Karl AKA Stroget is an active curator at HobbyDB of many of the 1/43 model car brands. He has been adding model cars to the DB since 2014; some of his favorites are Alfa Romeo and obsolete Tekno from Denmark!
Omar Alvarez is one of the most talented and well-known model car artisans in Argentina. However, not many people can see his models on their shelves because he makes them only for his own collection.
Omar started in 2003 and his main passion became armoured military vehicles in 1:35 which were available as kits. Since that time he has assembled several hundred tanks, armoured cars, military trucks and other machines produced by different brands such as Italeri and ICM. His main focus is WW2, Argentinian army tanks, and the Falklands 1982.
Omar achieved great skill in building and painting kits. He also noticed that not all versions of certain tanks were produced as kits. So he started not only assembling and painting but also modifying kits and adding new details.
Also Omar has created new models using different techniques. For instance, the Vickers 1934, the first tank in the Argentinian army, was made in plastic and resin, almost entirely scratch-built; the Nahuel DL 43, designed during WW2, in resin; the TAM of 70s – 80s in 3D printing, and the Kurassier in vacuforming. These are just a few of the military models created by Omar.
Another passion of Omar Alvarez started in 2017. He began to collect 1:43 models mainly of Argentinian street and racing cars. Being a great fan of motorsport, he made a decision to reproduce cars of the drivers who weren’t represented in the DeAgostini racing partwork. As you know from previous articles, Turismo Carretera is the oldest current racing championship on the planet, started in 1937.
Omar was very fascinated by racing cars such as Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge with coupe bodies, though he focused on the period from 1937 till the end of the 60s. He still makes miniatures from that time by modifying standard diecast cars and adding new resin details such wings, air intakes and other aerodynamic elements.
One of his most ambitious and interesting projects is the creation of 44 cars which finished the 1948 Buenos Aires – Caracas race. We have talked about this great race in the article about the 380W workshop by Gustavo Ambrosio, so you know some facts about it.
As with his 1930- 60s TC models, Omar uses standard models as a base and modifies them with a high level of skill. To make them exact replicas of the 1948 Buenos Aires – Caracas cars, he spent much time studying historical material, designing and producing additional parts, painting, and making special decals.
His models show the dirt from racing which makes them even closer to the real prototypes. Moreover, every car is represented in a diorama reproducing scenes of this great race.
By now, Omar had made many models of the 1948 Buenos Aires – Caracas race; he continues his work and expects to finish this project. We wish him all the best in his hobbies and hope to see new scratch-built miniatures in the future.
I’d like to thank Gustavo Lopez for getting me in contact with Omar and Fernando Rey for collaborating on this series of articles on Argentinian model cars.
Enter your email address if you like to receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address
Subscribe
hobbyDB is a participant in Amazon, eBay, Entertainment Earth, LEGO, and other affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.
We also occasionally accept consideration from Brands, Service Providers, or Retailers (which is then clearly marked as Sponsored Content) all editorial opinions are our own.