“Bowerhouse: Martin Bower’s Model
World”
(Volume 1)
Published by SFM:UK
https://scifimodels.org.uk/
32 pages (including covers); illustrated with
many large photographs.
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This is a very interesting, independent, niche publication that I’ll
definitely be keeping an eye on. I hadn’t heard of it, just a month
ago: but based on Volume One, and the sneak peek of what’s in store
for Volume Two, the Bowerhouse title’s already on my short, “buy
every issue” wish list.
The publication’s main idea is: fill up a single, magazine-like
publication with nothing but articles by a single model-builder. No ads.
No editorials. Just pure content.
And not by just any random model builder, mind you: but by a world-famous
professional modeler, who’s been making models for movies and TV
shows and the like, going back nearly four decades. And Mr. Bower’s
still at it, even today! Considering how many (physical) model-making
jobs were lost, globally, in the special effects industry, when computerization
took over: well, the man’s talent is legendary in some circles.
I have to admit that I bought my copy, online, mostly sight-unseen:
with my fingers half-crossed that I wouldn’t be too disappointed.
What I mean is: while I had no doubt that it would have some content I’d
like – Bower’s
one of my three all-time, favorite sci-fi builders / writers; along with
David Merriman and David
Sisson – I didn’t know how much content there would be.
Point blank: the thing looked to be pretty thin, in terms of overall page-count,
from what I could see online. And as it turns out, if you don’t
count the covers, it’s only 28 pages long. And the price tag didn’t
escape my notice, either. At over seventy cents a page, yes, I was worried
I’d be disappointed.
However, I need not have worried. Right from the introduction, the book
grabbed my imagination and sense of wonder. Which was pleasant, but also
rather unexpected – since Mr. Bower’s one of my all-time favorite
builders and writers, and I’ve collected articles by him and others,
for years. If a long-time, somewhat jaded, fairly-hardcore scale modeling
reader, such as myself, can walk away saying “Wow!” …
well, I envy the unsuspecting youngsters who find one of these books amongst
their holiday gifts!
As I said, the intro alone was a “grabber,” for me. He
sounds like he’s managed to work for thirty-plus years in a brutally
competitive industry, without ever losing the “Ooh, ooh; that design
looks sssoooooo cool; I just have to build a model of that!” feeling
that many kids have. (And that they all too often get talked out of –
rather than sticking with that goal, and working towards it, a little
at a time: making our hobby grow!)
There was an interesting section called, “Ask Martin,”
too. Questions by fans of his, basically. With answers that reinforced
that feeling of a kid, owning a candy store; and realizing just how lucky
of a kid he was, to be in that position. That was wonderful!
The main part of the publication breaks down into three very large articles:
one each, about Martin’s “Battlecruiser” (as seen in
“Space: 1999”); his “Meteor” spaceship from the
(sadly, unproduced) “Starguard” TV series; and one I’d
never heard of, until now: an All-Terrain Vehicle design, allegedly for
use on manned Mars missions.
I’m a fan of “take your time, and tell it the way you feel
it needs to be told” articles, anyway – but even so, each
of these was a treat for me. Not necessarily in the same way, either;
surprisingly. The BattleCruiser article explained how the model was built,
and was interesting in that sense; but it was also infused with a sense
of just how wildly cool it is to be both mechanically inclined and artistically
driven; and just how lucky a person like that is, to find that others
like their creations enough to buy them.
The Meteor model I’d already seen, in a sense: there was an article
about that one in an early issue (#19, from 1998) of Modeler’s Resource.
However, that one was “only” three pages long; in black-and-white;
and on non-glossy paper. This one’s six pages long; it’s all
color, on glossy pages, and the photos are much larger. It makes a difference.
The Mars ATV is an interesting exercise in taking any household items
that can be glued together, and using one’s imagination and sense
of wonder to see and use those shapes in new ways. (The core of the model
is a plastic vacuum cleaner’s housing!)
Throughout, I had the sense that Martin does what he does, just because
he’s always been wired that way. I think he’d be making boatloads
of cool models, even if movie people weren’t throwing money at him.
To me, that idea was an almost-unbelievably cool and inspiring messages:
that an artist and craftsman doesn’t always have to “grow
up,” put their dreams aside, and “get a real job”. That
maybe other options can still exist. There’s certainly worse messages
that could be sent to today’s youth!
Grab your copy while you can: any independent publication is bound to
be in shorter supply than mainstream publications, which have a guaranteed
subscriber base and many advertisers, to pay their bills and the staff’s
salary. From what I’ve heard, it’s already on its third print
run, trying to keep up with above-average reader demand!
Definitely, highly, recommended! Thanks to my wallet for the review
sample.
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