Kallon Rawlings, an alumnus of AUB’s BA (Hons) Modelmaking degree, works as a modelmaker and technical support specialist at the Bristol-based Amalgam Collection. The company crafts museum-grade, bespoke replicas for elite automotive brands, racing teams, and designers such as Gordon Murray and Horacio Pagani.
A four-page feature in BBC Top Gear highlights how Rawlings’s time at AUB equipped him with the necessary skills for top-tier craftsmanship, combining traditional hand techniques with modern digital fabrication. He noted that the course taught classic methods like woodworking, metalworking, and clay sculpting, alongside digital processes such as 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, and CAD.
Working on exclusive models ranging from 1:18 to 1:5 scale, including replicas of the McLaren W1, Ferrari 499P, and historic Le Mans racers, Rawlings and his team use authentic materials like Connolly leather, Alcantara, cast metal, and rubber. The intricate work, which can involve hand-weathering models with race scars, sees individual commissions starting at £25,000 and reaching six figures for larger pieces.
“"We’re all absolutely delighted to see Kallon getting the recognition he deserves. Right from his time with us at AUB, he showed an incredible eye for detail, real passion for engineering, and a total dedication to his craft. To see him now taking those skills to the absolute peak of the industry – creating intricate, world-class pieces for legendary automotive names – is wonderful, though not at all surprising to those of us who taught him. He’s a brilliant talent and a fantastic inspiration to our current students."
