is in the details – precision-crafting models and prototypes of all kinds since 1950. As a teenager, MBI founder Bill Chaffee crafted prizewinning aircraft models. At age 21, his original design for a balsa wood glider sold thousands.
Hal and his siblings, Clark Chaffee and Ellen Chaffee, say their father’s boundless curiosity was integral to his business. “The rules were, don’t turn anything on,” Clark Chaffee said. “Hammers and nails and whatever you can find, that’s fine, but don’t turn anything on.” “There was a legal model – a guy had tripped on the stairs with railings that go down and so we made the front 10 feet of it so they could use it in their court case,” he said.
Harris also credits Katie Gentlemen with creating the detailed people on the Charlotte Ann model and Matt Maczek with doing the complex rigging. Museum of Science and Industry exhibit strategist John Llewellyn says those sorts of tiny details are critical to creating an immersive experience for viewers.