Building and Improving
Vacuum-Formed Model Aircraft
by E. Richard Staszak
Kalmbach Publishing
ISBN 0-89024-047-7
52 pages, with many black-and-white photographs and drawings.
“The one and only purpose of this book is to take the mystery out
of vacuum-formed modeling,” the book’s inner jacket says.
“You’ll also discover that vacuum-formed kits can be just
as much fun to build as any other type, and how they can greatly expand
your modeling horizons.”
I found this book to do exactly that, and to do it well. I was quite
pleased.
While the book mainly focuses on how one would take the raw parts found
in any store-bought vacu-formed aircraft kit, and build them up into a
completed scale model, there were a wealth of common-sense tips that could
be applied to super-detailing efforts or other “Beyond Out-of-Box”
build-ups. (And not only of scale model aircraft.)
This book is actually an Oldie-but-a-Goodie (copyright 1984) not a
new release. I wanted to review it now, anyway, as sort of a tie-in piece
to go with the article I wrote for this issue which talks about how you
can build yourself a very cheap, simple, and portable vacu-forming machine
… but that didn’t talk much about the specific “how
to” of using that machine to make your own vacu-formed parts. So
in a sense I’m cheating by referring you to this book: but then
again, why reinvent the wheel?
This older book may be a little hard to find, these days, (except
on the internet) -- but I feel you’ll find it worth the effort
even if you’re just considering sort of slowly-and-gently dipping
a toe in the waters of vacu-forming.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to my wallet for the review sample.
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