WardEss Posted June 17, 2025 Report Posted June 17, 2025 Hi all. I'm looking for another specific old scale modeling book, about vacuum-formed kits. This book is by a UK author named Hugh Markham. The book is called "Scale Model Aircraft from Vac-Form Kits" I've never seen this particular book, in person, but I understand it is a lot more common in places like the UK; rather than the USA, where I live. I doubt that I could easily afford postage from the UK, on this book (?) so I'm hoping someone in the USA has a copy they would part with. My understanding is that the book is only about 50 or 60 pages long, and it's probably all in black-and-white, as far as photos or drawings go. (Whoo-hoo for going full-blown "Old School" with a portion of my scale modeling library!?) I looked the book up on Amazon dot com ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0905418344/ ... and they acknowledge / realize that the book exists, but they almost never have a copy of that 1978-ish book for sale. At least when I was looking, they didn't have any spare copies to offer. Amazon says the ISBN information for this book is: ISBN-10: 0905418344 ISBN-13: 978-0905418346 I had also tried the "Inter-Library Loan" process, via my local public library. No luck. Lots of copies available in the UK, but none in these United States, that any library here in the USA (at least that I am aware of) would agree to lending out. To put this request in more context -- I already have a lot of individual articles about the subject (assembling and detailing vacuum-formed kits) in old magazine back issues (FSM / FineScale Modeler, and others such as Scale Models) and I also have a copy of the book (at roughly the same length as Markham's) called "Building and Improving Vacuum-Formed Model Aircraft" by Kalmbach and author Richard "E. R." Staszak. I like that cool old book, and the info in places like that looks useful ... and I just got in another cool old book from this era, too ("Making Model Aircraft" by Bryan Philpott) ... but I find I want more than I already have. I'm getting more and more interested in "VacForm" kits and I love to read how-to information, so it's pretty natural for someone like me to want all of the books I can get, on subjects like this one. Even if it's sort of the same information, over and over, that's okay. (As long as the price of any new book or magazine back issue is something I can afford.) I'm just liking the "Old School Vibes" of how things were done back in the 1970's and 1980's, hence looking for more books from that era. This is kind of a time machine, for me: I can go back and find / build kits, now, that were once way out of my childhood "league" as a kit builder. If anyone here has a copy of "Scale Model Aircraft From Vac-Form Kits" that they would not mind parting with, and would sell to me for non-collector's prices -- (please!) -- just send me a PM (private message) on these forums, and I'll get back to you. Thanks much! -- Ward Shrake --
ghodges Posted June 17, 2025 Report Posted June 17, 2025 I don't have THAT particular book.... but I do have this one about vacs that is old, rare, and out of print that you might be interested in.... It's the John Burns Collectors Guide (price guide) for vacuform kits published back in 1984. If you're interested in it please EMAIL ME with your home address at: slowhandshodges@bellsouth.net and I'll mail it to you. Gil 1
WardEss Posted June 18, 2025 Author Report Posted June 18, 2025 Thanks bunches, Mister Gil, sir! Yes, I would definitely like to have that book you showed an image of, above! I sent you an email, as you requested, at the email address you listed above ...
noelsmith Posted June 30, 2025 Report Posted June 30, 2025 Ward, if you have not got it already there is another old style book published by MAP during the 70's in the UK that might be worth seeking out It is about scratch building Model Aircraft in Plastic by Harry Woodman. 1
WardEss Posted August 17, 2025 Author Report Posted August 17, 2025 On 6/30/2025 at 1:49 PM, noelsmith said: Ward, if you have not got it already there is another old style book published by MAP during the 70's in the UK that might be worth seeking out It is about scratch building Model Aircraft in Plastic by Harry Woodman. Yes, that's a good one, too! (I have a "real paper" copy, myself.) Someone scanned it in, apparently ... it's available over here: https://rclibrary.co.uk/download_title.asp?ID=1216
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