The story of Tony Ray and model career was included by AUFWIND

Tony Ray Innovative wooden construction kits from China

Replicas of popular glider types from the 1930s in handy sizes are the speciality of the young exceptional model builder Tony Ray. Philipp Gardemin spoke with him.

Tony Ray was born in July 1998 in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. He began his modelling career at the age of 12. ,Building a model and successfully getting it into the air gave me a great sense of fulfilment and satisfaction even back then," he reports looking back. Today, he sees the fact that he is much more enthusiastic about designing and building models than about flying itself as the cornerstone of his career as a designer and manufacturer. ,,Many modellers have their own ideas and are not satisfied with the products on the market. They have their own designs, be it simple hand-drawn sketches or complete computer-aided designs," Tony Ray reports about his motivation to construct his own kits.In early 2017, a small model-making factory in Sichuan province contacted Tony Ray after the company owner discovered him within the regional model flying group. From then on, they produced his designs together, which are still supplied by the manufacturer today, mainly via the Banggood online platform. In 2019, Tony founded his own company, Tony Ray Aero Model. This was then also the official start of his full- time career as a model builder. At that time, he was actively supported by Sebastian Hansen in Münster, who set up parts of the distribution for the German- speaking market.

Today, gliders from the 1930s to 1950s are the focus of Tony Ray's designs. His models are known for their attention to detail and the filigree finish of the components. _Every single part should be cut out as much as possible so that the model skeleton looks complex and true to the prototype," Tony Ray explains and underlines: ,The number of wing ribs, for example, should also be as close as possible to the prototype. Sensibly designed slot and tenon joints make the superstructure light and stable as a result." He therefore invests many hours in working out the designs and sometimes builds several prototypes until everything fits to his satisfaction. To this day, Tony Ray is responsible for all the designs and also organises the production processes for each model. He constantly keeps an eye on how he can add more details and at the same time keep the weight of the models low.

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The company itself is located in a three-storey building in a suburb. On the first floor is the production department, on the second floor is the design office and Tony's own model workshop, and on the third floor is the warehouse. The young entrepreneur sources the balsa wood for the models from Papua New Guinea. Together with my father, he sorts out the boards from each delivery manually and divides them according to their density. Production takes place with two large laser cutting machines and three thermoforming machines as well as numerous other devices. Tony's father operates the laser machines with another employee. His mother is responsible for packing the kits. Tony enthuses: _My mother is a meticulous woman. She can even remember the type and amount of screws needed for each model."

With the small family business model, the family has been very successful so far and has also survived the economic crisis of the Corona pandemic. I will continue to devote myself enthusiastically to the development of new products so that modellers worldwide can enjoy my kits and enjoy the combination of modern laser cutting technology and modern design," Tony Ray sums up. His models are available through German importers, including Pichler Modellbau in particular, throughout Europe and additionally in Great Britain, Finland and the USA.