MR Collection Models is located in Gerenzano, a small Italian town just in the middle
between Como and Milan, a typical region where there are small companies and craft trades people. This 20-year-old Italian factory stands at the edge of the town, on the brand new industrial estate and it employs around 30 people on the production of various exclusive model cars in scale 1:43 and in scale 1:18.
Friends and fans of MR Collection praise its distinguished products as the
“Patek Philippe watches of the model car industry”.
Enthusiasts from Japan, China and USA make the pilgrimage to Gerenzano simply
to visit this “holy grail” of the model car.
The key characteristic of MR Collection is that it is often entrusted with a
car manufacturer’s ultimate secrets – precise details of the new models six months
or more before it is announced, so that the original car and its scale reproduction
will see the light of day at the same time.
At first glance MR Collection production process may not seem
particularly complicated, but in order to produce such precious and realistic
scale models three main things are needed.
First, the computer data of the original vehicle. As a matter of the fact,
the “mathematics”, as MR Collection describes the three dimensional reality of
an automobile, are scaled down to miniature format by the computer. A clay model
is built up, just as with a full- size car and the production moulds are made from it.
Second, a very careful eye for detail, since merely scaling down all the
measurements in proportion would make the models look clumsy and fail to convey
the deceptively and authentic impression typical of MR Collection Models.
Third, years of experience and accumulated know-how. Precisely, as well as
a thousand ingenious technical tricks and artful dodges, the experience
represented by skilled hands is essential in order to capture the
unparalleled authenticity and precision of each MR model. For this reason,
the company spares no effort, and brings in specialists from near and far, who work
in clinically sterile and absolutely dust-free production areas. So, only few artists
with the spray gun master the painting of MR Collection models and the
principal models painter is the most skilled employee of a highly reputable restorer
of historic vehicles. Every day he travels from Tessin in Switzerland to wield the
spray gun and give MR Collection models their unrivalled paint finish with 5 coats
of paint .
MR Collection is a cult name among model car fans: its customers snap up each
new miniature car like the work of one of the great court jewellers of the past.
Our president realised that he had tapped into a promising market for the future.
He now qualifies him-self as a “self-made man” and has opened additional
production plants as well as the one in Northern Italy. He was the first
Italian businessman to recognize the potential of the Asian markets and
he established a subsidiary company in China some time ago.
MR Collection business is flourishing and the premises are large enough for
further growth.
Now , MR Collection is official licenser and cooperate directly with the
most prestigious automotive companies : Ferrari ; Lamborghini , Alfa Romeo ,
Audi , Volkswagen , Bentley , Bugatti and Porsche .
Besides , MR Collection and its team work as technical consulter of Mattel –
‘ Elite ‘ line and Special Edition – and develop some projects together with Kyosho .
Principal steps of our production-line:
We start the project designing and making the prototype , which is the base
for getting the shape and the proportions of the car in the most perfect way .
Using the prototype we produce the silicon rubber moulds useful to get the bodies
in polyester resin .
The various components of the models are over than 100 pieces : particulars
getting with photo-etching and turned parts made in white metal and decals .
However to get such a great result , as we get with our models , the most
important factor is the great experience of our expert crafts-men . The car
windows are reproduced in very fine acetate of 0.1 mm thickness giving
an incomparable realism . All the details , both inside and outside the car ,
are attached with different kind of glue which are absolutely transparent.