I’m Katarzyna Tyła. I’ve collected diecast and resin model cars for nearly three decades — and in 2021 I turned that obsession into Models118, a specialist store for 1:18, 1:43, and 1:12 scale models.
From a Collector’s Shelves to a Store
It started with childhood Bburago and Maisto and grew into museum-quality pieces by Minichamps, CMC, and AUTOart. When I opened Models118 in Częstochowa, Poland, I built it around one idea: a single place for the latest releases from Norev, GT Spirit, and AUTOart alongside hard-to-find used and discontinued models that have vanished from regular distribution.
The name comes from 1:18 — the scale serious collectors prize most, large enough to capture every detail of the original car, from the stitching on the seats to the calipers behind the wheels.
Why Collectors Trust Us
Running a store as a collector means I know why a discontinued piece can be worth more today than the day it left the factory — and what it takes to get it to you safely:
- Authenticity — every model is an original sourced from authorized distributors. Each used model is inspected and described with full condition details and original packaging status.
- Both sides of the market — new releases from leading manufacturers plus a large, curated selection of used and discontinued models from the secondary market.
- Protective packaging — orders ship in custom-made 5-layer cartons sized for scale models, with expanded-polystyrene filling that holds the model in place in transit.
- Safe purchase — returns within 14 days of delivery, shipped worldwide from Poland.
What I Write About
On the Models118 blog I write from nearly thirty years on the collector’s side of the hobby — diecast and resin materials, manufacturers and their production runs, scales, the secondary market, and how to care for and display a collection.
Read more about Models118 or browse the collection.