Coming Soon: The Pacmin Story
Since 1946, Pacmin Studios has been fortunate to deliver a limitless variety of models to our partners in the aerospace and advanced transportation industries. Our creations have become defining fixtures across the industry, valued by executives and collectors alike. Yet, the history of our studio and the craftspeople who call it home has largely remained untold.
Today, we are incredibly excited reveal that two brilliant authors and long-time friends of Pacmin, Steven Reynolds and Brian Wiklem, have spent the last few years deep in our archives to bring you the definitive history of Pacmin Studios.
The Pacmin Story
For eighty years, Pacmin has quietly shaped the aerospace world, turning visionary concepts into exquisite scale models that sealed business deals, inspired innovation, dazzled on executive desks, drew crowds at trade-show booths, and became crown jewels in private collections, yet the company behind them has remained a largely hidden mystery.
How did a modest post-war model shop survive fierce competition, family drama, changing technology, and near financial collapse to become the world’s premier builder of aerospace display models? Go behind the scenes with unprecedented access to Pacmin’s archives, workshops, and leadership to uncover its untold story.
Inside, you’ll learn how these masterpieces are imagined, engineered, and handcrafted, and meet the artisans who bring them to life. Featuring hundreds of stunning, never-before-seen photographs, this book reveals the techniques, personalities, reinventions, and quiet brilliance that carried Pacmin through eight remarkable decades.
If you’ve ever admired a Pacmin model, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
To track the book’s progress, visit the official website: www.pacminbook.com. The book is currently scheduled for release in for Fall 2026. It will be approximately 350 pages printed as a 12 inch by 11 inch hardback.
Meet the Authors
This massive undertaking wouldn’t be possible without the unique expertise, passion, and investigative dedication of Steven and Brian. Learn more about the duo bringing the Pacmin history to life:
Steven Reynolds
Steven is a professional airline pilot and flies the Boeing 777 internationally for a major airline. He is an avid collector of Pacmin models. He holds undergraduate degrees in business management and psychology, as well as an MBA. He has served on the White House Commission for Aviation Safety and various corporate, charity and advocacy boards.
In the early 1990s, Steven interned at Douglas Aircraft in Customer Relations, where he worked closely with the models used in sales campaigns and delivery ceremonies. It was during this time that he first encountered Pacmin CEO Fred Ouweleen—an acquaintance that, more than thirty years later, would evolve into a shared commitment to telling the Pacmin story.
Brian Wiklem
Brian Wiklem is a multifaceted professional with accomplished experience in video game production, filmmaking, authorship, and aviation media. He began his career at Sony, contributing to titles such as Gran Turismo and Jet Moto 2, later advancing his industry footprint at Shiny Entertainment and Heavy Iron Studios. He also founded Checkpoint Studios Inc., specializing in online and mobile game development.
In 2012, he self-published 16: Pictorial History of Cizeta Automobili, a 212-page visual and historical examination of the Cizeta V16T supercar and the partnership between Claudio Zampolli and Academy-Award winning composer Giorgio Moroder that created one of the most spectacular exotic cars ever produced while documenting the turmoil and controversy behind the scenes.
Wiklem expanded into filmmaking with documentaries including The Good Years: A Blimpumentary, chronicling the final season of the original Goodyear Blimp. His passion for aviation led to contributions to Avgeekery.com and the creation of AvgeekTV, a streaming platform for aviation enthusiasts. In the automotive sector, he served as Director of CG, Video, and Virtual Reality Production at izmocars, where he advanced the company’s CG, video and VR initiatives. His second book, Fighting to Be Heard: How the British Aerospace 146 Started the Regional Jet Revolution (2022), is a 488-page, image-rich history of the BAe 146, including interviews with the Queen’s Flight and even the flight log supplied by Prince Philip.
By Max Ouweleen
Marketing Coordinator at Pacmin Studios and The Model Shop
About Pacmin Studios
Pacmin Studios has been serving the aviation and transportation industries with creative physical and digital models and exhibits since 1946.
Known for producing high quality custom aircraft models, Pacmin Studios has evolved to provide a suite of additional services, including graphic design, CAD, CGI rendering and animation, livery design, and other transportation marketing solutions.
