Big River Models

I scanned in many BHM ads into hobbyDB.  They are nice and colorful.  I never saw these two for sale.  Sorry.

@karl I think that both models are BRM. Perhaps some batches were being assembled until mid 2010s by the orders. I also suspect that several late models had resin bodies and metal baseplates instead of the almost white metal construction.

Big River Models is forgotten page of history and I'll be pleased to learn more about it. Now it's time for making some conclusions about this brand.

Their first white metal model the 1937 Chevrolet Ute was released in 1997 and produced in a collaboration with Milestone Models from Sydney. I found its photo but some images also were in old MAR. Perhaps anybody wants to add any info?

Unfortunately this forum doesn't download google disk images

I know you can't see hobbyDB doe some reason, but I loaded what I know there:

click more:  https://www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/subjects/big-river-models-brand

@karl I sent you several disk photos including 1937 Chevy Ute, 1959 Buckle Sport Coupe and 1997 Holden Commander VT. Will you able to put them into this topic for further discussion?

Three photos from Fred - Hey, Fred, are these your models?  Nice finds!

Thaks for publishing.

There aren't my models. I have no one BRM in collection. A former BRM worker sent them to me because I look for illustrations of the future article. 

There are early models by BRM produced in Australia in the end of 90s. Chevy was made in white metal, Buckle and Holden- in resin. Packaging was designed in Trax style.

In 2000s BRM appealed to the British cars and found new production partner. These models were built in UK by Illustra.

In the mid 2000s John Halcow started production of Bristols. Original patterns for 402 and 404 were made by Martin Field for Cheshire Scale Models. 401/403 was based on Pathfinder. Mike Michelak- a founder and proprietor of CSM emigrated to Australia in 1993- 4 and sold BRM all his patterns.

Very interesting that Bristol 404 was released in 2008 when an advent of "handbuilt" Chinese resin started. Prices for white metal.BRM were very high indeed.

More photos via Fred!  Model names are in the filenames...   Bristols and Armstrong Siddeley 346 Sapphire.

Thanks for publishing photos. Australian manufacturers are rather exotic but I'm sure that some members of the forum collect Classics British cars.

Now some comments of the photos. Armstrong- Siddeley 346 Sapphire was made by the order of the AS club and released in 2002-3. These models were available in 4 and 6 window versions and in longbase modification.

Bristol 401/403 initially was made by Pathfinder. Cheshire Scale Models acquired its pattern and produced some kits in 1991- 92. Later pattern was sold to BRM and John Halcow slightly modified it. BRM was producing this model from the mid 2000s till the early 2010s.

Bristol 404 was designed by Martin Field for Cheshire Scale Models. BRM bought it and released under its own brand in 2008.

I prepared à reduced version of the article sbout BRM for a dessert. Full history is in production and will be published in PLIT soon.

            Big River Models

John Halcrow was born in 1935. Since his childhood he was fascinated with cars, trains and ships. Sadly, there is not much information about his young age but no doubt that he was a great fan of motorsport. This passion encouraged John to try himself in racings. In 1960 he took part in the Australian Touring Car Championship driving Holden 48- 215 in the race in New South Wales. Unfortunately, John didn’t achieve much results but his passion didn’t stop. 

In that time model companies weren’t producing Australian racing cars and he decided to fill this gap. After many experiments with materials John was able to make a series of slot cars including Jaguar Mk2, FJ and EH Holdens. They were being sold in the late 60s- early 70s through the “ Hobbyco” shop which still exists in Sydney.

Step by step business was expanding and John was involved in drafting, tool making and styling models for luxury motor cruisers.

By the early 90s he decided to focus on the precision models for collectors and established in Newport a company Big River Models which got its name in honour of the Clarence River- the biggest river in Australia which flowed around Grafton in NSW where John lived for a time.

The first production of the BRM workshop was 1/76 Albion double decker buses. They had white metal baseplate and rims and resin body. As a packaging was used a cardboard box made in a Trax style with a window which led to see the model. The miniatures were fixed to a plastic podium and the box carried BRM logos.

The workshop was situated in John's house. Here he had a resin casting machine and painting equipment. Several employers associated him in painting and assembling processes. 

The next step for BRM was involved in 1/43 scale with the models of the 1957 Buckle Sport Coupe and the 1997 Holden Commodore VT. Both were made in resin and several colours ( see more about Buckle in a previous issue). Unfortunately, there is no information how many items were produced at all but we suspect that not more than several hundreds.

Trying to fill other gaps John started working at the 1956 Ford Customline. He showed a resin body in the Sydney Collector Club but sadly never finished this project. Only in the 2010s Trax released this one in resin.

In the mid 90s BRM was known in Australia but in 1997 things changed. In that year John Halkcrow decided to make some almost white metal models. To release this project he appealed to Milestone Models- a company from Sydney which had white metal casting machine.

John chose for reproduction the 1937 Chevrolet Utility. This model was detailed according to the highest standards of the white metal industry. The price of Aus $ 180 was very expensive but it was the same level as Crossway, Somerville and Pathfinder. After publishing a short review and donating as a prize in MAR magazine ( issues 115 and 116 October- November 1997) BRM became known not only in Australia.

Trying to develop this success John made his next models with Milestone- the 1971 Holden One Tonner HQ. Several years later it was reproduced by Trax in diecast.

In 2002 BRM took part in ModeleX show and was approached by Armstrong Siddeley Car Club to produce a model of Sapphire.Sadly, by that time Milestone Models had stopped activity and John had to start finding a new production partner for making white metal models. During his visits to the UK he connected with a founder and proprietor of Illustra Models Steve Overy. Some time later this acquaintance transformed into a friendship and Illustra became the main production partner for BRM in making a series of the British cars.

This series was opened with the 1953 Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 346 Mk1. This luxury car was equipped with a 3,4 litre six cylinder engine whose standard power was 120 h,p and 150 h,p, with optional Stromberg carburettors. The car was completed with manual 4 speed  or an optional Wilson electrically- controlled  finger-tip  4 speed  preselector gearboxes. In 1954 Mk2 got Rolls- Royce made a 4 speed Hydramatic 4 speed transmission.7697 units of all modifications were made until 1960.

346 Sapphire was available in four or six light versions and both were modelled by BRM. John made brass patterns by himself using drawings, brochures and an opportunity to measure and photo the cars of the Club members. The miniatures had such features as all chromed surrounders, photo- etched parts, resin lenses, head and rear lights, fully detailed interiors and rear mirrors in a separate pocket which should be fixed by the customers. All models were completed with certificates and made in limited editions. As a rule 200 units of each colour have been produced. Customers could make personal orders to improve models- to paint them in a special colour and to add register numbers and white wall tyres. And of course the models reproducing the cars of club members were made.

In 2005 a range of the British cars was continued with the 1956 Humber Super Snipe Mk 4 and in 2006- 7 a time of Bristols came.

Initially Mike Michalak made these Bristols for his Cheshire Scale Models brand in early 90s. He acquired Pathfinder’s pattern of the 1948/53 Bristol 401/403 and asked Martin Field to create brass masters of 402 and 404 models. Sadly until bankruptcy and relocation to Australia in 1994 Mike was able to produce only a little batch of 401/403 models. In Australia he planned to rebirth production of Bristols under Premier Scale Models brand but refused of this idea concentrating on diecast Ford and Holden pickups which were made by his new company Cadecott Miniature Models.

So, in the mid 2000s John Halcrow purchased all patterns of Bristols and significantly reworked them for BRM range adding photo- etched parts, chrome window surrounders and resin headlights. 

Bristols 401/403, 402 Convertible and 404 had a huge success among collectors in the mid- late 2000s. John regularly was publishing ads in MAR and some dealers in the UK were selling his models.

Unfortunately after 2008 a market of the white metal models significantly dropped because resin models from China appeared. In 2012 Steve Overy passed away and John lost a good friend and reliable production partner. He tried to make some of his previous models using resin and also released Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon and Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire Limousine. Both had resin bodies and white metal baseplates. By that time John had reached age 80 and certainly it was very difficult for him to compete with Neo, Matrix and GLM. That’s why he had to stop production of scale cars. 

But he didn’t leave the model building scene and switched on making O- gauge railway carriages. He used resin casting for their production and in 2021 found a partner for 3D printing. 

John was making railway carriages until his death in 2024 at the age of 89. He made a very significant contribution to a model hobby and we hope that this little article will help to keep a memory about this magnificent man.