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Fine Art Models was founded by Gary Kohs, a marketing consultant, as a retirement project back in 1989 with a single premise: to produce the finest scale models in the world.  His philosophy was simple, a steadfast commitment to excellence.  As a direct result, their models are equal to and, in most cases, exceed the standards of models found in museums today.  

The level of accuracy in each of their models is achieved through painstaking research, using only original plans when at all possible, meaning every piece on every model has reference to support it.  And they continue to push the frontiers of technology.  By using progressive lasers, complex photo etching, and cutting edge aerospace materials, they are able to take detail to a level never before seen.  It is this detail that distinguishes their models from all others.  In addition, they continuously limit their model productions in an effort to learn from the past and build for tomorrow. They live every day believing that the next model must be better than the last.  Because of this, they are forever raising the standard of this rapidly vanishing art form.

The Development Process…
Their typical development process, from project launch to pilot model, takes an average of eighteen (18) and twenty-four (24) months (sometimes longer).  And, not surprisingly, the most significant amount of this time is spent on research and design - identifying potential resources and gaining access to engineering drawings and photographs, often an exhausting process with no advance assurance of success.  While they do everything they can to collect and assemble all known reference before they begin the design phase, inevitably they miss various pieces of the puzzle.  Yet, they refuse to move forward with “fantasy” reference (they have been known to put a model on hold up to five years, in the middle of the design phase, until they were able to find the appropriate reference), because no matter how small the part may be, one “fantasy” reference is equivalent to a “fantasy” model.

Upon completion of the design phase, they move into the tooling stage (whether it be master parts for lost wax casting or laser tooling for cutting precise parts beyond the capability of the human hand).  As these parts are created, the pilot model is assembled.  Once the pilot model is completed, they test and make all necessary corrections. When all testing and corrections have been made, they insert the model into their production schedule  (usually decided upon two years in advance).

Building in Scale…
Models are built in all different sizes depending on the purpose of the model.  And while there are often “preferred” scales for high-end, collectible scale models, Fine Art Models’ objective is to build in a scale that allows them to model with no compromises.  At the end of the build process, there should be no difference between the full size object and the completed scale model. 


Trains - Our trains are built in 1:32 (or 3/8 inch = 1 foot), commonly referred to as Standard Gauge or Gauge 1. This scale dates back to the 1870’s when German company Bing began making model trains, and has become the premiere scale for collectible trains. We prefer to build in this scale as we feel it is the smallest scale possible that allows every detail to be modeled without compromise.

Ships - The British originally defined the scale of ship models back in 17th Century (with the British scale calculated in inches and continental Europe using the metric system).  Ships reaching 400 feet in length and longer often result in a scale model of 1:192 or 1/16 inch : 1 foot (with the Continental scale being 1:200).  Ships reaching 100 – 400 feet in length are usually modeled in a scale of 1:96 - 1/8 inch : 1 foot (with the continental scale being 1:100). Ships shorter than 100 feet in length are modeled in many different scales, with 1:48 (1/4 inch : 1 foot) being the most popular.  Small boats, such as their Concordia Sloop Boat, are modeled in a scale of 1”:1’ (one inch : one foot).  As a result of this scale, they often end up with is a model that has all moveable, working parts (when working in wood, they find this to be the most satisfying scale of all).

Automobiles/Military - Because the vast majority of automobiles and many military vehicles are relatively the same size, high quality automobile models are typically built in a 1:8 scale.   They feel this is, without a doubt, the smallest scale a typical automobile can be modeled in without sacrificing detail (a world-class car modeler once told Fine Art Models that they had modeled in 1:10 scale to avoid putting all of the detail into the model, and they have never forgotten this).  While Fine Art Models have, on occasion, modeled in 1:5 scale, the only advantage to this scale is the visual appeal, they do not have any additional detail than any of their world-class 1:8 scale models.

Aircraft - Aircraft do not have firmly established hobby scales, however you will find most high-quality models built in a 1:16 scale.   Fine Art Models made a decision to build all of their aircraft models in 1:15 scale.  Their decision came about during the build of their first aircraft model, the Nieuport 11.  Since they were building an exact replica, they found that the average human finger could not operate the surface controls on a 1:16 scale model but could operate them on a 1:15 scale model.  While the variance between 1:16 and 1:15 scales seems miniscule on the surface, the differences are tremendous.