'Some Assembly Required': Artist Michael Johansson Creates Full-Scale Injection Molded Model Kits

Ah, the memories of learning about manufacturing techniques back in freshman year of design school. I’ll never forget when my Manufacturing Processes teacher pulled out a run-of-the-mill plastic car model kit and explained to us the process and complexities of injection molding. Flash forward to today, I find myself reverse engineering at least a handful of objects I come across as I’m out and about during the day (disclaimer: I am also slowly trying to pull myself away from my iPhone). Perhaps this is what artist Michael Johansson has been doing as well since he’s started to create a series of life-size objects joined together with welded metal frames and painted a unifying color to represent those model kits of yore…much to our enjoyment.

In order to create the pieces, Johansson essentially had to perform tear-downs on various objects and then reassemble them in a believable, injection-molded manner: