Ace models history

 My name is Tony Hanna and a lot of people might know me. I have been in the model hobby for about 50 years and have seen some incredible booms and busts. I started as a kid in the mid 50's collecting matchbox 1/75 with the odd Corgi and Dinky given as presents at Birthdays and Christmas. In 1960 I came across AMT kits in a Hot Rod magazine advert, I just had to get some. By the end of that year they had arrived in Australia and I bought my first Kit and started building, during the 60's i did lots of kits and conversions. By the 70's I was then entrenched in real cars playing with my one owner FJ holden panel van, which I still own today. After 2 rebuilds I put the car aside in my garge to restore a big Victorian terrace house in Sydney! But to relax from my advertising artist job i went back to models about 1980, first just collecting but as always had to start building again,  but this time I dedicated my collection to strictly 1/43 or close to it. I collected old Dinky and Corgis, Matchbox Yesteryears until I realised that the latter was just Label collecting. The same old cars over and over again in different colours and labels. They had to go! I started looking world wide for model and I started buying kits from the UK but most were totally from the Continent. I built well over 2000 kits, mainly for a prominent Model shop and various people. It was a way of paying for my hobby. I became redundant in the Advertising field, so turned my self to total model work. I  have worked for Trax models for almost 20 years, only just finishing with them, made redundant again! latest on this I am back with them now!

As i am only part time for Trax  and freelance i could also do my own thing, so in 2000 i made my first full production model under Modelcraft Miniatures, the concept VT Commodore Coupe, they were totally hand made here is Australia but with the costs of all the materials so high, they were not competitive with diecast prices, they were a great seller until it was made in cheaper diecast. I then made a few FJ Station wagons off the real car based in Melbourne. Then Trax decided to make this car and put stop to my sales, being not quite correct but under half the price. I did make some BMW 2002 wagons and cabriolets but were not right for this country as most were now going for total Aussie cars and larger scale. I then made the Captain Nitrous for the owner and best friend, Bob Hamilton and also one of my favourite racing cars the Laurie Stewart Broadspeed Mini, we still have some left and they were made under my new Revolution name. After this I also worked with John Pisani from Armco Models, making the masters for his Bob Jane Camaro, Kevin Bartlett Channel 9 Camaro and the production of the white GTR-X concept Torana. I had to make my next project The Hurricane Concept, then one of my favourite HSV cars the VT one and two. I also thought it would be good to make the later Silver Torana GTR-X but while doing it, we decided to make a small run of the original white car also. I have been selling models for about 15 years and making for 13 years.  I sell mainly at swap meetings and car shows, that way I keep in touch with the public. It is time I built up this site to let people know what stock I have on hand! Lots of Obsolete and hard to get models, mainly in 1/43 scale. I will have here very shortly my Buckle Mini Monaco coupe in two colours, made from the two known surviving cars, a post 65 model black car with gold stripes with small number plate boot lid and the red early model car with silver stripes and large number plated boot lid, these are bot quite different cars, not just two different colours.    Also coming will be the 1959 Ford failane, Australian build, which is quite rare compared to the same bodied 60-61 model. Also coming is a new revised Hurricane in the restored metallic orange/yellow and a couple of months after that will be a great surprise an Iconic Aussie car that will be a favourite with most.  Coming in early August 2014 will be the New Avengers ( populat TV show in the 80s) John Steed's Broadspeed XJC Jaguar coupe and the HDT VH Group 3 Commodore in both colours of red and white, limited to 300 of each!  Coming maybe in Sptember will be The Goggomobile Dart by Bill Buckle in an array of colours. limited to 500, then followed by Norm Beechey's Chevy Nova and Jim Mckeown's Mk11 Lotus Cortina, in Neptune, and both shell liveries and a whole lot more surprises on the way. The journey continues! stay Tuned for the Future