Mark and the Matrix!
An in-depth story of one man who merged business and hobby into one successful and satisfying life, by David Wright.
Mark Asbreuk has been involved in the model car field for over 30 years in sales, marketing and product development. It all started with plastic kits as a child, progressing to white metal and a Ford Escort Mk 2 from Grand Prix Models at the age of 12.
During college studies, he sold model cars parttime in a shop in the Netherlands. This progressed to full-time, and the creation of 1/18 scale Austin Healey models with a friend for sale. After a firework disaster next to his workshop, he joined an on-line retailer in Germany, where he learnt much from the many enthusiastic customers and the online trade.
In 2006 Mark was asked to set up a new brand within Replicars BV., a well-established Dutch company. Through a process of evolution, this became NEO Scale Models. While working with Jaap van Dijk, Replicars BV grew this range considerably. The increasing interest in using resin as the base material for model cars meant exploring China as the manufacturing centre for NEO, and three main factories were used.
At the end of 2006, the manager of one of these factories established premises solely for the manufacture of NEO Scale Models. At this point, Mark and Jaap were already appreciating the level of quality achievable from the Chinese workforce.
Six years later, in 2012, Jaap decided to sell Replicars BV, and thus NEO Scale Models, in order to focus on the cars they particularly wanted to make, to a higher level of detail and quality. With much personal investment in the factory to purchase machines for casting, tampo printing, painting, and accommodation for workers, this was a big gamble. As Matrix Scale Models, the pair have continued to be customers for this factory, using about half of its capacity. The factory employs about 150 highlyskilled engineers and workers.
As Matrix Scale Models began to grow, Mark and Jaap have faced a range of challenges. Changes in the weather in Southern China, with humidity up to 90%, can affect the painting environment, and adjustments need to be made throughout the year. From time to time, changes in parts, paint and glue suppliers have been needed, and government regulations can also influence the way production
Their product range is now considerable, and with many models being sold out quickly, the emphasis on project development to bring new models to market is also continuous.
is run. Their product range is now considerable, and with many models being sold out quickly, the emphasis on project development to bring new models to market is also continuous.
There is no doubt that Mark’s and Jaap’s models have achieved a respected position with collectors, so we should now take a look at how they are made.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
When a new idea or proposal comes to Mark, he will first collect many photographs, together with the external dimensions of the real vehicle. After checking with Jaap, he passes the project to his colleagues in the Chinese factory, which is based in the Hengli Town, Dongguan, in the Guangdong Province of China, inland from Hong Kong. This will either be by email, or by regular visits to the factory - Mark prefers the latter. On these visits, Mark discusses every project in detail, from early development through all of the production stages, the materials to be used for parts, and the versions to be made – open, closed etc.
The first step is the shaping of a solid hard pattern, similar to the clay ‘buck’ that is created for real cars. In most cases for both 1/43 and 1/18 scale models, the new model is sculpted from a form of soapstone, which is very soft to cut and saw. It is also supplied in powder form and then mixed with water. If the shape needs altering, then it is easy to add more material if necessary.
It normally takes up to 10 working days before Mark can approve the outside shape, but some cars will take much longer. For 1/18 scale, it’s the same procedure, but only one side is finished and detailed. After approval, the model will be 3D-scanned and the other side will be created. Also, the large block will be replaced by the drawing and most of the additional details will be drawn for 3D printing. For 1/43 it is quicker, and therefore cheaper, to make the changes by hand. In many cases, the 1/18 model is developed first and the 1/43 version is produced once the drawings have been finalised. Once the soapstone hard pattern is approved, the body is copied in resin by making a latex mould in two parts.
Besides resin and plastics - such as ABS, PVC synthetic polymers, and GP (a naturally occurring resin) - many parts are created through the photoetching process. This provides a high degree of accuracy in the tiniest parts. The first prototype, created in resin, may need modifications at this stage.
After the approved body has then been cast, the hard pattern will be discarded and all the separate parts will be shaped by hand. After approval, these chrome-plated parts will be redesigned by CAD (Computer Aided Design) to enable a tool made to accept ABS/PVC injection. Overall, an average model car will contain no less than 100-170 different parts. The basic structure and process is the same with 1/43, 1/18, and even 1/12, but the larger scale models are made more detailed, and will have a steering function, and more detailed interiors.
After all parts are ready for assembly on the prototype, a colour sample is prepared. The colour, or deco, sample will almost certainly need some modifications before the next stage approval. Photoetchings, decals and sometimes the wheels will need adjustments. Sometime the body colour needs to be altered, as not every real car colour can be translated into 1/43 or 1/18 scale.
Once the prototype and deco-samples are finally approved, production can be set up. First the moulds are constructed for production. Rubber moulds will also be made for casting the resin parts. The main body tubs are cleaned up after casting, filed and sanded. For one production run of 300-350 models, usually six or seven moulds are needed.
After about 50 castings, that mould becomes worn, and so another is used to make the next batch. This particular car, a Cord L-29, even has separately applied leaf springs. Boxes are constructed to make the moulds for the production run, and then the raw castings can be made.
At last, it is painting time! All individual parts are prepared for painting. In most models, the chassis is made in resin too. Three different colours can be achieved by a combination of mask-spraying and handpainting.
To achieve an accurate representation of the interior of the cars, the carpeted area needs spraying too, especially with all open cars. The open cars will receive carpets by flocking or real fabric. Assembly is now well under way.
The detail achieved by Matrix in many of its models is impressive - for instance, a car’s dashboard is often made of resin, with photo-eched panels inserted. Decals and handpainting are still to be follow. Wheels and tyres are individual to each model, and may have different spoke patterns, or chrome embellishers.
Assembly of the wheels and tyres is all done by hand, including PVC, ABS, photo-etching and tampo printing. Accuracy is important - the spokes have the same angle as the real car! I required, the tyres get their white walls by tampo printing. To give the model its accurate pinstripes and lining, the workers use waterslide decals, which as many of us know, can be very challenging to apply accurately.
One of the most important steps in the whole production process is quality control and Mark himself gets involved. Approved models then move on to await packing. Mark speaks very highly of the reliability and attention to detail of the Chinese workers undertaking Matrix contracts. He finds that their quality is equal to that of either Japanese or
Korean workers. He says “They can turn my model dreams into reality”.
He also is convinced that models from his Chinese factory compete well with the equivalent European highly detailed models, and at a lower price. His experience has proved that China and its overall approach to work and quality is excellent, and for him it is no surprise that Europe is too far behind to catch up.
Mark acknowledges that it is important to find the right people to work with European car models, as most Chinese workers have never seen many of these European classic cars on the roads or even in books. While this knowledge may take some years, Mark finds it rewarding to teach the engineers and for them to grow together. It was this that meant Mark had to commit to move partly to China, while he was still working with NEO Scale Models.
After the models are approved, they receive their final clean and are then packed into the well known Matrix Scale Models clear perspex cases, and black and silver designed boxes. The models are then shipped to Europe by plane, for distribution to
Matrix’s trade customers.
It has been really interesting to discover how the working links between Mark and the Chinese factory operates, and it seems this is quite unique to Europe and Asia, in that it is a specific form of joint working. There has to be a Chinese shareholder and management, and Mark acts as the consultant and also principal trade customer.
He likes to visit the factory as often as he can, so it’s very difficult when a pandemic prevents this! Normally he will be monitoring the production and, for both the 1/18 and 1/12 models, he checks all the cars after painting one by one. After final assembly he then checks all the cars one more time before they are finally cleaned and packed.
Matrix Scale Models are one of the brands of company, Inventist Distribution BV, and Jaap and Mark are 50/50 shareholders. They employ just two more people on a part-time basis. They have never sought funds from a bank to set up or run the business, so everything is privately funded.
After having worked with the Chinese factory management for 14 years, Mark has become close friends with the factory owner and his wife. He has seen the owner’s children grow up, and they both spend at least one holiday together every year. The factory owner and his wife have also visited Jaap and Mark in the Netherlands in 2017 for a holiday. Within the factory, Mark works with engineers and factory workers on an equal footing, and he encourages them to comment on his views, ensuring the dialogue is two ways. He has learnt much from them. Once a year there is a huge party organised for the whole factory, to which Mark and his wife Jessie (who occasionally helps with the translation and quality control) are invited as well. The factory owner is studying very hard to improve his English, but Mark has found studying Chinese too hard!
Hopefully, this in depth examination of model car manufacture in China brings home to us all how much thought and precision work goes into every Matrix scale model, and we may look at them through more knowledgeable eyes from now on.