EPIC; CAMPAIGN IN 1/15 & 1/16 SCALE; ROBERT MC GUIRE AND THE CRUSADE FOR PANZER MODELING. To all armor oriented modelers and Military History enthusiast of the free world, The foundation and goal of my Panzer Museum website is to interpret the historical significance of my large scale armored model collection gallery and display of all my 1/15 & 1/16 scale models from R/C to static, from production kits to my extensive conversions and fully scratch builds that fall into the 3 broad skill areas of modeling, which are: Basic Construction, Accuracy in scale and Detailing, Painting and Finishing. All based on common sense, realism and a piece of history. A tribute to the Panzers of WW II in an artistically creative historical background planned to represent the vehicles used by the German Wehrmacht in 1/15 1/16 scale format. It is a website backed by the good sense of the serious armored modeler, and for the sole benefit of the serious armored modeler. With many more new armored models to be built and added in the future. My agenda is full of armored model projects to build in 1/15 & 1/16 scale, from production kits to extensive conversions and to fully scratch builds. Building models is simply acting on a desire to record or capture the object of our fascination, It is about “knowing” the subject, it is no surprise then that modelers are usually information collectors as much as they are kit collectors and builders, Scratch a modeler underneath you’re likely to find a history buff, military expert, historians etc.. The hobby is healthier than ever, I even say it’s in a Golden age, it’s giving modeling an exciting international flavor, The beauty of it is you can model anything you want. Scale Modeling is simply the 3 dimensional, proportional replica of a physical object. If you can imagine it, you can build it! The hobby has matured into a fascinating, richly complex, and engaging way to express our interest in any desired topic of historical significance. For all modelers, the ultimate goal is to have fun! My collection is the reward of being artistically creative, to being creative begins when the spark of an idea ignites the fuel of language of any desired topic, just remember, the skill and craftsmanship is in the hands, not the tools. We, the people interested in this hobby and it’s promotion, need to come out with something workable for armored projects waiting to be attempted. What starts as a good idea by a few brings larger concerns for a growing movement, My goal is to interpret the historical significance of my models to be viewed by the public, and to serve the interest of authors, historians, educators, Veteran groups, and Model Makers! A truly well earned pictorial and literary monument has been established in honor of the PANZERTRUPPE in 1/15 & 1/16 scale. It is the common wish that their qualities find their highest expression. Because models are meant to be displayed and viewed. In large scale modeling in the basic construction there is what we call the Scale Effect. The Scale Effect is the visual phenomenon of distance effecting what the eye sees. for example, these 1/15 1/16 scale kits are BIG compared to the 1/35 scale kits, so that means all the detail must be much more precise on these big 1/15 1/16 kits, and what everybody notices foremost is not just the size, but the details. So what we want to do is finish a large scale armor model overall in a manner that suggest distance, in keeping with it’s big size and yet emphasise the details which will impart a jewel-like quality to the big model. In the big scale this is the joy and the thrill of it all, Of all the facets in modeling, Painting, Weathering, and Finishing is by far the most important, this can either make or break a model, because it is the degree of painting, weathering, and finishing that demands judgment, and because it is upon the appearance of the finished model that all your ability will be judged. The art of weathering is no refined science, the basic idea behind weathering an AFV model is to make it look used, The standard today in AFV weathering consist of weathering washes, dry brushing successively lighter shades to “bring out detail”. to realistically weather a model we must mimic nature, we must simulate, in scale, what happens to an AFV in the field, The key to a good weathering job is to create a weathering effect and how to replicate it in scale, So in determining what weathering effects to portray it is essential to know the subjects location and time of year. All the problems which model builders seem to have with realistic weathering and the single reason the “standard” method is so popular is that modelers have confused technique with effect, I think the philosophy of effect over technique is the key. Just remember, Apply less than you want, because the effect that you want is usually more than you need, just to accept it on some level as an artistic simulation of reality. The final results are pleasing, and artistic if executed tastefully. Besides being a Modeler and Historian, I am also interested in other academic disciplines, such as Political Science, Art, Archeology , and Thomistic Philosophy. I grew up visiting Museums, to such a degree that I always knew I just had to build one myself, with no admissions and conditions, and with no rules. For me, building armored models cannot exist without historical knowledge, History enhances people, and people cannot improve their lives without it. This philosophy is reflected in everything I have created. As one walks in the environment of a Museum, Art blends gracefully with history, one feels the elegant historical greatness and architecture, with it’s marbles, it’s bronzes, it’s translucent glass, the gravity of the gothic form and the sumptuousness of scientific technological breakthroughs and historical art, one feels the glory of it’s history. The greatness and the heroism, in this century of materialism, My models stand out as a shinning light of historical significance. In this atmosphere of history and greatness, one of the most important WWII armored fighting vehicle website awaits you, a website that will be remembered, it is the reward of an Epic. signed: Robert “Fields of Armor” McGuire. (the AUTHOR)
