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van
has been making models of trucks since childhood. Then, as now, the
roads of Brazil were filled with many Scania trucks: L75, L111 and LK140
models. Even though
there were other brands of trucks, the Scanias were the most noticeable
because they were the most imposing and also because of the unique
orange colour. “Scania began with the light grey colour
in Brazil, and then turned to blue, and by the 1980s they were painted
in orange,” he says.
“That is what I associate with Scania
from my childhood and teenage years, plus the sounds of the engine and
the air brakes.
Those Scania trucks smelled of torque and I had to have a model of one.
“To make the models was also a
challenge. I always tried to make the cabs from old cooking oil cans.
The panels were attached with thin wire from the chicken wire of the
henhouse. Today, I solder the panels with the same soldering wire that
is used in electronics.
“It is difficult to say how much time I |
Truck model maker
Ivan Gouveia is based in Brazil and has
devoted thousands of hours making models
of Scania trucks.
spent on each model because sometimes I
make several of the same parts for about five to ten trucks. But
generally it takes about two weeks per unit.
“Now I sell most of them, and there are
times when I have none in stock. Demand from people outside Brazil is
high and some people are happy to wait even for four months to have one
model because I have to schedule the building of the model. Depending on
the amount of detailing, a model can cost from about US$500, with more
customising the price goes up.
“I like the classic models |
most, and I plan to make many models of
this kind. I have an unfinished L85 that is an imposing truck that has
an in-line 8-cylinder engine. I am also interested in making vintage
models like the ones from the beginning of the last century.
Today, making these model trucks is a
way to recapture some of my lost childhood – I had to start working too
early – and it is a therapy also. The model making is also an important
part of my income and I hope it will sustain me in later years also.
“I have worked as a teacher, an
electronics technician and then a computer programmer, but I like
spending time with scale modelling the best.
Through my website where
I post not
only the pictures of the model trucks but also how they are made, I have
made many friends all around the world,” he says.
Follow Ivan on Facebook
here: https://
pt-pt.facebook.com/people/Ivan-Gouveia-
Oficinaaberta/100009658293638 |
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