European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is photos by Dave Didio Brandt carefully places a car in the porsche display Case. A sampling of models clockwise from upper right Ferrari 512, porsche 956, bmwm3 and 1975 Corvette. Brandt smooths the fender Well of a Bow Chassis. The finished product sits nearby. Some parts like this wheel spoke Are fit with tweezers but others Brandt shows off his Best car a 1985 Ferrari 156 formula i. The kit Cost $403, and he says the car is Worth about $1345 to a collector require a toothpick and a Dot of  be perfection Page 14 the stars and stripes by Wendy Bourland staff writer erd Brandt loves sleek expensive racing cars. Ferraris jaguars porsche corvettes and bows Lamborghini. Hand painted customized pampered automobiles. The kind of cars most people dream of but never own. Brandt can t own them either so the 49-year-old retired army Supply clerk who lives in Hofheims West Germany began a collection of 1/43 scale race car models five years ago when he saw some on display at an Auto race at Bockenheim. A collector had the cars. We talked Back and Forth and he suggested i build one he said. It was just a coincidence i talked to this  coincidence or not Brandt ended up buying a porsche 917/10 can am kit for $8. It came out pretty Good he said. After that there was no  got better and  the models Are a far cry from the boxy plastic imitations of cars youngsters have bought at local toy stores for decades the average Cost of the Pewter and Lead kits is $35. Brandt s most expensive kit a 1985 Ferrari formula i made by an italian company is one of 500 such kits made and it sold for $403. Brandt bought two. The same company is coming out with a $645 kit that will include brakes and Brandt is already saving his Money. I m itching to have it he said. The 1/43 scale is a favorite of Many Model car enthusiasts both overseas and in the United states. Brandt said thousands of kits and kit makers exist but he prefers race cars to Street cars. They re fun to build he said. The detail varies there s always something  the finished Model fits into the Parn of an adult s hand. A kit consists of several parts. The Chassis and underbody of the car Are Load and pester mixed with a softening Alloy which allows the kit builder to shape and file edges and surfaces. Also included arc tires windows wheels and decals. Brandt does t use Only the materials in the kit. He buys extra tires wire wheels and other Small parts while some collectors paint on Windshield wipers headlights and taillights he prefers to order them. Most of the kits Are very Plain he said Brandt works out of his basement at a workspace that includes a Bench a bin of parts adjustable lights and tools. He uses a second basement room to paint models and dries the cars in a third. In the world of Model cars Worth is based not Only on flawless execution of Assembly but painstaking attention to detail. Reality on wheels even if it s 1/43 the size is what collectors value. Whenever he can Brandt goes into the pit area at Auto races and asks for permission to photograph under the Hood of a car he s building. Most race teams willingly oblige him. He reproduces the colors and wires of the original car in his models. Some of the accessories like the decals Are so Small they can t be handled with tweezers what you have to do is use toothpicks. You put on a Little Dot of glue that s How intricate this thing gets Brandt said. There Aren t too Many people who can do a car like  yet he finds his Hobby very relaxing. When i m Down there i m switched off he said an easygoing Man Brandt occasionally loses his temper while working on a Model. Tiny parts slip from his fingers sometimes forever. And the demanding task of smoothly attaching a headlight or a decal As Small As a capital letter in this newspaper surely would try the patience of a Saint. I cuss in All different languages. Then it works Brandt said laughing. He keeps up on trends in the Model car world by Reading magazines and other publications designed for collectors and also keeps abreast of which cars Are racing where so he can see them. The be mans race in particular fascinates Brandt and he has a collection of books covering the race s history from 1978 to the present. He can t read the books which Are written in French but that does t matter. I just look at the pictures he said. Twice yearly he meets in Aachen with other members of the porsche miniatures club. Brandt s work is nothing Short of amazing. He uses actual automobile paint at least five Coats per car he said. Logo decals and intricate mural scenes Are painstakingly applied. Individual ignition wires Are painted. Photo etched wire wheels Are attached. He buys his own Axle wires. Sometimes the Only difference in two Model cars that seem identical is that one has racing wheels and the other has wheels that were used to train before a race. Brandt figures he can get $1345 for the completed Ferrari formula i  hell keep the other one when it s finished. He said if he took his corvettes to a collector s show they d rip them out of my hands. Germans Are Corvette  he estimates the Worth of his collection at around $13,440. It depends on the Trade and who wants it he said. You have to be a businessman. I want to make a Buck too. I put a lot of work into  Brandt s wife Melitta has her own Hobby dolls. She makes and collects them. They Are displayed around the House As Are his cars. His son Oliver a 26 year old student living at Home does not share his interest in cars preferring basketball. Five years after building that first porsche Brandt is completely dedicated to his Hobby. Some people just want the Model they Don t care if it s plastic he said. Then there Are the freaks. They want Metal something you can hold in your hand you Don t even care How much it  sunday August 28,1988 the stars and stripes Page 15