- Amalgam Collection has launched a limited, built‑to‑order 1:16 scale Spitfire Mk 1a K9998 ‘QJ-K’ model on the 90th anniversary of the aircraft’s first prototype flight.
- Limited to 50 pieces, the model is crafted from thousands of precision‑engineered components using original BBMF digital scan data and over 6,500 hours of development.
- Priced from £44,995, the model faithfully recreates Geoffrey Wellum’s 92 Squadron Spitfire and is available exclusively through Amalgam Collection.
- Media assets can be downloaded here
Bristol, UK – 3rd of March 2026: Today, Amalgam Collection, creators of the world’s most exceptional large‑scale replicas, reveals its 1:16 scale model of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1a in the livery of the historically significant K9998 ‘QJ-K’. The launch coincides with the 90th anniversary of the first prototype Spitfire’s maiden flight, marking a moment of deep heritage for aviation enthusiasts, collectors, and admirers of Britain’s most iconic fighter aircraft.
Part of a limited edition of just 50 pieces, this extraordinary model honours the aircraft flown by Geoffrey Wellum of 92 Squadron during his first taste of aerial combat on 11 September 1940. Representing one of the most authentic and technically exact Spitfire replicas ever created at this scale, the model embodies Amalgam’s fusion of art, engineering precision, and historical storytelling.
A Masterwork Rooted in Real Data
The 1:16 scale Spitfire K9998 ‘QJ-K’ is the result of more than 6,500 hours of research, digital development and pattern making, followed by over 400 hours to build each individual piece. Every model is hand assembled by Amalgam’s specialist team of model makers using thousands of meticulously engineered components, including precision castings, photo etched parts, CNC machined metal elements, and expertly hand finished surfaces.
The project is rooted in original digital scan data gathered from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s aircraft at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, combined with extensive archival research into Wellum’s aircraft. The result is a model that reproduces the distinctive form of the Mk 1a Spitfire with exceptional fidelity: from cockpit instrumentation and structural riveting to the subtle weathering and historically accurate 1940 paintwork.
With a fuselage length of over 60 cm (23 inches) and a wingspan exceeding 70 cm (27 inches), the model commands presence, offering collectors a sculptural centrepiece that sits at the intersection of fine art and technical heritage.
Each example is built to order, allowing collectors with specific display or customisation requirements to consult directly with Amalgam’s team.
Honouring Spitfire K9998 ‘QJ-K’ and Geoffrey Wellum
This edition pays tribute to the aircraft flown by the young Geoffrey Wellum during the Battle of Britain: a machine that carried him through his first combat encounter on 11 September 1940. At just 19, Wellum became one of the conflict’s most compelling eyewitnesses, later chronicling his wartime experiences in the celebrated memoir First Light.
Spitfire K9998 ‘QJ-K’ reflects a pivotal moment in the story of RAF Fighter Command and remains emblematic of the courage, innovation, and resilience that defined the early years of the war. Amalgam’s recreation captures not only the physical form of the aircraft but also its enduring cultural significance.
Sandy Copeman, Founder of Amalgam Collection, said: “On the 90th anniversary of the Spitfire’s first flight, this edition is an homage to one of the most important and beautiful aircraft ever created. K9998 ‘QJ-K’ represents a significant moment in aviation history, and we have approached its recreation with the reverence and precision such an icon deserves.
Each example is built to order by our master craftsmen in Britain, following thousands of hours of research, development of the model components, and meticulous hand assembly and finishing. For the true collector, this piece is a statement of passion, heritage and an appreciation for engineering at its most beautiful.”
Availability, Pricing & Ordering
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1a K9998 ‘QJ-K’ at 1:16 scale is limited to 50 pieces and built to order.
It is available exclusively at: https://www.amalgamcollection.com/products/1940-mk-1a-spitfire-qj-k-livery
Pricing:
- £44,995 GBP
- $59,995 USD
- €54,995 EUR
Due to the model’s size and the complexities of international shipping, delivery costs will be calculated individually.
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High resolution images can be found here
EDITORS' NOTES:
MEDIA CONTACTS
PR & Media Enquiries - UK & Europe: liam@crowdpull.co.uk, T: +44 7753540673
PR & Media Enquiries - North America: tom.gibsoncommunications@gmail.com, T: (201) 476-0322, Mobile: (201) 264-3646
PR & Media Enquiries - Global: pressandmedia@amalgam.com
Director of Brand and Business Development: Sandy Copeman sandy.copeman@amalgam.com
Business and Sales Enquiries: enquiries@amalgam.com
ABOUT AMALGAM COLLECTION AND THEIR HISTORY
- Amalgam are recognised worldwide as makers of the finest hand-made large-scale models. Their work is unique in its attention to detail, with a focus on creating models that truly capture the style and spirit of each car. They have dedicated all their skill and passion to achieving a level of excellence that raises the impact and value of each finished piece to a level far above anything previously created.
- For owners of cars they have already modelled at 1:8 in a limited edition, for which the tooling already exists, they offer a tailormade service, customising a model to perfectly match the specification of the real car.
- For owners of unique very high value cars, Amalgam Collection offer an even bigger 1:5 or 1:4 ‘one-off’ model build from their UK workshops in Bristol, England. They will digitally scan the car wherever it is in the world and take up to a thousand pictures of every detail, allowing them to perfectly and accurately replicate everything at scale. Given the significant number of hours required to develop a unique model the costs are high, so the model is built at a very large scale to maximise the impact and detail, and to deliver the ultimate finished piece.
Amalgam Collection’s design, management and development heart is in England, with extraordinarily skilled and dedicated teams producing the bigger editions in Hungary and China. They are a multinational, multicultural team of crafts-men and women, dedicated to creating the world’s most precise, beautiful and exclusive models. Inspired by the F1 teams and iconic luxury car marques of England and Italy that they serve and partner with, they take huge pride in their mission to perfectly capture the designs, and honour the designers, drivers and creators of the automotive art they love.
Originally a partnership of four talented model-makers formed in 1985, from the start Amalgam created finely tuned models for the most important UK and German designers and architects. Working closely with Norman Foster’s team on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and on the Hong Kong Airport project was a fast, steep learning curve which quickly opened their eyes to subtle aesthetics and refined engineering. Working with such gifted architects their passion and desire to model the very best designs was ignited, which in due course led them to Williams F1 and Adrian Newey who were dominating the F1 championship in 1995, then on to Maranello and to the massively important design heritage of Enzo Ferrari in 1999, and latterly to the works of Pininfarina and Ettore Bugatti.
The seminal performance and luxury car designers of the early to mid-20th century were obsessed with achieving ever higher speeds, lighter and more powerful engines, more streamlined bodies, an impassioned quest that inevitably resulted in elegant and beautiful solutions as a consequence of stretching the supreme excellence of the craftsmanship and engineering to the very limits of what could be achieved at the time.
The companies that today bear these iconic names continue to be inspired, and their creativity is still fuelled, by the extraordinary passion and genius of their founders. Amalgam Collection too find inspiration in the creations of the founders and their companies who continue to design and create automotive artworks.
Recognising the beauty and importance of these designs Amalgam Collection have utterly dedicated their energy and passion to modelling these cars to a level of accuracy, precision and excellence that raises the finished replica to a level far beyond anything previously created. Amalgam have chosen to work at a scale of 1:8 which is widely acknowledged to be the most satisfying scale to comprehend the entirety of a car’s design at a glance, whilst in addition showing the most minute details.
To create perfect scale replicas of modern cars they use original CAD data supplied by the manufacturer and work closely with the design team to perfect their rendition of the interior and exterior finishes.
With regard to classics, in their quest for supreme accuracy and authenticity Amalgam’s team goes to great lengths to locate the best examples of original cars and digitally scans them to capture the precise shape and proportions of every part of the car including the chassis, engine and drive train. In addition, 600 to 800 photographs of every aspect and detail of each car are shot, to ensure a complete understanding of the finishes and detailing. The resulting models beautifully and precisely capture the entirety of the original and are impossible to discern from a real car in photographs.
Amalgam is the only maker of model cars in the world that can be considered alongside a maker of luxury watches like Richard Mille or Hublot. In fact, Richard Mille is an Amalgam patron who recognising a shared passion for engineering detail and perfection has commissioned from Amalgam Collection many unique models of his own cars and those he sponsors.
HOW THE MODELS ARE CREATED
- The patterns are created using original CAD from the manufacturer, or extraordinarily accurate digital scans and hundreds of photographs of an original classic car.
- The patterns are used to create silicon rubber moulds that capture every detail.
- Prototyping resin is used to cast the parts from the silicon moulds. Around 20 to 30 parts can be cast from each mould and then a new one must be made.
- Each model is built from thousands of parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components.
- Genuine car paints and manufacturer or archive colour references are used to spray the bodywork.
- It takes between 2,500 and 4,500 hours to develop the tooling for each model.
- It takes between 250 and 450 hours to cast, fit, fettle, paint and build each model.
Every Amalgam Fine Model Car is made entirely by hand from thousands of parts. Detailed original CAD data is supplied by the car's manufacturer or the race team of the car to be modelled. The process of developing each model and creating the master patterns takes between 2,500 and 4,500 hours of skilled work depending on the complexity of the car, with classic cars taking the longest.
In the case of the classic cars an extremely accurate digital scan is made of the car, and hundreds of photographs of all the details of a carefully selected original car are taken, to ensure complete accuracy and adherence to the authentic finishes and materials. Many parts of the model are machined from metal with the major components hand cast from prototyping resin. Each model is individually assembled by a small team of highly skilled model-makers. In total the time taken to machine, cast, hand fettle, paint, polish and assemble each model is between 250 and 450 hours of highly skilled work depending on the complexity of the car.
The finished model is a very precise scale replica of the original car with every detail perfectly and authentically represented at an 8th of the original size. This is modelling elevated to such a high level that it becomes an art form.
Since 1995 Amalgam have been admired and hugely respected by leading designers and engineers in the European automotive industry, as well as F1 designers, drivers and team principals. Amalgam's models appear on the desks of CEOs and presidents of the world's most important car companies. Due to the extreme accuracy and authenticity of Amalgam's creations, made in small limited editions, they are also much sought after by devoted collectors of fine handmade objects across Europe and in the USA.
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