CHROMIEZ
The CHROMIEZ collection brings to life the emblematic four-wheeled vehicles of the Eastern Bloc, in limited quantities. The miniature, custom designed automobiles envisioned by HYPEANDHYPER were made in the workrooms of Hungarian craftsmen, with care, expertise and love.
In addition to the wooden cars, you can also get special numbered prints as part of the CHROMIEZ collection!
100% EAST. 100% HYPE
Maly – The towncar
The iconic vehicles of Eastern Europe on your desk!
While in the West it was the Italian Fiat Nuova 500 manufactured from 1957 that stole the hearts of car fanatics, the Polish-made Polski Fiat entering production in 1973 based on the Fiat license was the go-to vehicle of petrolheads in the Eastern Bloc. Due to its small size, the Poles called the four-wheeled vehicle ‘Maluch’ (meaning toddler), which became popular in socialist Hungary under the name Kispolszki. Its compact size made the Polski Fiat a lovable family car, perhaps only the similarly equipped and priced Trabant can be regarded as its one true competitor.
Dimensions: 〜 130 x 80 x 56 mms, 〜 230 grams
Material: car body – painted beech, wheels – aluminum, rubber – painted steel, lamps & garnish – jigs
Žiga – The family box
The iconic vehicles of Eastern Europe on your desk!
In 1971, the estate version of the legendary VAZ-2101 aka the Lada 1200 entered production under the name VAZ-2102.
This Zhiguli proved to be more practical than its predecessor, to the greatest joy of drivers and corporations. It was used by emblematic organizations like MALÉV, the Hungarian airline, its models served in the Hungarian Police and the Fire Brigade,
and of course it couldn’t avoid its destiny: the model was also a popular choice amongst cabdrivers.
Dimensions: 〜 176 x 87 x 65 mm, 〜 330 grams
Material: car body – painted beech, wheels – aluminum, rubber, roof rack – painted steel, lamps & garnish – jigs
Žiga express – The golden cab
The iconic vehicles of Eastern Europe on your desk!
In 1970, the first Lada 1200 aka the VAZ 2101 came off the assembly line in the city of Tolyatti in the USSR, and instantly changed the streetscape of the Eastern Bloc. Just like most socialist vehicles, the Lada 1200 also took its time to arrive: in Hungary, the first owners could take their new Lada 1200 for the first ride in June 1971. The iconic four-wheeled vehicle became popular as the Zhiguli in Hungary, and thanks to its reliability, practicability and comfort, it soon became the preferred vehicle of cabdrivers on the busy roads of Budapest.
Dimensions: 〜 170 x 87 x 62 mms, 〜 350 grams
Materials: car body – painted beech, wheels – aluminum, rubber, lamps & roof sign – jigs
Lubly – The workhorse
The iconic vehicles of Eastern Europe on your desk!
We cannot only thank our Polish friends for the Polski Fiat, but for the boxy Żuk, too. On top of that, the ambulance vehicles used by the Hungarian Ambulance Service between 1960 and 1987 were also produced in Poland, in a car factory called Nysa. The practical Żuk was a popular choice amongst entrepreneurs, craftsmen and small producers, and was even used by the Hungarian Fire Brigade. The same as with many other cars produced in the socialist era, inventive Hungarians transformed the Żuk, too: they replaced the original three-gear gearbox with a four-gear one, and in many cases transformed the car into a pickup truck by “cutting” the boxy trunk (despite the fact that the model had a pickup version).
Dimensions: 〜 158 x 87 x 65 mms, 〜 430 grams
Materials: car body: painted beech, wheels: aluminum, rubber, lamps & garnish: jigs
Werdy – The maintenance whale
The iconic vehicles of Eastern Europe on your desk!
The popular models of the socialist automobile industry also include the iconic IFA W50, primarily calling attention to itself with its size and exceptionally high carrying capacity. The lovable monster had a carrying capacity of approximately 5 tons, but the resourceful workers often doubled the load, at least according to urban legend. The durable truck working perfectly on various terrains could be recognized by its typical, many times deafening engine sounds and terrible suspension. In Hungarian common parlance, the IFA was most frequently referred to as the “szippantós” (a nickname for sewage trucks), as this vehicle used to carry the sewage from undeveloped plots. In addition to the sewage collection version, the model also had a firefighting, a tipper, a sheeted and a garbage version.
Dimensions: 〜 225 x 90 x 110 mms, 〜 960 grams
Material: car body – painted beech, wheels – aluminum, rubber, lamps & garnish – jigs, caution light – resin
In addition to the special numbered prints, you can also get manufactured wooden cars as part of the CHROMIEZ collection!
50x70 cm
Digital print
Metal leaf
100% EAST. 100% HYPE.
