ARC XXX United Nations Building

ARC XXX United Nations Building, New York

 

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Number ARC XXX
Name United Nations Building, New York
First year published –
Publisher Micromodels
Number of cards 6
Size of cards 9 x 13 cm
Scale 1 : 4000
Description The United Nations Building was never issued by Micromodels.
The set would have cost 2/6d.
In the surviving Micromodels Archive, the model artwork is nearly complete. It would only need minor finishing and colouring to produce a production model. There is no evidence of any wrapper artwork. This may well be in the archives of the American collector Myles Mandell.

MicromodelsUSA has issued the United Nations Building.
The entire model was based on a postcard that was popular in New York at the time. The photo was taken from the river. In the background of the UN was the Empire State Building, but from the angle and the distance the building is extremely foreshortened. Heighway was unfamiliar with New York and assumed that this building was simply right behind the UN, when in reality it was 1/2 way across town. So when he designed the 3D backdrop, he placed the building across the street from the UN and made it the height it shows in the post card.
The Empire States Building is shown twice in the model, probably because of another picture from a different angle.
MicromodelsUSA recognized these mistakes and left it in the model!