Bowerhouse: Martin Bower's Model World
By Ward Shrake
“Bowerhouse: Martin Bower's Model World”
(Volume 2) Published by SFM:UK
32 pages (including covers). Illustrated with many large color photographs.
£7.50 – Available through SFM:UK
As I said in my earlier review of the first volume of this publication: “This is a very interesting, independent, niche publication that I'll definitely be keeping an eye on… 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.”
I mentioned the book's cost, last time around. Although I had doubts back then – this being before I had purchased that first volume! – that I'd get my full (cheapskate's!) money's worth, I'd now like to emphasize that I think the publication is an excellent value, all around. Now that I've seen both of the first two volumes I'm not going to even blink, next time around – I'm gonna just get out my wallet, and wait by the mailbox!
Anyway, this second volume is basically cover-to-cover words and color photos, telling sci-fi and fantasy modellers about three models made by Martin Bower.
If I counted correctly, the pages break down thus: the front and back covers; the inside front cover (mostly blank); the inside back cover (tantalizing teasers of which four models will be featured in volume three); one page for the contents; a two-page intro that has a large (more than a page) picture of Martin (and one of his other models) along with a half-page of so of words by Martin (about volume two and the series as a whole).
The “meat” is an eight-page article about one model; a seven-page article about another model; three pages of “Ask Martin” (a cool feature where fans can write to him and ask questions); and a seven-page article about a third model.
Not a whole lot of overhead, really. Every page of this publication is some kind of content directly related to one well-known, professional modeller's output.
The three featured models, this time around, are an original design for a small fictional spacecraft (which Martin calls a Moonbus); the “Hawk” spacecraft which Martin built for use in the 1970s TV show, Space: 1999 (it's a fan-favorite design); and another vehicle which fans of 1960s English TV shows favor: the Sidewinder ground vehicle, as seen in the Thunderbirds episode, “Pit of Peril”.
I suspect that “Building My Version of a Moonbus” will be a big encouragement to folks that tend to look around at everyday objects, and see the raw potential for use in other ways. Not just anyone can take a Goblin upright vacuum cleaner, an audio cassette rack, some disposable razor blade handles, a plastic shower head, some kit bits and sheet plastic, and end up with a nice-looking little spacecraft model. Martin makes it look easy and natural – and what's more, like something that's both fun to do, and worth doing.
“Building the Hawk from Space: 1999” is an interesting article, even if you're not a fan of that cult TV show. (I'm not very familiar with the show: having only seen a few of those episodes, ages ago.) Fans of the show, though, should really check this article out! Martin talks about what he actually did, to design and build two copies (one larger than the other, for filming purposes) of this popular craft's design, back in the 1970s.
For those who don't know it already: the reason that's important to fans is that many folks have tried hard to reverse-engineer the exact details and/or construction methods used. (That show is hugely popular in some circles.) Sometimes, those fans can't agree on one another's research findings. Here's the builder, himself, explaining exactly what he did – with many color close-up photos of the larger of the two Hawks.
As a person who appreciates the value of using “Primary Sources” when doing research, that idea appeals to me. Further: there were a few model details altered by others, after Martin had handed in his two original Hawk models. Things that others did, which weren't a part of his original intentions. That was interesting to me – not just in the context of this one model, but in the larger context of how the film industry operates.
I found other anecdotes or mini-stories in that article, which I enjoyed. I felt they put a more personal touch on (film) history, as it were. Stuff like mentioning that some parts he used were not so much designed from scratch for that one craft – well, here's Martin's words: “In fact I'd built this bell jet for another model, but when I got the Hawk to make, I used this as it was ready and to hand and, most importantly, looked good.”
Or another one: “Photo 7 shows the underside of the nose and here you can see how I used the same mould several times. The half-egg-like shape was originally made to build Dione's Escape Capsule for The Last Enemy (Photo 7a) but the more ‘eagle eye' (no pun intended) among you will also have seen I used two of these half-egg vac-formed shapes as the ‘eyes' for the Sidon ships in Voyager's Return!”
All in all, I suspect fans of that cult-beloved 1970s show and its fictional vehicles will probably find this volume's cover price is a fair deal, for this one article alone – with the two other articles perhaps thrown in as sort of important added bonuses!?
After a three-page “Ask Martin” intermission – which had some other interesting and fun info – there's the final article: “Building the Sidewinder from Thunderbirds”.
That article interested me in several ways. It's neat to know that Martin still, even after decades of building models professionally, feels like a fan of certain shows. You can definitely tell he has affection for what he's doing: not just doing it to pay bills. It's very cool to see that someone is doing something they love ... because they love it!
All good things must come to an end, of course … but it's nice to see (on the inside rear cover) that “Next time in Bowerhouse” there will be four other nifty models featured: the Firefly and Recovery Vehicle designs from Thunderbirds; the Orion spacecraft from the 2001 film; and the Liberator from the Blake's 7 TV series. Coolness!
As I said last time: “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.” Even so, I may have under-estimated the follow-up's popularity? As it turns out, I failed to act immediately when this second volume came out, and I apparently missed the first print run or something?! (Volume two went into back-ordered status or something, for a few weeks or so.) All I know is that I had to wait a while to get another chance at it. But get it I did … and I'll try to act more quickly, when the third Bowerhouse volume appears!
Highly recommended. Thanks to my wallet for the review sample.