The author has been an ardent modeller for nearly forty years, specialising in warships and aircraft and was the first modeller to win the Class Championship Cup for a plastic model aircraft at the Model Engineering Exhibition in 1969, and for a plastic ship model in 1973. Not only first with these two models but so far the only modeller to achieve the distinction.

This book is distinguished in that it deals with the techniques of building models from plastic as distinct from assembling kits. When plastic became readily available Harry Woodman experimented and finally developed many techniques which have proved extremely successful and will be invaluable to the enthusiast modeller.

(1975 cover notes)

DEDICATION

Many years ago a young man with a consuming interest in aviation wrote his first book, it was called Scale Model Aircraft and was published by John Hamilton Ltd., of London in 1933, retailing at five shillings.

A few years later I managed to obtain a copy of this book, being about six years old at the tirne and this, more than anything else started off an interest in aeroplanes and nodelling which has never diminished throughout my life.

I still have the book, the only relic of childhood and to browse through it's pages brings back all the memories of carving firewood, using Father's razor blades, 'Croid' glue, flon.st's wire, cut fingers and burning out cockpits with a hot poker.

The author of this book was James Hay Stevens a name which conjures up to my generation 'Skybirds', Air Stories and all the excitement of making 'solid' models. Apart from producing the first manual on the art of building solid scale models, as they were known in those days. Mr Stevens virtually started the 1:72 scale movement for until the mid thirties it was the practice to build such models in much larger scales, a common one being 1:36. As his collection grew he encountered the problem of space and in his own words..."something had to be done, so I tried halving the scale (i.e. one seventy-second), and the result was more than satisfactory..."

The introduction of the famous 'Skybirds' kits in this scale helped to popularise it, the drawings being provided by Mr Stevens. These were followed shortly before the last war by the first plastic kits, the Frog Penguin series all in 1:72 scale. During the war the value of models is an aid in teaching aircraft recognition was recognised and large numbers of models in 1:72 scale were produced, the scale being preserved up to the present day as the most popular amongst modellers.

I should like to regard this book as an up-dated version of James Hay Steven's original work, the main difference being that the medium is plastic sheet instead of wood and all the aids and materials available today are incorporated. The aim is to try to demonstrate how much more enjoyment and satisfaction can be obtained from the hobby by building models from the basic materials instead of assembling kits and it is interesting to quote from James Hay Steven1s original book for the remarks are extremely relevant considering that they were written in 1933.

"The pride of the person who has collected a series of models; however, is nothing to the pride of one who has actually built up his collection with the work of his own hands - adding his models one by one as completed. It is to this pride (the pride of the artists in his finished work) that the constructive as opposed to the ready-made, model owes it's success. I have used the term artist, because model-making is undoubtedly an art, when entered into thoroughly."

James Hay Stevens, C.Eng., A.F.R.Ae. S., died on 3rd March 1973 and it is with the kind permission of Mrs Stevens that I dedicate this book to his memory.

Harry Woodman
July 1975

Herts.