“It’s like it’s come to life and it’s not even finished yet”
If you walk into the DAF Museum in Eindhoven, you simply can’t miss it: a huge, expertly executed and extremely detailed scale model of the historic DAF Eindhoven headquarters. Its creator, Rien Gerrits, has been working as one of the 200 volunteers of the DAF museum since 2018.
This month, the DAF Museum in Eindhoven presents a majestic and highly detailed scale model of the main building of DAF Trucks. The author of the model, Rien Gerrits, is very proud of his work: “It was placed in a wonderful place.”
As soon as you start looking at the model, it is impossible to stop. There is a lot to see here: an impressive fresco painting in the lobby, dozens of tiny figurines just 3 cm tall, each carefully painted by hand. But it’s not just about craftsmanship — Rien’s attention to detail is simply amazing. Through one of the windows on the first floor, you can even see the majestic desk where DAF founder Hub van Doorn worked.
Facade
Rien Gerrits (73) started creating this model back in 2013. “I am a member of the Eindhoven Modeling Club,” he says. — I was asked to make a model of the facade of the main DAF building. Just the front part – it would seem, nothing complicated. But when I started the work, I decided to add the side wings of the building as well, even though they step back a little. The fresco painting in the hall also could not be ignored. And what is the point of offices without desks and employees? And what about without lighting? That’s how it all started, and the project only grew.”
A great place for exposure
“Later, this project began to live a life of its own. I’ve been working on it for ten years now, and it’s far from finished. Now I am working on the handrails and porter’s house. A total of 34 sets of handrails need to be made, and each one takes a whole day of work.”
Fortunately, the DAF Museum has enough space to continue expanding the model. Rien is thrilled that his creations can now be seen by the general public. “It has been put on display in a wonderful place and anyone can come and admire it.”
