A world in miniature

As one of the first residents to move into Summerset Blenheim, Kevin Doherty has a front-row seat to the building action of Summerset Blenheim’s village centre. For Kevin, though, the real action is taking place a few metres away in his garage. Step inside and you will find a construction world in miniature.

There is asphalt being laid, bridges under construction, logging trucks filled with timber and foundations being poured . Every piece is carefully built and thoughtfully placed, and often can move like the real thing. “I like to show what the machines actually do,” says Kevin. “You want to see it working, not just sitting there.”

Kevin’s fascination with machinery and model collection started as a young boy. Growing up on a dairy farm in Hawke’s Bay, he was given a Fordson Major tractor for his ninth birthday, a gift that he still has in his collection today. “That was the start of it, and I have been collecting ever since.”

Kevin’s working life followed a similar path. A builder by trade, he spent 27 years with Lockwood Homes and worked on construction projects across the region, including a major build at a local prison. “There is not a corner of Hawke’s Bay I haven’t built a house on,” Kevin laughs.

This detailed knowledge is transferred into his models. The way a foundation is laid, the sequence of a building demolition, how a piece of machinery operates – Kevin replicates it in a 1:50 scale. Kevin’s goal with his dioramas is to educate the viewer in how things work. Residents and construction workers at the village have been invited to have a look. “One of the quantity surveyors came and saw it, and she said it should be mandatory viewing for all the construction staff!”

While many of his pieces have been bought, Kevin rarely leaves them untouched. “You can buy a lot, but it gets expensive, and sometimes its just not quite right.”

So Kevin often adapts a piece or makes it himself. Polystyrene, , brass and steel are his materials of choice, and he cuts, shapes and solders. Items online may provide inspiration, but his materials come from everywhere: hardware shops, hobby stores and the $2 shop. Kevin often scans the ground for items he can use and is inventive with materials, rarely throwing anything away. “The treads on a dumper truck were made from bra elastic!”

One small toy truck from the $2 shop might yield wheels for one project and a cab for another. A recent purchase yielded five different models, including a vehicle recovery truck, a tipper truck and even a mangled car wreck.

One of Kevin’s more ambitious projects -making a logging truck - began as a cab and chassis bought online. He dismantled it into 40 pieces, modified the chassis, repositioned the wheels and built an entirely new trailer from scratch after visiting a real logging company to measure the dimensions for accuracy. Five weeks later, after painting it and putting on logs, it was complete.

According to Kevin, it’s the little details that make it interesting. On a recently completed service truck, Kevin added a tiny moving crane, then went a step further and added gas bottles and a vice to reflect a full-size vehicle. “That’s where the story is, in the details.”

Functionality matters to Kevin too – if something should move, it does. A motorised wheelbarrow he built swivels and tips like the real thing, and he’s currently working on a curtainsider truck where the curtains open to display a forklift in mid-delivery. “It’s disappointing to buy something that looks great but nothing works,” he says.

Model making is not for the impatient. “Nothing happens in a hurry,” he says. I might glue something or paint something and then have to wait a day and a half for it to dry or set.”

Working with brass can be a cause for frustration too. “Heat travels quickly, and if I solder a piece and then move too fast to the next before its cools, the first piece can fall off! It can take hours, so you need patience and a steady hand. Fortunately, I have both!”

Many of the tools Kevin uses were inherited from his grandfather, a cabinet maker. “There’s a whole wall of his tools that I use for precision work, although I most often use a knife, ruler and file.”

Kevin’s collection of scenes is around 500 pieces, with his garage entirely given over to it. Kevin and his wife moved to the South Island to be closer to their son, and there was no downsizing when he moved to Summerset Blenheim, although packing it up to move took 36 hours. “I was not getting rid of any of it. I squeezed it in and the car lives outside on the drive!”

New ideas come constantly, with inspiration coming from something he has seen online, in real life or from other members of the Nelson Marlborough Truck Modellers Club. Kevin has recently been experimenting with making his own water transfer decals for vehicle logos, using photos and his computer to recreate them in miniature. “I would love to play around with a 3D printer, but hands-on does the job for me.”

With some of the models now 25 years old, Kevin pulls them apart and rebuilds them with upgrades.

“Machinery has evolved, so I refine my models. Projects get started then put aside for later. It is never going to be finished; there will always be more to add!”

This is an article from the Winter 2026 edition of Summerset Scene magazine

Click here to read the full issue