Author Mike Ashey takes you through pages and pages of real tips. Chapters
covered include:
Building Plastic Kits (24 pages)
Building Resin Kits (20 pages)
Scratchbuilding and Detailing Superstructure Shapes (15 pages)
Working with Brass and Stainless Steel Photoetching (17 pages)
Painting, Masking and Decal Application (14 pages)
Color Images of Model Ships (16 pages in color showing 18 different ships)
Manufacturers and Suppliers (2 pages)
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Resin Kits
This book would be of specific value to someone starting their first resin
kit or, someone not sure if resin is the right thing for him. The book
offers a step-by-step explanation of building a resin kit, with lots of
close-up photos of the author working along with the text. Veteran resin
builders will likely also pickup a few tips, especially as Ashey delves
into the intricate bends and precise measuring techniques he uses to apply
photo etched brass details.
Specifically, the author walks you through, step-by-step, his buildup
of the resin kit 1/350 Classic Warships USS Ward. With pictures and text,
the author shows you how to remove the pour plugs, how to straighten out
a warped hull, drill out portholes, shape props, remove detail parts from
resin sprues and when cast onto a sheet, how to correct minor flaws in
the casting, how to add photoetch, how to mask off superstructure parts
and assemble delicate masts and ships' boats. It is pretty hard to imagine
that even very good modelers wouldn't find something new to learn here.
Scratch Building
Another section of interest to experienced modelers is Chapter Three, all
about scratch building. For someone with a chunk o' bass wood in one hand
and an X-Acto in the other, here are your marching orders. For the rest
of us content with kits, the scratch building section is still of value
as we contemplate converting an existing kit or (scratch) building a deck
house or other detail left off our current project. Again, lots of photos
illustrate each lesson.
Specifically, Ashey shows you in step-by-step photos how he builds up
a US WWII cruiser's superstructure using styrene sheet, Evergreen strips
and photoetch parts. He emphasizes how to "break down" a real-life component
into its basic shapes before building.
Working with Photoetch
| Using several models, and primarily PE from Gold Medal Models, the
author demonstrates his techniques for working with photoetched details
(PE). For those who wonder how to get razor-sharp bends in railings, or
how to apply 1/700 detail parts without a seeing eye dog trained in modeling,
here are the answers. |
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Specifically, Ashey shows us how to construct common subassemblies,
such as WWII radars and direction finding antennas in both 1/350 and 1/700.
Ship List
The books includes color photos of the following completed ships. If you
are contemplating building any of these kits, the photos in this book will
be a big help.
1/350 Classic Warships USS Miami
1/350 Tamiya King George with Gold Medal Models photoetch (PE)
1/350 Tom's Modelworks USS Yorktown in a diorama with the 1/350 Tamiya
Fletcher with Gold Medal Models photoetch (PE)
1/96 Classic Warships PT 31
1/350 Tom's Modelworks Gato-class sub and Balao class sub
1/192 Tom's Modelworks USS Ethan Allen
1/350 Dragon USS Peterson with Gold Medal Models photoetch (PE)
1/350 Tamiya Missouri (WWII) with Gold Medal Models photoetch (PE). The
sharp color separation the author shows off in these close up photos is
just this side of amazing. He reveals his techniques in the book but finding
the patience to implement these techniques remains.
1/144 Revell Type 206A U-Boat
1/90 Lindberg Fishing Trawler (Lindberg!)
1/350 MB Models S-Boat
1/600 Airfix HMS Belfast with White Ensign Models PE
1/350 Revell SMS Emden with Gold Medal Models photoetch (PE)
1/192 Classic Warships USS The Sims
1/192 Scratchbuilt tanker USS Namakagon
1/72 Revell PT-109
The book also include B+W images of the following ships either complete
or in process:
The box-scale Monogram Halsey
1/700 Hasegawa Ticondaroga
1/350 Tamiya Missouri
1/426 Revell Arizona
1/400 Heller Jean Bart
1/350 Classic Warships resin USS Ward
1/350 MB Models USS Houston
1/350 Resin USS West Virginia
Areas for Improvement
As for criticisms, the author could have included more URLs and email addresses
for the companies he mentions in the text; as it stands, you get mostly
street addresses to write paper letters to if you want more information.
There is little info about airbrushing, though you could argue I guess
that air brushing tips belong in a separate volume devoted just to air
brushing. These are very mild criticisms of what is an excellent book.
Which Book is Best?
Mike Ashey also published a book called "Building and Detailing Scale Model
Ships", which is no longer widely available. I've got both books and can
say that except for the opening chapters in each text describing general
modeling techniques and some of the photos, there is little overlap. While
chapters in each text address similar issues (i.e., "Applying PE"), the
books are different enough to make owning both an insignificant problem.
If you enjoyed his first book on ship modeling, you will also like this
one.
Follow this link to Amazon.com to buy Basics
of Ship Modeling
Can't find what you want? Try searching Amazon.com.
Questions about these reviews? Want to recommend a book
for review? Want to send us a book you publish for review? Email peter@modelwarships.com
All contents © Copyright 1999-2002 Peter Van Buren except as noted.
All rights reserved. Inclusion of links does not imply endorsement of contents.
