Product Description

Ships in Scale magazine called our best-selling manual for the first-time kit-builder, Ship Modeling Simplified, a "Bible for the novice modeler." Model Ship Builder said "the only problem with this book is that it should have come out years ago." Now comes the next logical step, a book on building ship models without kits, from Edwin Leaf, past president and resident guru of the prestigious Philadephia Ship Model Society. Following the proven format of Ship Modeling Simplified, here is the first complete, step-by-step course in building model ships from scratch--everything from schooners and clipper ships to modern ocean-going freighters and steel warships. This book covers in detail everything the first-time scratch-builder needs to know: choosing the right subject, building from plans, drawing scaled plans from photographs, and buying tools and materials. It also covers building half models, planked hulls, lapstrake hulls, plank-on-frame, plank-on-bulkhead, lift models, modern ships, ancient ships, masting and rigging, sails and flags.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95623 in Books
• Published on: 1993-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 184 pages

From the Back Cover

Building a model from a kit is an excellent way to develop your modeling skills. But once you've mastered the basics, where do you go? If you're looking for a challenge, you move on to scratchbuilding. And that can be imposing: With a kit, you worked with someone else's plans, materials, and building instructions. Scratchbuilding makes you master of your own fate. You do the research, choose the subject, the scale, the material. The choices are limited only by your enthusiasm.

Edwin B. Leaf scratchbuilt his first model--a Baltimore clipper--nearly fifty years ago, and he's been refining and building on his skills ever since. In Ship Modeling from Scratch he lays out the principles--from concept to construction to display--on which scratchbuilding is based. In clear, concise language complemented by detailed illustrations he tells how to interpret existing drawings or create your own, what materials to choose, what tools to buy, and what techniques to use to build everything from plank-on-frame, plank-on-bulkhead, or modern steel hulls to creating sharp and properly scaled details--paint to portholes.

Building a model from scratch is a singular pursuit that requires patience, confidence, and ingenuity. With Ship Modeling from Scratch open on your workbench, you have your own private tutor guiding you through the troublespots.

Ship Modeling from Scratch expands the horizon of any kit builder looking for a challenge, including

• choosing the right subject
• finding and interpreting historical material
• building from plans
• drawing scaled plans from photographs
• buying tools and materials
• building everything from half models to plank-on-frame or plank-on-bulkhead versions of traditional sailing craft to modern steel cargo ships
• painting and displaying your model

About the Author

Edwin B. Leaf began building models at the age of six, and by fifteen he had successfully scratchbuilt his first ship, a Baltimore clipper. He continued his modeling while traveling the world as a U.S. Army officer. Now retired from army service, Leaf pursues his craft as a member of the Philadelphia Ship Model Society, where he served as president. Often approached for advice on modeling problems, he began compiling tips, techniques, and drawings to help novice scratchbuilders, a move that led to frequent lectures before modeling groups--and to this book.

A resident of southern New Jersey, Mr. Leaf serves as commodore of the Red Dragon Canoe Club when he's not at his workbench.

Customer Reviews

Ship Modelling
This is a comprehensive primer that gives a good idea about all aspects of choosing a model, its scale, construction techniques, method of display (including ship-in-bottle) etc. The author assumes the reader will have a small amount of previous kit-building experience, but there is enough detail for anyone who has a small amount of experience modelling in any field. There is even an introduction to photogrammetry (how to derive dimensions from a photograph). The more advanced will probably want to get details from other sources, but there is a lot contained in 184 pages (including details on on hull planking and plating, rigging, sails).
The author is American and references to ships, books and sources for plans, tools and materials are US-centric (and I suspect that some may now be outdated), but this is a minor shortcoming when such information can often be sourced from the Web. This book does not prescribe a single approach or method and should be relevant for the modeller of any era, from prehistory to a 21st century merchantman. The assumption is that the model will be displayed on a stand or in a case, so powered models and radio (or other) control is not covered. Nevertheless, many of the construction techniques described echo the ways real ships are built and could be applied to make a model that is intended to be used.
Overall, this is a first-rate book on scratch-building model ships and a very good place to start.