New Frog Penguin book due to arrive...

[Peter van Lune]

Hello members!

 

I thought I'd let you know that a new book is underways…

 

If all goes well, and I assume it will, by December/January my book about the history of the FROG PENGUIN range will be published and available.

 

I have spent the past 10 years working on it, during the long cold Dutch winter evenings ;-). At first not even with the idea that it might turn into a book, but it has…

The book will have about 200 pages and about the same number of color/bw photos. FROG, as you may know, was started in 1932 by Charles and John Wilmot, with Joe Mansour. My book has been written with the aid and cooperation of Avril Bardoni, daughter of Charles, and Jeremy Manser, son of Joe.

I have also been very fortunate with the help of Richard Lines, co-author of the magnificant book on FROG published in 1989 - currently 89 years old but still going strong. He helped me answering many questions and providing documents, etc.

 

The book will contain many unpublished photos, documents, etc. and all the advertisements I could find relating to the Penguin range.

 

It is far from a dull list of facts, data and figures… I have tried to put the Penguin range in the historical context of the Second World War, it contains many memories of modellers now in their 80's or, alas, already passed away…  It will explain more about Charles and John Wilmot and Joe Mansour, with the aid of memories of Avril and Jeremy. I also explained more about the wartime activities of FROG/IMA and followed the lifes of Charles and Joe after leaving IMA in 1944.

Most of the photos come from my own Penguin collection but I have also been able to get the help of other collectors, so it covers about 99% of all the Penguin kits that were ever issued.

 

After publication of many other books on other manufacturers like Monogram, Aurora, Revell, Airfix, again Airfix, and again Airfix ( ;-) ), etc. a seperate book about the range that started it all was long overdue.

The Penguin kits have been covered in Lines/Hellstroms book from 1989, but I am sure my book will add many (unknown) details, corrections, etc.

 

I found professor Kenneth Brown, author of several books on the history of toys, willing to write the forword - very thankfull for that.

 

Since the first Penguin kits were issued in December 1936, this coming December 2016 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Penguin range (and plastic modelling therefore…) - .

 

Kind regards,

Peter van Lune

The Netherlands

[malpaso]

Peter, I will put this book on my Christmas list!  I hope there will be a little included about the Series 9 wood Penguins, like the partial Dakota I sold you a couple of years ago.  Apart from that and the Halifax in the Lines/Hellstrom book I've only seen a couple of wood Tempests on eBay (apart from what's on your website, obviously).

Cheers 

Will

[Peter van Lune]

Hi Will - yes the Penguin Series 9 are included - as elusive as they appear to be... I have documented about this range and every other Penguin kit all I was able to find in the past 10 years - and yes, I am sure Murphy's Law will show itself in a way as predicted: that the models that I have been chasing for so long will show up after publication, but its impossible to cover all of it - maybe in a future 2nd edition who knows...

Anyway - glad to have been able to make a dream come true and finally, after so much work, see this project finished - so many people have helped me, without whom I would never have been able to write this. Thankfull and happy - even more so if many will find out about it and enjoy it... ;-)

 

And yes will - your Dakota is included!

[hampden80]

Looking forward to this book.Definitely on the Christmas list.

 

John