Large Scale Warship Models (Hardback)
From Kits to Scratch Building
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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.
"The book is copiously illustrated with pictures of these massive models – some under construction, some showing the final result, and all very impressive!"
HistoryOfWar.org
Read the review here
As featured in
ModellWerft, September 2021
This book is a guide to the world of very large warship models – probably the largest type of models produced in any significant numbers, with the largest battleships coming out at almost three meters long!
History of War
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"Kerry Jang’s Large Scale Warship Models: From Kits to Scratch Building provides an adept look at the daunting world of large-scale ship modeling, doing so with patience and painstaking professorial methodology which can inspire those seeking to build their dream vessel which may have seemed out of reach for multiple reasons."
Naval Historical Foundation
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Just looking at the excellent photos of the book is a real pleasure.
ModellWerft, 09/2021
Overall, this is a worthwhile volume that rekindles a latent interest and tempts one to reopen the dusty box of modelling tools.
The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord, XXIX, No. 2 (Summer 2019) – reviewed by Richard W. Greenwood Victoria, British Columbia
If you are a steel warship enthusiast who builds large scale models, whether radio controlled or static, then this excellent book belongs in your personal library.
Nautical Research Guild USA
Seaforth Publishing has built up a very good reputation for its warship modelling titles over the years and the quality of this latest book is right up there with the best of them. If you are thinking about a model warship that will portray its subject in considerable detail, this is the book for you and I thoroughly recommend it. It has certainly given me the inspiration to get that kit out of the cupboard that I have been thinking about starting for years.
Australian Naval Institute
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All in all, I think this book is a very good guide to what goes into making large scale warship models... I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it for the modeler considering larger scale warships.
Model Ship World, Kurt Van Dahm
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If you build scale model ships, get this book!
Amazon.com review
5 Stars.
What a super little book and an absolute must for the serious model maker. The book shows how basic modelling skills can be enhanced to take on larger more detailed and impressive models.
World of Warships Magazine, October 2019 - reviewed by Editor, Charles Waters
One point in the book that should be noted, is that the modeller must take the time to think about which warship they would like to build. It will be a lengthy process, but totally worthwhile when you see your large-scale warship model complete and if you’ve added Radio Control gear, then your ship will sail through the water just like the real thing.
The book also includes the latest building methods with clear photographs to help you understand the process and finally, there’s a gallery of superb models which will inspire the modeller to have a go.
The book then takes the reader through the process of building the ship and offers tips and advice as to the best ways of doing particular parts of the ship. As mentioned earlier, the text is detailed, but not difficult to follow, to the point that even a novice with a basic knowledge of DIY could follow and build their own model successfully and the photographs show some amazing details.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
Read the full review here
Excellent book.
Amazon UK review.
5 stars.
Canadian modelmaker Kerry Jang has given us a very inspiring resource in this book. He starts off by telling us how he first came to build a big model boat, after an 'apprenticeship' making smaller more conventional kits. He then goes on to discuss how various skills acquired in these earlier periods can be harnessed to making more ambitious models.
Amazon UK Review
In chapters entitled What's Out There and Tools Of The Trade he expands upon what products one might buy to get your project started, and what gear you need to undertake the work. The vast bulk of the book however, about 75% of it I reckon, is given over to step by step expositions of the building, from the hull, including radio-control electronics, up through the decking, to superstructure, and finally painting and finishing, etc.
I'm yet to embark on even the first stage of my nautical modelling adventures - the only model I've built so far (since an awful scratch-built balsa wood man o'war in my childhood!) is an unfinished 1/300 Rod Langton Dutch Gunboat of the Napoleonic era - with a U-Boat and a model of Bismarck waiting to be built.
And even if/when I do build any larger boats, I think they'll either be Napoleonic or WWII. Jang's boats, as featured in this book, are (I think?) mostly more from the modern era. But despite this, the book is a great resource, full of inspiration, and information, some very specific to the subject, and some - for example the stuff on making your own moulds and casting your own bits and bobs - more suited to general use.
The book ends with a gallery showcasing four of Jang's extremely impressive large ship models. Beautifully illustrated, in crisp high-res full colour, this is a feast for the eyes, supported by lots of useful info, including stuff about sourcing both reference and modelling materials and products. Very good.
5 Stars.
A curious and interesting book for those who love naval history of all time and who like stories based on real facts.
Miniaturas JM
Read the full Spanish review here
Full of useful easy to use tips, great for building my 1/72 scale ship.
Amazon Canada Review
5 Stars.
Featured in
IPMS Magazine
Featured in
International Naval Research Organisation
Informative, helpful, well written and beautifully presented.
Vintage Airfix
If you haven’t built a large-scale warship, either from a kit or scratch built, but would like to, then you need this book. It’ll give you the knowledge you’ll need to get started.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced builder, there is much in here that will aid you also.
Read the full review here
In essence it is a ‘how to’ book which fulfills its function very well. Lavishly illustrated with pictures of models in all stages of construction, if is full of inspiration and suggestions. The models illustrated in the book are of excellent quality stunning detail and very well constructed.
Great War
Featured in
Model Boats, August 2019
Throughout the book, there are a lot of good clear colour images (with captions) which illustrate the points talked about in the text. If you are considering trying your hand at large scale warship modelling, then I would happily suggest that this would be a good book to start with.
Military Model Scene, Robin Buckland
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It is one of those books that are so easy to follow, a real pleasure to read and even though aimed towards the remote controlled version there is still a lot in the book for just the modeller.
Armorama
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This is a beautifully illustrated book by an author who is an established award winning modeller. The book is a practical guide filled with enthusiasm and useful information. – Most Recommended
Firetrench
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So in addition to the copious amounts of eye candy present in its pages, Large Scale Warship Models is also a pleasure to read. Kerry's writing style is clear and touched with occasional dashes of humor. I especially appreciated his comment about the "sweet talking, gifts and treats along with the occasional pout" needed to get one his enormous models accepted as home decor.
Model Ship World
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The book is lavishly illustrated with many photographs of works in progress and techniques. The text is clear and concise.
John's Machines
Although I am entranced by ship models in museums, my own interest in modelling is with stationary steam engines. I found much of the advice and techniques in the book to be of interest and relevant to my own modelling efforts, particularly the sections on assembly, painting and finishing.
A handsome, useful book, which I am pleased to add to my library.
Read the full review here
Kerry Jang’s guidebook Large Scale Warship Models takes potential modellers through all the stages of building a big model ship from scratch to completion, but along the way he teaches us something a little more profound about our hobby.
Wargames Illustrated. Reviewed by Neil Smith.
The essentials of this hardback book is that there are 110 pages of text and accompanying colour photographs, and a small but necessary bibliography at the end. Jang tells you where to begin with a catalogue of manufacturers and lists the tools of the trade, including a useful little section on adhesives. Then you learn how to prepare the hull and running gear, add the underdecks and decks, install the radio control system, create the superstructure and deck houses, attach the fittings and details, paint the almost finished ship, then once “all the bits and bobs are built”, apply the finishing touches. If all that sounds quite intense and complicated, it is, but if you are so inclined to build a big model then Jang has got you covered. I could end this review with that, but there is something else going on with this little book about big models, something a bit more profound.
In his introductory chapter on why you should attempt a build of this nature, Jang expounds on the concept of zen for this aspect of our hobby, as he might being a professor of Psychiatry, hitting on ideas of self-awareness and achieving a deep sense of freedom. Building a ship, he argues, is essentially a spiritual exercise, and for me, that applies to many of our modelling and wargaming activities, from building kits to painting wee soldiers and building armies. Jang backs that up with the quality of writing that makes Large Scale Warship Models a book worth reading even if you never build a model ship. It is clear that this hobby is about doing things: check this list of actions Jang describes; planning, cutting, drilling, smoothing, gluing, cutting, clamping, improvising, casting, mould-making, printing, testing, priming, shading, masking, and overcoming problems. Jang doesn’t reach the heights of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, nor does he pretend to, but his engaging use of language to describe a fundamentally mechanical process, echoes that deeper work and had me enthralled. The result is a practical guide for modellers and a little gem of a read. Either way, highly recommended.
The journey through the construction of the model is fascinating and the author's competence in the choice of materials and finishing is spectacular. You want to try your hand at building a model of this kind. All this requires a lot of patience and dedication but the result will be very rewarding.
Old Barbed Wire Blog
Read the full Italian review here
Canadian modelmaker Kerry Jang has given us a very inspiring resource in this book. He starts off by telling us how he first came to build a big model boat, after an 'apprenticeship' making smaller more conventional kits. He then goes on to discuss how various skills acquired in these earlier periods can be harnessed to making more ambitious models... The book ends with a gallery showcasing four of Jang's extremely impressive large ship models. Beautifully illustrated, in crisp high-res full colour, this is a feast for the eyes, supported by lots of useful info, including stuff about sourcing both reference and modelling materials and products. All in all? Very good.
A Question Of Scale, Seb Palmer
Read the full review here
A superbly detailed book with good detailed information all the way through
Amazon Review
This is the sort of book that I have searched for, for many years, with information on where and who to source items from and how to build a well detailed model from start to finish.
5 Stars.
As featured in
The Bookseller Buyers Guide
About Dr Kerry Jang
KERRY JANG teaches at a Canadian university and is the author of numerous academic books and papers, but in his spare time he has developed his ship modelling skills to professional standards. For Seaforth he has previously published Large Scale Warship Models (2019) and Ship Models from the Age of Sail (2022).
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