Solid Modeling Memories
Preserves Modeling Hobby Start

Solid models have been around since man carved the first animal for his kid, when a boy made a copy of the ship he saw going down the Nile. Our current community is small in comparison, but passionate.

Our group, Solid Model Memories has members from all corners of the world. Japan is another country that has many followers.

So said Lou Vautour, a member of the above organization seeking to preserve the art of creating a solid model masterpiece.

These are not the same car models your granddad used to whittle from a stick of wood (though they could be), but ar well thought out, well researched, planned and executed scale models impecably detailed and finished.

There are very few kits around and mostly kits saved from the 30s, 40s and 50s. There is some restoration of old kits going on but mostly we build from scratch. Why, because we love looking at a block of wood and seeing a Spitfire or a Mustang.

A typical solid modeling project involves a similar set of steps as any other form of model building They are outline here by Bennett"

1. Typically, a solid model builder follows the sequence: obtain a plan, generally from a magazine but on occasion, when one isn’t available as when modeling an antique, by drafting the necessary three views from photographs.

2.He then selects the materials, tools and wood for the model, plastic for moulding canopies and the paint. Then he proceeds to carve and assemble the wooden model: to mold and apply the canopies and other transparencies; to construct and affix such details as considered necessary.

3. and then to paint the model to attain as great a degree of realism as possible while still mindful of the rules of wood finishing and preservation.

Finally, in many instances, he will photograph and present hisfinished work. But only when he knows he has done his best, his model is a good replica of the real thing, and he senses the satisfaction and pride that verges on parenthood willhe acknowledge completion.

That's the shorthand version. Here is an actual Build Report This kind of modeling takes time. According to Lou, the construction of a 1/96 scale Royal Canadian Navy destroyer took me 17 months and a Canadair Argus lasted 7 months. Some of my projects were done in a day. Smaller projects may take 10 to 20 hours. It all depends on the individual.

Scale Modeling History

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