Warships and Warship Modelling

The desire to build model ships has for centuries been well established as an aid to design, as an art form, as a presentation piece or just for the sheer pleasure of producing a small scale version of a seagoing ship. The most marvellous models of famous ships have appeared produced from such disparate materials as wood, bone, metal and even matchsticks. The more elaborate are works of art and many are of considerable value. Model warship building may range from an Airfix Kit with numbered plastic parts all ready to be glued together and painted, to industrial models made by professionals which appear in builders' trade exhibitions, shipping offices and museums. Somewhere between the two will be found the keen amateur model maker, at whom this book is aimed. For the would-be model maker, there is no lack of advice which may be obtained from trawling the internet, from dedicated magazines, from model makers' clubs and from a variety of publications. Wooley and Clarke's handsome book is the latest addition to the genre. The primary aim of their book, they claim, is to lead the reader from an 'industrial' view of ship models into an altogether different dimension, but connected by a common thread. This seems to mean studying professional techniques of model making for inspiration to 'follow their passion and build a working or static model war ship'. A further aim is to provide a guide through definitions of various types of warship, thus enabling the reader to 'appreciate through first rate photographs the form and function of the warship, not just as a vessel of war but as a statement, and in a few instances, an embodiment of national pride'. Wooley and Clarke certainly have a way with words. The authors aspire to somewhat lofty aims for their readers, and their book is designed to assist readers to achieve these aspirations. Having suitably inspired the reader in chapters one and two, chapters which follow aim to help 'translate that desire and possible inspiration gained to make that transition from passive enthusiast with an interest in warships to active modeller, and help give guidance down a more practical path'. To this end, a closer study of their book reveals a methodical and practical guide to their chosen subject. Ten chapters, three appendices and a page of references for further reading, cover everything a warship model maker might need to know. Researching a project, planning a workshop, choosing a subject and deciding scale, constructional methods, building up superstructures, warship fittings, painting and camouflage and the operation of working models. All presented with a profusion of stylish photographs which illustrate the text, the better to explain the techniques suggested. A full scope of modelling activity designed to lead ultimately, as the authors romantically claim, to the 'joy of sailing the new creation that is a model warship'. Their enthusiasm is a pleasure to behold - The Nautical Magazine