small hardback aircraft modelling book....

[phat trev]

Sure I am not imagining this but when I was at school in the early 90's I distinctly remember finding a particular book in the school library on aero modelling.

I can remember it had a pinkish/red hard back over (I think?) and two articles I recall are how to convert a 1/72 Gloster Gladiator into a Sea Gladiator and how to make a Night fighter F4U Corsair (I'm sure there were other builds inside.

My first reaction was that it was one of these airfix magazine modelling books as I have found them on ebay and they are a similar size and have similar images on the front? but I do not recognise the titles I have found.

Can anyone spread some light on this book maybe? (sorry I cannot recall any more details)

Edited September 18, 2011 by phat trev

[Fifer54]

Is it Chris Ellis's How to Go Plastic Modelling? That had a red cover. It dealt with all aspects of the plastic modelling hobby, not just aircraft.

There were several editions of the book, and some had different conversion

articles. My first edition has Hawker Tornado/Typhoon prototype from the Airfix Typhoon, Avia S.199 & CS.199 from the Airfix Bf109G-6, Spitfire XVI

from the Airfix Mk.IX, Blackburn Roc from the FROG Skua, Curtiss Tomahawk by cross-kitting Heller/Revell/Monogram Hawk 75 with Airfix/FROG/Revell

Kittyhawk, Hawker Fury (biplane) from 2x Airfix Hart/Demon kits.

However, that falls down because there are also armour and maritime conversions in my book. The tank conversions are a Churchill AVRE in either 1/48 from

an Aurora Churchill, or 1/76 from an Airfix one, a T-62 from a Midori T-54 and Airfix JS-3, and a PzkwIV Ausf.F2 from a Midori FlakPanzer IV.

The ship conversions are USS Antietam from the Pyro USS Essex, and HMS Cumberland from the Airfix HMS Dorsetshire.

Ellis also gives details for building an aircraft hangar from 4 Airfix Service Stations (from the lineside range, and probably now available from Dapol).

I do know that in subsequent editions of the book there were some other conversions as projects like the low-back Spitfire, Tomahawk, and Fury were

overtaken by kit releases, but I don't know what those were. . .

If this isn't the book, I'd be interested to know what book it is when you do find out

[jenko]

Try ...."Airfix magazine guide 25", Modelling World war 2 Fighters by Bryan Philpott. Published by Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1977

ISBN 0 85059 262 3

[Dad 10]

You shouda knicked it when you had the chance mate cant believe I said that.

Richard mcC

Edited October 4, 2011 by Dad 10

[Dave Fleming]

Try ...."Airfix magazine guide 25", Modelling World war 2 Fighters by Bryan Philpott. Published by Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1977

ISBN 0 85059 262 3

Here it is:

Contents are:

Guidlines

Gloster Gladiator

Hawker Hurricane

Spitfires and Seafires

Messerschmitt Bf109

Messerschnitt Me262B-1a/U1

Messerschmitt Me 163

Mitsubishi A6M

Vought F4U-1D

It has a Hellcat on the rear cover!!

I paid £3 for my copy last year from a 2nd hand bookshop.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Dave Fleming

[AndyC]

I've got 2 (Aircraft Modelling), 6 (RAF Fighters of WW2) and 11 (RAF Camouflage of WW2) of those - like little modelling bibles when I was a nipper

Andy

[Dave Fleming]

I've got 2 (Aircraft Modelling), 6 (RAF Fighters of WW2) and 11 (RAF Camouflage of WW2) of those - like little modelling bibles when I was a nipper

Andy

My favourite was 'Modelling RAF Vehicles' - although the complete scratchbuilding involved in most was (and still is) beyond me!

I've picked a few up in second hand shops - non-specialist ones are better, as they tend to be a bit cheaper, but the internet means more uniform pricing these days.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Dave Fleming

[Robin]

Over the years I have managed to get hold of:

No 6 RAF Fighters of WW2 - 1975

No 14 American Fighters of WW2 - 1976

No 16 Modelling Jet Fighters - 1976

No 25 Modelling WW2 Fighters -1977

All in excellent condition.

Robin.

[phat trev]

cheer guys, yes this is the one! didn't realise it was the airfix one.

Here it is:

Contents are:

Guidlines

Gloster Gladiator

Hawker Hurricane

Spitfires and Seafires

Messerschmitt Bf109

Messerschnitt Me262B-1a/U1

Messerschmitt Me 163

Mitsubishi A6M

Vought F4U-1D

It has a Hellcat on the rear cover!!

I paid £3 for my copy last year from a 2nd hand bookshop.

[Seahawk]

cheer guys, yes this is the one! didn't realise it was the airfix one.

When these books came out they were excellent value: £1.25 - £1.50 for a laminated-cover book. The modelling ones were good appetite-whetters/how-to guides and the prototype-focused ones eg RAF/Luftwaffe/USAAF Camouflage were excellent primers answering many of the sorts of beginner questions that come up here - and containing enough interesting pictures to be interesting for the more knowledgeable reader. Airfix did really well in rounding up some good authors (eg Jerry Scutts for USAAF Camo, Peter Hodges for Warships), not all of whom were regular Airfix Magazine contributors. In some ways they "reimagined" "How To Go Plastic Modelling" for a new generation.

Maybe it's timely for the new vigorous thrusting, never-missing-a-trick Airfix to reimagine them for a new generation. Glenn Sands seems to have the contacts to round up a posse of decent authors.

Or are books (of any description) just so 20th Century?

[thx6667]

Maybe it's timely for the new vigorous thrusting, never-missing-a-trick Airfix to reimagine them for a new generation.

Me shamelessly pimp my own book?

Forward by Chris "How to Go Plastic Modelling" Ellis, with editorial contributions by Brian Cannel, Adam Cooper and Drewe Manton.

Edited October 5, 2011 by Jonathan Mock

[Seahawk]

Me shamelessly pimp my own book?

Forward by Chris "How to Go Plastic Modelling" Ellis, with editorial contributions by Brian Cannel, Adam Cooper and Drewe Manton.

10/10 on the never-missing-a-trick score anyway! Haven't seen this one yet.

[BWP]

10/10 on the never-missing-a-trick score anyway! Haven't seen this one yet.

IMHO Jonathan's book is the "replacement" for How to Go ... for the 21st Century (or this decade, at least ...). Very good value.

My big problem with the old Airfix Magazine Guides -- or the armour-specific ones, at any rate, I haven't seen too many of the aircraft books -- is their lack of detail, and reliance on tiny photographs reproduced poorly. "You can see the detail in the accompanying photos" says the author, but sadly he's usually quite mistaken -- the printing process often was just not up to the job. Added to that is what I call the "Rabbit Pie Recipe" technique: "Today we shall tell you how to cook Rabbit Pie. First, catch a rabbit; second, cook it into a pie." The books were great sources of inspiration but generally very poor at instruction which IMO is what a young modeller would have been looking for. Largely this was a consequence of the very small size of the books, I think, and some authors trying to cram as much variety into them as possible. Nevertheless, as I say, good sources for ideas, especially if you can find them cheap (which you usually can).

[Seahawk]

IMHO Jonathan's book is the "replacement" for How to Go ... for the 21st Century (or this decade, at least ...). Very good value.

My big problem with the old Airfix Magazine Guides -- or the armour-specific ones, at any rate, I haven't seen too many of the aircraft books -- is their lack of detail, and reliance on tiny photographs reproduced poorly. "You can see the detail in the accompanying photos" says the author, but sadly he's usually quite mistaken -- the printing process often was just not up to the job. Added to that is what I call the "Rabbit Pie Recipe" technique: "Today we shall tell you how to cook Rabbit Pie. First, catch a rabbit; second, cook it into a pie." The books were great sources of inspiration but generally very poor at instruction which IMO is what a young modeller would have been looking for. Largely this was a consequence of the very small size of the books, I think, and some authors trying to cram as much variety into them as possible. Nevertheless, as I say, good sources for ideas, especially if you can find them cheap (which you usually can).

Ah, well, perhaps it all depends on where we were in our personal journeys at the time. And, with such a range of authors, quality was not uniform. At the time the series came out I was into AFVs and the Gerald Scarborough book with the green cover was full of inspiration and project ideas for me. Same later, though less so, for the other one with a brownish cover. And, when I started getting interested in warships, the detailed information in the Peter Hodges AM guide, eg on detail variations between Leander frigates and detailed painting instructions, was like gold dust even if I later discovered it was exclusively repackaging of his magazine articles. Maybe I just needed inspiration and ideas more than instruction. So happily remembered here.

And even recently I fished out AM guide 25 for the sketch of a Meteor III seat - and promptly got distracted by the EIF Seafire info.

[AndyC]

Ah, well, perhaps it all depends on where we were in our personal journeys at the time. And, with such a range of authors, quality was not uniform. At the time the series came out I was into AFVs and the Gerald Scarborough book with the green cover was full of inspiration and project ideas for me. Same later, though less so, for the other one with a brownish cover. And, when I started getting interested in warships, the detailed information in the Peter Hodges AM guide, eg on detail variations between Leander frigates and detailed painting instructions, was like gold dust even if I later discovered it was exclusively repackaging of his magazine articles. Maybe I just needed inspiration and ideas more than instruction. So happily remembered here.

And even recently I fished out AM guide 25 for the sketch of a Meteor III seat - and promptly got distracted by the EIF Seafire info.

I agree! The other point is that, from my recollection, there wasn't too much else around at that time and so for an eager modeller (with no BM/HS or colour magazines) they were almost the only source of tips and information in one handy place.

Also very happily remembered too and often browsed from time to time!

Andy

[Robin]

Over the years I have managed to get hold of:

No 6 RAF Fighters of WW2 - 1975

No 14 American Fighters of WW2 - 1976

No 16 Modelling Jet Fighters - 1976

No 25 Modelling WW2 Fighters -1977

All in excellent condition.

Robin.

Was browsing in my local charity bookshop this morning and found the following job-lot of Airfix magazine guides:-

No 11 RAF Camouflage of WW2 - 1975

No 14 American Fighters of WW2 - 1976

No 18 USAAF Camouflage of WW2 - 1976

No 23 German Fighters of WW2 - 1977

Airfix Annual No 4 - 1974

As I already have copies of No 14 and Annual No 4, would someone care to make me an offer for them.

Robin.