KOCHI: It is the dream of every vehicle lover to have a superbike or a sports car in their garage, If you are an automobile fanatic, and if the thought of having your favourite cars in any size excites you, visit the Facebook group ‘miniature crafters’. A paradise for gear heads, this platform offers miniature models of cars, buses, scooters and trucks.
‘Miniature crafters’ started four years ago, with six talented artists. Today, there are about 8,000 members who use this group to share their talents and to window shop or buy mini vehicles. The makers use the same blueprint as that of the original one to give full originality to the miniatures.
“In 2006, I noticed few youngsters making miniature automobiles at an exhibition and I decided to start a group to share the thoughts of like-minded people about this,” said Renjith Thomas, admin of the group and a software engineer from Thrissur. “The group members don’t have any training, and most of them are there to nurture their inborn talent and pure passion. This group helps them understand what gear heads like, and make changes and corrections that the models need,” he said.
The group members are from different parts of the state and belong to all categories—students and high profile techies, and other working professionals. The only factor that unites these people is their love for art. They find time in between their jobs and studies to explore this eclectic hobby.
“We use multiwood and forex sheets to make the models and then paint over with enamel paint. This is a very expensive hobby, but our families support the fact that we follow our passion. Initially, we used to use cardboard sheets and Polystyrene to make the designs. After we joined the group, we got more information and ideas about the blueprints of different vehicles and materials we should use,” said the youngest member of the group Aaron Eapen.
So far, the miniature crafters from this group have organised exhibitions in Kottayam, Thrissur and Ernakulam. They also put up a stall at the Kochi Design Week, which was held in the city recently. “These exhibitions provide the artists with a platform to showcase their talent and meet people from other creative fields,” said Aaron.