2024 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:13
Many model car collectors let their treasures gather dust in showcases. Michael Paul Smith stages the mini-cars in miniature cities he built himself - so realistically that you can hardly distinguish between the original and the fake.
By Sebastian Viehmann
If Americans could choose which decade to live in, some would probably choose the good old 50ies. The world was still clearly divided into West and East, the cars were chrome-laden and splendid, and the juke box could be heard from rock'n'roll.
A soft spot for the 50s
Michael Paul Smith from near Boston also has a soft spot for the 50s. Above all, he loves the automobiles of that time: "All the Nashs, Kaisers, Hudsons and DeSotos - it was really a fascinating design era," enthuses Michael. The craftsman once owned a real Studebaker Champion built in 1950, but in difficult times he had to sell the classic. “That was a sad day,” recalls Michael. A small consolation was the large model car collection that he had put together - more than 300 miniatures on a 1:24 scale filled his showcases.
And there they stood now. While the paperback-sized road cruisers were slowly gathering dust, Michael came up with the brilliant idea: Why not create a suitable ambience for his collection? As is customary in America, Michael Paul Smith has already had numerous jobs in his life - in an architectural office, as a poster sticker, as an archivist or textbook illustrator. One of the jobs had been arranging museum decorations. The artistic design and painstaking detailed work were in his blood.
What then slowly took shape after countless hours in the home hobby room has astonished countless people. A diorama is nothing new, but Michael's miniature worlds have turned out so realistic that many visitors to his website consider the pictures to be real recordings from the 1950s. Without any digital processing, as Michael emphasizes, he staged his small worlds.
Secret of work
The secret of his work is on the one hand taking pictures in the open air with real clouds or trees in the background and on the other hand an enormous obsession with detail. The diner restaurants, cinemas and drug stores in his miniature cities were built by hand from cardboard, wood and metal over weeks. There is dirt and rubber debris on the streets, and Michael uses deceptively real artificial snow for winter scenes. Even more depth is created by the subtle use of smoke - a trick that was also used in the cinema, when trick shots were still made with models and not on the computer.
Interest in small things
“I was mostly interested in those little things that you always overlook. But it is precisely these that ensure that something looks really authentic: Telephone poles are not always upright, cars are not parked accurately to the curb,”says Michael. However, the model streets are not only deceptively reproduced from the outside. In the hairdressing salon, there are true-to-the-original hairdressing chairs, a coke machine is in the corner, the water dispenser next to it and an old newspaper lies on the chair. The restaurants are furnished right down to the last donut and in the style of the time, in a shoe shop 100 shoeboxes fill the shelves - the model maker made each one out of thin cardboard.
On Michael's website there are piles of admiring comments, and it would actually be obvious that Michael should turn his hobby into a profession. But that's not what he intends to do: “I would probably never have the heart to sell the dioramas,” says the 60-year-old. He prefers to enjoy online recognition - and is happy that his little, ideal world is only a few steps away to relax in turbulent times.
Recommended:
Audi TTS: No Room For Purism
A little more is always possible. Especially with the Audi TTS. It has 306 hp under the hood and goes up to 250 km / h. That is more than enough; a little more is always possible. Especially with the Audi TTS. It has 306 hp under the hood and goes up to 250 km / h. That is more than enough. It could
Dacia Dokker: With A Hobby Room Atmosphere
Dacia is as usual spartan and pleasantly original in the upgraded high-roof combi environment. And the Dokker even shows itself too
Ford Edge: New World Meets Old World
Ford is transferring American preferences to the old world with the Edge. The largest representative of the brand in this country conjures this up, especially on long journeys
MC Laren 675 LT: Man In The Engine Room
With the 675 LT, MCLaren is currently one of the hottest sports cars on four wheels. With the razor-sharp front spoiler you could also mow the lawn
Dudenhöffer: The Car World Remains A Man's World
Car manufacturers are reaching fewer and fewer women than new car buyers. According to a current study by the Center Automotive Research (CAR), this is among other things