Down to the smallest detail - The creation of a Schuco model

So accurate you can't tell the difference: the new 1:43 Schuco model BMW 5 GT.

For collectors, the historic models by luxury model car maker Schuco are the top of the range. The precision and quality of these vintage cars are unsurpassed. But the miniature car makers also produce the very latest vehicles. They'll have done months of work behind the scenes even before the original bursts on the world – at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, for example. One such secret has just been revealed: the BMW 5 GT, Fürth version.

Nowadays, as soon as a car manufacturer has settled on a new model, the call for tenders goes out to miniature model makers. The small edition has to be in the shops at least by the time the new automobile hits the showrooms. The delivery date often coincides with a big international motor show. So in this case: the Sixty-Third International Motor Show in September in Frankfurt am Main. The new BMW officially came onto the market just two months later.  

In summer 2008 Schuco's Senior Product Manager, Michael Baumgärtner, received yet another secrecy agreement from BMW AG. Strict confidentiality is the normal state of affairs for people who work for Schuco. The head of department had to sign and return the confidentiality agreement before he could even access the tender documents via a locked online portal. The access code is sent by phone or e-mail. 

Strictly confidential
Undercover agent Baumgärtner prepared the costings for several thousand model cars. A big international concern like BMW never calls for tenders from more than two or three trusted partners. Price, quality and brand reputation will decide who wins and who loses. The decisionmaking process took nearly two months. Baumgärtner was proud to hear that Schuco had won. "Just a few years ago we had no presence in the new car market," he admits. But thanks to the hard work of Baumgärtner, his team, and Schuco's Far Eastern manufacturing partner over the last three years, this traditional model-maker – which has sold over 100 million models worldwide – is now a favorite with big modern automobile manufacturers as well. Schuco regularly conjures up miniature marvels not only for BMW but also for all the other German car makers. 

The devil's in the detail
After winning the order on 1 September 2008, Schuco soon obtained the original CAD (computer aided design) specifications. It meant yet another password: security level red. Next step: a detailed analysis of the new-look BMW 5 GT (Gran Turismo) Coupé by BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk. This was exciting because there had never been an automobile design quite like this one, blending the BMW 7 limousine with the X6 introduced in 2008.

"It's important that you don't just look at the key figures: you've got to engage with the underlying philosophy," says Baumgärtner, describing their minute analysis of the specifications. One thing about BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke) really appealed: "BMW is the only manufacturer that still demands a hood that really opens." Because the engine is visible, it has to be made and built in, which is quite a challenge in the model car business. "It's a chance to display our know-how and superior quality," says this master of the mini-limousine. It also determined the decision to go for the 1:43 model size. "At that level we can showcase all our skills: only zinc die casting does full justice to our precision," he adds, summing up Schuco's successful new-car strategy. 

Every millimeter counts
As soon as the data analysis is complete, the CAD data are re-checked by measuring against the original at the BMW works in Munich. It takes three hours. Every minute detail, every molding, every alignment, every line in the headlamps is noted on the blueprint and photographed. 

The package of photos, sketches measurements, and rules is then rushed off to the development team in Dongguan, south China. For over twenty years, Schuco has been working together with King's Favour and its 800 employees, who have fully embraced the Schuco philosophy.  

The prototype, made of flexible epoxy resin, which is easily corrected

The designers and engineers take six to eight weeks to produce the prototype – a model made of epoxy resin. It's twice as big as the eventual model, making the details easier to see. The prototype was air-mailed to Schuco's headquarters in Fürth and shortly afterwards shown to the customer. Then BMW sprang its big surprise, a tiny extra highlight for the customers' delight: the model had to have the panoramic glass roof which counts as special equipment on the original. Phew! A gasp from the Schuco team. But there's still time. "It's easy to make changes at prototype stage, because the casting mold has not yet been finalized," explains Baumgärtner."These last-minute changes are an additional challenge, of course, but our Schuco specialists can cope."  

Finishing touches
With the prototype on show the finishing touches are discussed: Where is chromium needed? Where would it be best to use stamp printing, i.e. color rather than engraving? Spacings, for example, are often engraved, because real openings look too big on the model and spoil the overall impression. After the last big decisions have been made about the little car, the prototype is flown back to the Chinese manufacturer, which prepares the steel molds for the bodywork. This can take another ten to twelve weeks. The first models are exclusively for BMW: either sapphire black, with beige interior, or damask red with black interior. Schuco can subsequently produce other original colors for the specialist retail sector. 

The first tiny beauty
At last, in July the first four models from the Chinese designer are ready for the final inspection. While the Schuco experts perform the absolute final check, back in China the mold is all ready and waiting to be fired. Tiny corrections are still possible at this "soft" stage. You have to be careful with test injections to ensure there are no slippages to the most delicate of edges or to a millimeter of engraving. The mold will not be fired until the customer has given the final go-ahead. This happened at the end of July. Including waiting time, the Schuco team had been working on the project for almost a year.   

Something special about Schuco, and about the new BMW miniature, the underbody is fully formed. This high level of detail is unique to the market. "Best of all, our cars roll really well, which is more than you can say about many models on the market. Furthermore, the Schuco experts have endowed them with their own headlamps and tail lights – split, just like the full-sized version, and the interior is protected by a glass cover. On earlier models the lights were just pinned in. 

Unique to the smallest detail
The interior detail is unusually authentic too. If you peek through the two fingers-wide windshield, or the side windows, you can see safety belts, contoured upholstery and the map on the tiny navigation system. You need sharp eyes, of course. "We always set out consciously to go that bit further than our competitors," explains Baumgärtner.  

When the full delivery arrives, in blank cardboard boxes with Chinese characters, happy smiles flit over the faces of the six-man Schuco team. The little newcomer is a tiny work of art: a one-off, but many of them, you might say. But work on next year's BMW 5 GT limousine and tourer is already well advanced, and that goes for the models as well as the originals. These models too will be very, very small. And beautiful. 

Latest models on show: other new cars for which Schuco has made a 1:43 model. Clockwise from top left: Audi TT RS Coupé, VW Golf VI GTI, Audi TT RS Roadster Coupé, Porsche Cayman S, Audi R8 V 10, and Mercedes Benz E-Class C 207.