This book is the first comprehensive history of how the 1:1200 scale and its 1:1250 continental equivalent became accepted as the modern standard for miniature ship models. The origins can be traced back to the first years of the twentieth century and their use as identification aids by the military during the First World War, but when peace came the manufacturers aimed their increasingly sophisticated products at collectors, and acquiring, modifying or scratch-building miniature ship models has been an avidly pursued hobby ever since. This book charts the commercial rise and fall of the manufacturers, and the advancing technology that produces ever more detailed and accurate replicas. The author - himself a lifetime collector and builder of models - looks at the products of each manufacturer, past and present, rating their quality and suggesting why some are regarded as more collectible than others. But the book deals with more than off-the-shelf models, covering subsidiary issues like painting, modifying and diorama settings, and is illustrated throughout with many of the finest examples of the genre. The combination of fascinating background information with stunning visual presentation will make this book irresistible to any collector or enthusiast.

Tells how to select a kit and set up a model making workplace, demonstrates the techniques for building the hull, masts, and rigging, and shows how to add the finishing touches.

The United States and Europe. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, and whether you have hours to spend on a project or years, you'll find money- and time-saving ideas on every page. Book jacket.

In the past thirty years the world of model kits has undergone a veritable revolution. New techniques in injection moulding have improved the scale accuracy and surface detail of the humble plastic kit, while many specialist companies now produce top-quality resin models, vastly broadening the range of subjects on the market. However, the really radical change has been the advent of photo-etched brass fret, which allows the finest detail to be reproduced to scale. In ship modelling, this has resulted in a new form of the hobby, mid-way between traditional build-from-the-box simplicity and the time-consuming demands of fabricating everything from scratch. These new materials have prompted innovative techniques, which are comprehensively demonstrated in this new manual. Designed for those wishing to achieve the best results from their ship kits in the 1:700 to 1:350 range of scales, it uses step by step photographs to take the reader through the building of two models, one in plastic and one in resin, from basic construction, fittings and detailing, to painting, finishing and display. Written by a highly experienced, award-winning ship modeller, the book is a showcase for the contemporary approach to the hobby.

A highly detailed, superbly illustrated manual introducing serious model builders to hand-crafting ship models from the bottom up. Not for beginners. 133 illustrations.

Clearly written text, detailed illustrations, and full-size working plans provide novices and experienced model builders with all the information they need to create exact replicas of two 19th-century sailing ships—the Benjamin F. Packard, a classic American clipper, and the Alice Mandell, a famous whaler. The one-volume edition of two rare model-building manuals also devotes chapters to ship’s rigging (ancient and modern) and abundant information on clippers and old-time whaling ships. A treasury of essential information for hobbyists, model builders, and devotees of the great age of sail.

Easy-to-learn techniques, arranged in order of difficulty, range from relatively simple models to complicated square-riggers. Starting with the construction of a half-hull ship model, the book advances to a whole-hull model and replicas of twelve vessels, with separate chapters on rigging, gear and furniture, and tools and materials.

The 'plank-on-frame' method is the pre-eminent ship modelling technique, which nearly all model shipwrights aspire to: this practical manual is the foremost guide to its intricacies. Taking as his example the two-masted sloop Cruiser of 1752, the author leads the reader through every stage of building a model of the vessel, from preliminary research and taking off lines to the actual construction of the hull and fittings, and its masting and rigging. Each clear, step-by-step stage is described in the text and illustrated with explanatory line drawings and photographs. Though a single ship is employed as an example, the techniques can equally well be applied to any wooden sailing ship. Since original publication in 1994 this volume has established itself as the standard work of reference for model hull construction and is indispensable for modelmakers who pride themselves on an accurate, elegant scratch-built technique.