Model making

The model-making workshop of the Deutsches Museum is one of the largest workshops in the Deutsches Museum. Its task is the construction and restoration of models and dioramas. While the sculptors are responsible for the artistic design of the models, the model makers produce the technical and mechanical details.

It is important that the models are built as solidly and robustly as possible so that they last as long as possible. The most common materials are wood, brass and very strong hard foam, which is heavier than wood. However, other materials are also used, often selected after various tests, to reflect the individual character of certain details. For example, branch material is used to reproduce a wooden structure on a small scale or tiny pieces of cork board are used to reproduce the structure of brick walls.

The aim is to approximate the original object as authentically as possible. Ideally, the museum is in possession of such an object, but in many cases the workshops use photos and drawings as models, which are then used to create the model in close consultation with the curatorial teams, sometimes by way of a preliminary model.