Waterline Warships: An Illustrated Masterclass

Philip Reed, best known for his superb models of ships from the age of sail, here turns his attention to the other highly popular subject for ship modelers - the warships of the Second World War.

The book is a step-by-step manual for building a scratch waterline model of the Ca Class destroyer HMS Caesar, the sistership of Cavalier now on display in drydock at Chatham Historical Dockyard. These emergency built ships were launched between 1943 and 1945 and Caesar herself was to see action in 1944 on the Russian convoys and then in defense of the Western Approaches.

The model presented in the book is built to the scale of 16ft to the inch and is designed to be displayed as a waterline model in a diorama. Every aspect is covered from the construction of a bread and butter hull through to the the details of camouflage, bridge, funnel, mast, the 4.5in, Hazemeyer and Oerlikon guns, boats, davits, depth charge gear, torpedo tubes, searchlights, vents and lockers,and the sea itself.

Ship’s plans and a picture gallery at the end of the book devoted to a whole array of the author’s WWII model warships complete the book. More than fifty years of modeling experience is passed on through wise and practical advice and thus each page will be of the utmost value to scratch builders and to any kit builders who may be setting out to construct a model of a WWII warship.

Phil Reed is a professional model maker who has built models for clients in North America and Europe. His work also includes restoration projects for leading galleries and museums. 

After studying Fine Art and Photography he found his true vocation in ship model building, eventually abandoning a teaching career to concentrate full time on his model work. 

His latest work, Building a Miniature Navy Board Model, gives readers a step by step guide to creating these magnificent models.