Modeller of the Month - December 2009

Modeller of the Month - Gregory Baumgartner

Voyages by sea were the only method of travel for those early settlers who came to the continent of America. Early sailing ships like the lumbering Mayflower carried passengers willing to make these journeys to the New World. Passengers would endure five to seven weeks at sea if they survived at all. It was a common occurrence for sailing ships to be blown off course finding themselves in ports far from their original destination.

Men, women and children were crammed onto these tiny vessels which usually served as war ships or for transporting goods. Life at sea had no comforts, fresh food was unavailable and disease was rife. These treacherous journeys hold such historical significance that an honourable way to remember this period is to create models of the ships that once sailed.

Gregory a resident of Vail, Arizona originally from North Dakota is a model ship builder interested in the late 1700's to the mid 1800's era because he feels that his carving skills are not able to create the ornate sterns prevalent in the ships built before the 1780's.

"Also there is something about a full rigged ship that tugs at your soul." Gregory said.

Modelling since he was 12 Gregory has always pursued modelling as a hobby, right up till his retirement, keeping busy modelling and growing bonsai. When Gregory was 12 he began modelling with 1/32 scale World War 2 warplanes and 1/72 scale military World War 2 vehicles. Gregory constructed dioramas using his finished models. The initial attraction to model ship building began with a progression from building plastic warplanes.

Gregory began building model ships when the challenge of model planes dissolved, finding that replacing the cockpits, landing gear and scratch building engines became far too effortless.

"When rebuilding parts of model planes got to be too easy, that is to say there was no challenge anymore, I moved on to plastic model ships. When that got too easy, I moved on to solid hull ships. I made one, and then made the HMS Victory by Mantua. Then I started my current project, a scratch built USS Pennsylvania." Gregory said.

Progressing from plastic to wooden models is quite a common practice and for anyone beginning a modelling hobby or feeling uninterested with current models they are making will find expanding to different types a great way to expand skills and refresh their modelling. Gregory found that by moving through the different stages this kept modelling interesting and challenging.

While Gregory finds modelling and growing bonsai challenging he also finds it a very relaxing pastime.

"In this high stress world we live in these hobbies are great stress relievers." Gregory said.
Building the 130 Gun USS Pennsylvania in 1/72 scale Gregory reiterates the importance of research. Extensive research helps a modeller create a higher quality finished work and helps gain a greater understanding of the model begin built. Some modellers find that knowing the purpose of a ship and the life the ship endured turns a model into a replica.

Gregory finds the best research comes from modelling books because the research is usually more thorough than the information on the internet. One tip that Gregory has for fellow modellers is to be as precise as possible when building the bulkheads or the frames of your model ship.

"Research is very time consuming. To build a model as historically correct as possible is very hard. The information is out there, but even with the Internet, it is hard to locate. Good wood is also hard to get,"
"I cannot begin to tell you how many times I had to make corrections to my hull to make everything come out right. Spend a lot of time on your bulkhead drawing and be especially careful in cutting them out and sanding them down. Correct placement of the keel is the most important step." Gregory said.

Research can be a very challenging part of model ship building and can be just as difficult as learning new skills of craftsmanship although gaining the knowledge can be just as fulfilling as a perfect finished model.
Gregory hopes to build a 1/48th 74 Gun Ship of The Line, the USS North Carolina, or the USS Ohio for his next projects.

Creating a model ship is an excellent way to discover the history of your home country and to learn about the extensive maritime history which surrounds it.