New homo- and heterometallic, hexa- and pentanuclear complexes of formula {[Cu2(mpba)2(H2O)F][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(PF6)(3).5H2O (1), {[Cu2(Me3mpba)2(H2O)2][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(ClO4)(4).12H2O (2), {[Cu2(ppba)2][Cu(Me5dien)]4}(ClO4)4 (3), and [Ni(cyclam)]{[Cu2(mpba)2][Ni(cyclam)]3}(ClO4)(4).6H2O (4) [mpba=1,3-phenylenebis(oxamate), Me3mpba=2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-phenylenebis(oxamate), ppba=1,4-phenylenebis(oxamate), Me5dien=N,N,N'N' ',N' '-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, and cyclam=1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane] have been synthesized through the use of the "complex-as-ligand/complex-as-metal" strategy. The structures of 1-3 consist of cationic CuII6 entities with an overall [2x2] ladder-type architecture which is made up of two oxamato-bridged CuII3 linear units connected through two m- or p-phenylenediamidate bridges between the two central copper atoms to give a binuclear metallacyclic core of the cyclophane-type. Complex 4 consists of cationic CuII2NiII3 entities with an incomplete [2x2] ladder-type architecture which is made up of oxamato-bridged CuIINiII and CuIINiII2 linear units connected through two m-phenylenediamidate bridges between the two copper atoms to give a binuclear metallacyclophane core. The magnetic properties of 1-3 and 4 have been interpreted according to their distinct "dimer-of-trimers" and "dimer-plus-trimer" structures, respectively, (H=-J(S1A.S3A+S1A.S4A+S2B.S5B+S2B.S6B)-J'S1A.S2B). Complexes 1-4 exhibit moderate to strong antiferromagnetic coupling through the oxamate bridges (-JCu-Cu=81.3-105.9 cm-1; -JCu-Ni=111.6 cm-1) in the trinuclear and/or binuclear units. Within the binuclear metallacyclophane core, a weak to moderate ferromagnetic coupling (J'Cu-Cu=1.7-9.0 cm-1) operates through the double m-phenylenediamidate bridge, while a strong antiferromagnetic coupling (J'Cu-Cu=-120.6 cm-1) is mediated by the double p-phenylenediamidate bridge.