How do scale model manufacturers create so fine detail?

[crackerjazz]

I've just been wondering, 1:144 scale aircraft have come a long way. I recently bought a Dragon F-14 with an F-18 included (2-in-1! nice!) and the detail on that F-18 is just so fine and brimming with rivet (or is it flat-screw) detail.

Do they employ computer graphics and draw them full scale then just reduce them and their tooling machine takes care of the rest? Then I guess they could create anything in any scale nowadays no matter how tiny it is.

Or do they still employ hand-sculpted parts? Then those sculptors must be some of the best skilled hands. How do they come up with, say, a detailed cockpit control panel? My son says they just sculpt them at a bigger size and pull their shrinking ray-gun out.

 

[CustomPropSculptorGuy]

both

 

[purgedsoul]

Someone should correct me on this (I'm no expert); but IMHO, it is hand sculpted traditionally under a lens. At least that's what I did with my custom panel lines.

 

[b26354]

In the old days they would have used a pantograph mill to machine the steel dies directly for complex shapes. Basically... larger wooden master pattern is mechanically reduced through a pantograph mechanism by tracing a stylus over it which machines out a negative mould. The first injection moulded kits came out in the 50's and this was painstaking and highly skilled work.

Nowadays the dies are machined via CNC or EDM from CAD files

Electrical discharge machining - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[division 6]

There are a series of videos being made at Fine Molds showing the whole process starting with computer mock ups then having the molds machined.
I've only seen part one showing the computer work.

 

[JPolacchi]

Advanced CAD,/CAM software,CNC technology and EDM.There is almsot nothing that can't be made with injection molds these days.Patigraphs are "old" technology by todays standards.I only know of one shop in Oregon that still used one, but maybe now no longer?They make model trains.