of GM’s Advanced Design studio as a creative clay sculptor, has been creating steel artwork like this since he was a kid. He told Hot Rod that he likes to leave the grinding marks on the surface of his sculptures, as this effectively communicates that they are handmade and completely bespoke. Automotive enthusiasts who want a larger scale model like this with zero imperfections can turn to high-end companies like Amalgam to fulfil their needs, but Schena’s sculptures are all about celebrating artisan craftsmanship.
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Big Red, for readers who may not know, is a well-known Chevy Camaro racecar that has won multiple open-road racing events like La Carrera Classica and the Silver State Classic Challenge. It was first built in 1987 and was entered in that year’s La Carrera Classica, where Gottlieb crashed it into a rock wall after suffering a suspension failure mid-corner. The Gottliebs then set to work rebuilding the Chevy around a NASCAR-style tube frame chassis before returning to La Carrera Classica in 1988 and winning the event outright. Big Red is a bit of an automotive icon these days, enjoying quite a bit of attention from the media and boasting hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
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Comments
… Revell, Airfix, Tamiya… yeah es gibt gute talentiert leute mit kits …
I like scale replicas , and this is impressive. Just gave me a few new ideas. A long time ago artist Michele Conti crafted scales using hand hammered body panels.
With 3D printing certain unique parts can now be crafted a little easier.
I use clay and plaster ro create silicone molds then cast in resin. Most recently I finished a large scale Corvette C3 that is a copy of my old car. Each American Vector style wheel was made from 14 pieces each. I am still crafting the 454 engine and handcrafted exhaust.
This article inspires me.
Building scale model cars is becoming a lost hobby. I built many including the Revell-Monogram 1/8 scale Chevy Corvette . As a teen, I visited many hobby shops, but now they exist only as online web stores. Most U.S. teens just play games and never lean how to build kits. I see some Japanese ads selling car kits.