Kerry Jang – författare

The ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warships. In general these cover plastic and resin models of 20th century subjects but, like the previous volumes on Nelson’s Victory and Captain Bligh’s Bounty, this is a radical departure – not only a period sailing ship but one for which kits are available in many different materials and scales. This requires some changes to the standard approach, but the main features of the series remain constant.Now preserved in Boston harbour, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat. One of the original building programme of 1794 for the newly established US Navy, the ship would enjoy a stellar career beginning with the Quasi-War with France and the campaigns against the Barbary states of north Africa. However, it was the War of 1812 that established the fame of the ship that became known as ‘Old Ironsides’ following her victories over two British frigates and a number of smaller warships, a potent symbol of national pride that kept the ship in commission until the 1880s.In the course of this long service, the ship’s appearance was altered significantly, and many of the features of the ship as commonly modelled are actually the product of later, and not historically consistent, reconstructions. A major achievement of this volume is to detail these changes as accurately as evidence allows, and to reconstruct the probable colour schemes carried at the most significant stages of her career. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit, including the complexities of rigging. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and coverage concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.Following the pattern of the series, this book provides an unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – and is simply the best reference for anyone setting out to model this famous frigate.

The ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.This volume covers the two largest carriers of the inter-war Imperial Japanese Navy, the ships that spearheaded the attack on Pearl Harbor and led the highly successful carrier operations that followed, before both were sunk in June 1942 at Midway, the battle that turned the tide of the Pacific War. Both were pioneering designs, built on the hulls of unfinished capital ships suspended under the terms of the Washington Treaty, and therefore subjected to significant and almost-continuous modification during the 1930s as aircraft characteristics became more demanding. The many alterations to both ships are covered in detail in this volume.With its unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build either of these iconic carriers.

The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warships. Previously, these have generally covered plastic and resin models of 20th century subjects but, like the previous volume on Nelson's Victory, this is a radical departure - not only a period sailing ship but one for which kits are available in many different materials and scales. This requires some changes to the standard approach, but the main features of the series remain constant.Bounty, a merchant vessel purchased to undertake a special mission to the South Pacific, will always be remembered for the drama of the mutiny against Captain Bligh and his epic open-boat voyage that followed. The events inspired many books, and at least three major movies, and make the ship one of the most popular of all ship modelling subjects. Despite the ship's fame, and the vast range of kits it has inspired, there are question marks over many aspects of the vessel's fitting and, especially, how it was painted. This volume tackles these questions, reconstructing convincing colour schemes for the ship both as a merchant vessel and in naval service. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit, including the complexities of rigging. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and coverage concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.Following the pattern of the series, this book provides an unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - and is simply the best reference for anyone setting out to model this famous ship..

Models of sailing ships, with their towering masts and billowing sails, have always held a special fascination for model makers because they capture all the romance of the sea, shipboard life, and a fighting spirit. However, many would-be modellers are discouraged by the inherent complexity of the subject – especially the masts and rigging, as well as the often-sumptuous decoration. Plastic kit manufacturers were quick to capitalise on this interest and produced kits that were advertised as easy and reasonably quick to assemble, featuring ready-made detail that is easily tackled by modellers of varying skills and ages with the promise of a good result. Plastic sailing ship kits are affordable, especially in comparison to wooden ship kits, and building a fleet of the most famous ships in history is easily achieved.Despite their ease of assembly, plastic models of sailing ships, like the ships themselves, remain complicated to build. Manufacturers devised several simplifications of the most difficult aspects, such as moulding the lower, upper, and topmasts in one piece, offering preformed moulded plastic shrouds and ratlines, or sails in vacuum-formed plastic. However, modellers have long complained that these simplifications, the physical limitations of injected plastic mouldings, and the very medium of styrene plastic itself have resulted in often crudely detailed and unrealistic finished models.This book is the remedy. It describes and demonstrates techniques unique to plastic sailing ship models that overcome these limitations, allowing the construction of authentic and personally satisfying models. Each modeller has a different expectation for their model. Some will want a simple build with some straightforward refinements, whereas others will want a more detailed build that takes advantage of the many new aftermarket items, and there are those who seek the most accurate and detailed replica possible. _Sailing Ships from Plastic Kits_ aims to give every modeller – regardless of skill and experience – a range of fundamental and advanced techniques to choose from when transforming a plastic kit into an authentic sailing ship model.Heavily illustrated in colour throughout, this book is an ideal addition to the purchase of any plastic ship kit.

The ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warships. Previously, these have generally covered plastic and resin models of 20th century subjects, but this volume is a radical departure - not only a period sailing ship but one for which kits are available in many different materials and scales. This requires some changes to the standard approach, but the main features of the series remain constant.Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, is probably the world's most famous sailing warship, and survives in restored form at Portsmouth. With lavish illustration, this book takes the modeller through a brief history of the ship, highlighting differences in appearance over her long career. Detailed colour profiles reveal decorative detail and changes to paint schemes over 250 years, and outline some of the debatable features experts still disagree about. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit, including the complexities of rigging. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and coverage concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.Following the pattern of the series, this book provides an unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - and is simply the best reference for anyone setting out to model this imposing three-decker.

The majority of warship modellers work in smaller scales, most often based on plastic or resin kits. Many of these harbour ambitions to tackle something larger and more demanding, but are daunted by the challenge. The aim of this book is to persuade them that it not as difficult as it may seem, that they already possess the basic skills required, and that they can acquire any necessary new knowledge as they proceed.The discussion focuses on the journey from conventional plastic kits to questions of deciding on a subject; choosing a kit, semi-kit or build from scratch; what conventional kit building skills transfer - and how these conventional skills such as painting techniques and an eye for detail can be brought to large scale model building so that scale fidelity is not sacrificed but enhanced. Novel requirements like research, obtaining plans and sourcing material or fittings are all covered.The second part describes building methods, including the latest techniques like casting fittings in resin, and applies to both static and radio-controlled working models. All the colour photos were taken specifically to illustrate the points made in each chapter, so the book demonstrates as well as describes. It concludes with a gallery of superb models intended to inspire the would-be large scale warship modeller to take the plunge.