- Sela Projects EU said defense and aerospace exhibition models are custom-built engineering products whose prices typically range from $2,000 for small executive models to more than $170,000 for large complex systems, with full-scale models reaching several hundred thousand dollars.
- The Dutch family-run firm said its models must combine engineering accuracy, visual appeal and structural durability to withstand long-distance transport and high-profile trade show display.
Anyone who has visited major military and aerospace exhibitions such as the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in France, Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom, IDEX in the UAE, or AUSA in the United States has likely noticed the many display models that stand out for their detail and close resemblance to real military systems. These are small works of engineering and craftsmanship in their own right. That is why we decided to take a closer look at one of the companies behind such models for leading manufacturers of weapons, ships, and aircraft: Sela Projects EU.
This family-run company from the Netherlands is built on personal relationships, flexibility, and hands-on experience. Meirav Sela, Owner and CMO of Sela Projects EU, spoke to The Defence Blog about how the company was founded, how complex the process of designing and building exhibition models can be, what technologies are used in production, and how much such projects can cost.
Before addressing those questions, Sela shared a personal story about the company’s origins.
According to her, the story began about 33 years ago, when her grandfather built a model of a missile corvette by hand using only wood, cardboard, glue, and water. In the last days of his life, he gave that model to Michael, Meirav’s husband, a former naval officer and warship commander who is now the CEO of Sela Projects. Today, that model still stands in the company’s office and, she said, serves as a daily reminder of where everything began. From that first piece to the company’s current international work, Sela said the business has come full circle, growing from a personal story into a professional maker of complex display models for the defense and industrial sectors.
Asked about the complexity of the work, Sela said that although exhibition models may appear straightforward to the public, each one goes through a multi-stage and highly interdisciplinary process. The work includes gathering and interpreting engineering data, adapting or fully rebuilding CAD models, developing internal structures, planning production, and carrying out final assembly. In many cases, the internal engineering of the model differs from the original system in order to provide strength, lower weight, and safe transport.
She explained that the production process combines CNC machining, high-precision 3D printing, casting, manual surface finishing, painting, and the integration of graphics and branding elements. As a result, what visitors may see as a display piece is in fact a small-scale engineering project that requires coordination between designers, engineers, and manufacturing specialists.
Because of the complexity of producing such models, as well as the creative and individual approach required for each one, it is difficult to establish a fixed universal price. This is highly specialized work shaped by many factors, from size, level of detail, and materials to lighting, moving parts, and other custom features. But one thing is clear from the start: these are not simple mock-ups. They are works of engineering art, and they cannot be inexpensive.
Still, The Defence Blog was able to obtain a general sense of the price range from Meirav Sela. According to her, small executive models usually cost between €2,000 and €10,000 ($2,320–$11,600), used as presents and for presentations. Larger models with better detailing, often used for exhibitions, generally range from about €10,000 to €60,000 ($11,600–$69,600). Large or highly complex systems can cost from €60,000 to €150,000+ ($69,600–$174,000+). As for full-scale 1:1 models, their price can reach several hundred thousand U.S. dollars depending on configuration and scope of work.
Sela said the choice of production methods and materials depends on the geometry of the product, the required appearance, structural strength, and functionality. CNC is used for precise components with sharp edges, 3D printing for complex forms and internal structures, casting for repeatable elements, and composite materials for reducing weight without sacrificing strength. In most cases, the company follows a hybrid approach, combining several technologies in a single project.
Among the biggest technical challenges, Sela pointed to the need to turn a complex combat or industrial system into a physical scaled object without losing accuracy or visual identity. Some details are too small to scale properly, while in other cases the available engineering data is incomplete or restricted. Long antennas, thin elements, and fragile geometries also create problems, since they must remain both accurate and durable.
In such cases, she said, certain elements have to be rethought or partially redesigned in order to preserve the system’s recognizability while still allowing the model to be manufactured, transported, and safely displayed.
Sela also stressed that the company sees each model as an extension of the real product. At many trade shows, the model becomes the first, and sometimes the only, physical representation of the system that potential clients will see. For that reason, it directly shapes how the product is understood and perceived. That is why Sela Projects works closely with clients’ engineering and marketing teams to ensure visual accuracy, correct proportions, and a clear message, while also meeting security and confidentiality requirements.
She added that a well-executed model can serve as a bridge between engineers and a wider audience. It allows non-technical visitors to understand a complex system more quickly, while still offering enough detail for professionals. The key, she said, is finding the right balance between simplification and accuracy.
On the role of interactivity, Sela said it is becoming increasingly important, especially at large international exhibitions. Lighting, moving elements, and integrated screens can help attract attention, explain functions, and make a presentation more memorable. At the same time, too much complexity can reduce reliability, so such features are only added when they provide clear value.
In the end, exhibition models for the defense and aerospace sector have to combine several critical qualities at once. They must be strong enough to withstand transport, sometimes over thousands of kilometers from the company’s office or production site, and still maintain a flawless appearance throughout the event itself. That is especially important because, at international trade shows, a model is often the first physical expression of a product that a potential customer sees.
Appearance is just as important. Visitors to air and defense exhibitions often walk through these halls almost as if they were visiting a museum of modern sculpture, expecting to see products of the highest quality. A model therefore has to be visually attractive, but also capable of showing the widest possible range of the original system’s features and character. That, in the end, is the value of this kind of work: combining engineering precision, durability, and visual appeal in a way that can capture attention and communicate a product’s strengths within seconds.