Senior CAD Designer - Automotive Vehicle Collectibles

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
  
  
  

CAD Designer – Automotive Vehicle Collectibles

A Rare, Automotive-Focused Opportunity in Product Development & Prototyping

About Us

Round 2 LLC. is an innovative collectibles company based in South Bend, Indiana. We specialize in plastic model kits, die-cast replicas, electric slot cars, and model train accessories. Our family of brands includes AMT®, MPC®, Hawk/Lindberg, Polar Lights®, Auto World®, American Muscle, Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, and Classic Metal Works.

Overview

This is a unique, highly automotive-focused opportunity to work directly on our historic lines of 1/64 scale die-cast and scale model kits—products that celebrate real cars, accuracy, and enthusiast culture. Deep knowledge of automobiles is not optional in this role; it is a critical part of day-to-day decision-making, evaluation, and problem-solving.

We are seeking a CAD Designer who combines strong technical ability with a trained automotive eye—someone who understands proportions, body lines, surfacing nuances, and why those details matter to collectors. The work is challenging, hands-on, and genuinely fun, producing products that enthusiasts are excited to own.

For the right candidate, this role also offers the opportunity to establish and own in-house 3D scanning and 3D printing capabilities, shaping how vehicle collectibles are developed, reviewed, and approved.

Opportunities to work this closely with collectible vehicles, tooling, and manufacturing partners are uncommon—particularly outside major automotive or design hubs—making this a very rare local role and a position worth relocating for if the product space excites you. (Relocation is beneficial, but not a requirement for the right candidate.)

What Makes This Role Unique

• Direct involvement in automotive vehicle collectibles, not abstract CAD work
• Products are rooted in real cars and enthusiast expectations
• Opportunity to build and own core prototyping systems (3D scanning & printing)
• Close collaboration with overseas manufacturing partners
• A product category driven by accuracy, passion, and fun
  
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Review, correct, and refine initial CAD files from partner resources in China
• Evaluate automotive accuracy, proportions, and surface quality using real-world reference and knowledge
• Ensure authenticity of vehicle body shapes, lines, and nuanced surface transitions
• Identify issues in body shape, lines, and details and creatively solve them within tooling and scale constraints
• Collaborate directly with overseas partners who will adapt CAD for production tooling
• Apply revisions based on tooling feedback, test shots, and manufacturability realities
• Progress toward full vehicle CAD development from scratch as skill and speed are demonstrated
• Design and refine individual components and assemblies for existing vehicle collectibles
• Balance realism, manufacturability, cost, and scale through informed technical decisions
• Develop, document, and potentially own in-house 3D scanning and 3D printing workflows
  
  
  

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience with CAD modeling of complex, organic hard-surface forms, ideally automotive
• Proficiency in SolidWorks, Rhino, or similar CAD software
• Ability to creatively problem-solve imperfect or incomplete CAD data
• Strong knowledge of automobiles, including mechanical elements, body shapes, proportions, and surface nuance
• Exceptional attention to detail and visual accuracy
• Ability to think through engineering and creatively problem solve 3-dimensional challenges
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal team and International partners
• Knowledge or willingness to learn and adapt to injection tool tolerances for clean production
  
  
  

Additional Experience That Adds Value (Not Required)

We recognize this is a specialized role. The following add value but are not required:

• Die-cast or plastic model development
• Experience working with overseas manufacturers
• Photography skills – close up small scale as well as full scale subject matter
• Injection metal or plastic tooling and tolerances
• 3D scanning and 3D printing experience
• Interest in or knowledge of science-fiction vehicles or hard-surface design
• Ability or interest to learn organic/figure/character sculpting for tooling development
  
  
  

Why This Role Is Worth Considering

• Rare chance to work deeply in automotive vehicle collectibles
• Products are tangible, enthusiast-driven, and genuinely fun to create
• Opportunity to build long-term technical ownership and influence
• Path toward broader product selection and development influence