Bob's Build Blog - Beginnings.

Readers of this blog will follow my learning curve as I pursue my renewed interest in model building. Modelling, like everything else in our world, has been transformed beyond recognition by our technological capacity.

I began modelling, like many boys and some girls, as a youngster. When I lived in Boston I was 10 and there was a model shop close by that I could walk to not only to acquire kits- but see the realm of possibilities. The interest in modelling sparked then has lingered and now that I have the time I intend to invest it in my renewed modelling interests.

The IJN [Imperial Japanese Navy] has really captured my attention. When I was young almost everything was American with some German and British. Now the field has expanded to include all nations, the span of history, Sci-fi, miniatures and vignettes and much more.


To the left is my constant supervisor, Daisy.She offers to "lab test" my work for a cookie from a little bowl of treats I keep on my desk.

My home office has been transformed to my modelling room. Obsolete books are gone, file cabinets emptied and contents shredded, the printer, now rarely used, lives in a corner.

 Models in various stages of construction occupy the shelves. This 'man cave' is mine and I love it.




The IJN ships feature pagoda type superstructures that tower over the ships providing the silhouettes many people instinctively recognize as oriental in nature.

These ships are different. The aircraft carriers are purely functional and seem to lack anything 'pretty' about them while the battleships are packed with weapons, even though in reality they weren't very effective during WW2.

Above is the IJN heavy crusier Tone [on top], the IJN battleship Haruna and below, unfinished, is the Titanic. Note there size of the Titanic against the others. They are all the same scale.

Right isanother view of the Tone under construction. The Tone was a member of the IJN river class cruisers named after rivers in Japan.



Another feature of this blog will be to tell the stories of some of these ships and other builds so the reader can appreciate the stories.

This is the battleship/aircraft carrier Ise's aft section at the beginning of its build. The surface is barren as the carrier deck will sit in this space.

The Ise was converted to a hybrid aircraft carrier following the battle of Midway where the Japanese lost 4 of its main fleet carriers. Lacking the industrial might of the US they began to convert existing ships and the Ise was one.

I built this moveable work station so I can continue to work on models when Nance and I are watching TV or in the family room. The fact that it rolls back into my model room quickly keeps her happier.

This display cabinet was acquired from Carleton Cards when they were changing their display cases. This makes an ideal model home and it where the dioramas, again in various stages of construction, are housed

I am also studying the creative challenge of dioramas making as a form of story telling.

Here are some 1/35 scale building I'm working on together with some vehicles and figures.

This blog will record this evolution as I learn the demanding field of aging vehicles with features such as weathering and detailing a scene towards the ultimate goal of believability.

The blog will be organized under each model and will be edited from time to time to reflect the evolution of that particular model. If you are following this blog you will need to follow the edits to find the updates information.

So- if you have an interest in modelling or just curious you are welcome in my virtual modelling room as these models and 'stories' unfold.