You absolutely must be the calmest, most patient man on the face of the earth! I sincerely hope these splendid models are preserved for the world to see.
I have buily many wood kits in my younger days but never ti the realism that Mr Reed makes them. I am In awe as tko how he makes these as scratch built! His knowledge and dedication are inspiring! Thank yoh for sharing these videos!
Beyond museum quality, more than works of art!!! As a builder (maker) of models my self, I might just give up after seeing this, but I won't. Superb and excelent are not good enugh words to describe what I just saw. Thank you for what you do, it is an inspiration.
*I WAS 500 HOURS INTO THE BULD OF HMS VICTORY* when I moved house - it vanishedz in the move - that was 25 years ago, I am still traumatised to this day over it...
Now shes cursed to sail the seas by moonlight, never alive but not quite dead. HMS Victory and the Flying Dutchman. May she find rest some day deep in the watery depths or some random landfill, whichever she meets first.
What an amazingly talented man. I'm pleased with my self when my Airfix or Tamiya model kit ends up looking neat and without fingerprints or scratches! The effort and detail Philip puts in to his work is mind-blowing. I could watch hours of these videos.
I was luck enough to know a few old timers like him back in the 60’s. I use to try building air plane models in full scale out of balsa wood. under 25” wing span and Co-2 powered. I tried building to Campbell scale wood ships rev war took me 5-6 years to build one ship.
This is amazing. Your collection needs a safe place in order to be displayed to the general public if anything should happen to you. They are too good to loose.
When an individual as skilled and talented as he is, talks of others with such high praise and thanks you are glimpsing a genius who recognises others equally talented and gifted listening to him speak is as captivating as watching the video of his work. Thank you for sharing.
These models are beautiful! And the way you speak of model building and your passion for it, also beautiful. Even the pictures of your workplace with all your tools and the pieces you've made prior to installing them on the model, those photographs are art! :) Thanks for sharing!
When I was about 13 my father took me to the British Museum and I spent most of the day looking at the ship models, some of which dated back to the 17th century. Philip Reed should be commended for his contribution to this wonderful art form.
Good for you, my father introduced me to the hobby when I was about your age,lm 73 now, still modelling, making mistakes, learning, it never ceases to be of interest.
*I WAS 500 HOURS INTO THE BULD OF HMS VICTORY* when I moved house - it vanished in the move - that was 25 years ago, I am still traumatised to this day over it... It was about half done and it had taken me about 5 years.
You now shine brighter than the sun, and you sure have brought a ray of light into my life. Art comes in many forms, and your one is one of the best. Love your models.
Oh snap, having an actual part of the ship as part of the model is extreme attention to detail. I'm looking at this video since i want to make a ship model myself. Not this detailed, i'm far to rubbish at finding good resources to work from. And i actually want less detailed since i plan to use it for wargaming. But this is the sort of stuff that inspires, and the excellency of the models is great. Is the cannons cast? They sort of looked like it. Sitting in the box of bitz.
Fascinating work - what patients you must need. At one point where it showed the sails, i thought for just a moment i was looking at the the original ship.
Amazing man, a true artist and philosopher. I would love to see a film about him on BBC4. More people need to know about him. As for the model, it would be great to know about how he carves the figurehead and stern. I have built plastic sailing ships and this vid inspires me to go back and improve them!
Inspirational! I spent months meticulously assembling a plastic model of “ old Ironsides “ I shutter to consider the difficulty in the level of artistry he has raised model building..
Your passion and work is just exceptional. But you already knew that. I'm still trying to finish the 1/4 scale model kit of the Ducatii 1299 that I bought 3-ish years ago... And that's a kit.
What a remarkable modeler this Philip Reed is. This type of modelling is rare indeed. There is an Achilles heel to this level of achievement. If one does not live perpetually on the edge of poverty in providential isolation, this level of craftmanship can never be achieved. It must be born out of the soul at any cost.
It's not really isolation, if you think about it - one just decides to not invest time and energy keeping up with pop stars or shows on the TV, and you try to find some pastime you enjoy in all the free time you'll discover. I feel like I've known this guy a long time; I'm in agreement with everything he said. I wish him well; and everyone else who's a model builder, and agreed with him. One of my favorite sayings is "there's 2 ways to be rich; to earn more, and to desire less." One can knock one's self out, living in that "Rat Race." In the years since someone came up with that phrase, we've developed some pretty fast rats. I like that other saying about the subject, "Do what you love, and you will never have to work for a living." We're very much used to convenient goods; food and just about anything else. Try to step away from that as you try out that teacher's advice. Do it, the first thing tomorrow morning. Make something with your hands. Even if it's just breakfast. So when you get to where you can do that, find a hobby - or, better yet, reclaim one that you "thought you had grown out of." Don't be so worried about feeding yourself. A word about Zen; the satisfaction Mr Reed has mentioned isn't something that you can reach out and grab; it's more like an ocean wave, you grab it when you find it's going your way. If you ask a sailor(or a surfer), they'll tell you - if you buy 'em a beer - it's a skill and you can learn it. Make something with your hands; you'll feel better. Really.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn't call it genius. Genius is eternal patience." ― Michelangelo
Although I'm about two years younger than you, I share the same sentiments regarding my own genesis in working on model making....toy pressed metal cars and trucks from the 1920s and 1930s and right now in the middle of crafting a Polynesian double-hulled sea going vessel (from scratch). It's more a labor of love, a practice in patience, and a strong sense of personal accomplishment. I salute your ethic and your fine sense of craftsmanship. Best wishes.
I went to tech school for commercial art, photography, airbrush, and desktop publishing. Then I went to a liberal arts art school to study Graphic Design and Photography further. I was going while working full time as a graphic designer and digital retoucher with the skills I learned in tech school. The art students put their noses up at working graphic designers, as if they "sold out" just because they could pay their bills. (Many of them had their tuition and living expenses paid for by Mommy and Daddy.) I didn't make it in the Liberal Arts school. I was doing work for Disney and other very high profile entertainment companies and the school wouldn't let me attend part time to get my degree. I created hundreds of DVD covers, movie posters, and other things for high profile projects, none of which I got credit for, but I got paid for. That's ok. The art world i a crazy thing. I'm glad I wasn't really "in it", while I was in it working with super creative people.
No, you have a fire burning inside you and to the level that you will never live long enough to fully release it. You have almost certainly never known depression or anxiety. So amazing. If the rest of us could only have a small part of your interest and perfected craftsmanship, we would never give up as easily as we do. Good on you Phillip. Thank you for these videos. You are truly remarkable. //John in Oregon
My grandfather built models to train WWII RAF pilots in ship identification. Some of his models are in the Imperial War Museum. They were not highly detailed, as for the training, it was mostly the silhouette and shape that mattered most.
I began doing exactly this a number of years ago, taking a real boat plan and reducing the scale for working then gathering materials. I got as far as the keel and ribs of two boats before the benefits people began demanding that I find work. (I had been injured and was undergoing self-restoration via this wonderful art.) I have been unable until now, 21 years later, to reconsider starting again. One thing I did find that produced fantastic results was to shape the wood while imagining/believing i was using an adze on a full-size piece of timber. This prevented the result from looking 'small'!
The heart of this production is what he said about the pursuit of excellence for its own sake. 2:00 Happier and more fulfilled people indeed, Sir. Now that monetary reward is the first (and often only) priority, everything else suffers, when the truth is that if you seek excellence first, the fame, fulfillment and, yes, money, will usually follow...but it takes decades and "I WANT IT NOW!"
This level of craftsmanship rarely ever leads to economic prosperity, but rather, perpetual poverty while living on the edge of existence, in order to see the master model to fruition. It practically costs everything. The reward is a personal type of exclusive narcissism in the end. This is not to cast a shadow on the craft, but rather, reveal the true reality of the pursuit of perfection and excellence. Ironically, it is like an addiction that must be practiced for those who have the gift in order to stay numb with it. Otherwise, depression is the end game for those who neglect the obsession. Cheers.
Greetings MrPhilip Reed my name is Jeff Evans I live in Melbourne Australia I am not a shipbuilder or an aeroplane builder or a car builder I am a G scale model trains and one of the enjoyment I get out of my hobby is building things for myself over the years I’ve built a lot of bridges tunnel portals and buildings and I do get a lot of satisfaction how do what I do and my skills develop better and better each time I do thing and it helps my brain come up with designs and it works out well for me so I can understand your comment it is most rewarding yours Jeff Melbourne Australia
I love the touch of the capstan made from a treenail from the wreck of the Anne. I have a frame from the invincible wrecked in 1801....Hmmm what shall I do with it?
I DO MODELS LIKE PLASTIC REVELL MODELS, BUT NOT FROM SCRATCH, YOU SIR HAVE A GIFT FROM GOD. ANOTHER MASTER WAS BOB ROSS. MY NEIGHBOR DOUG IS ANOTHER ONE. ALL MEN OF PEACE. I'M GLAD MY EYES HAVE SEEN SUCH MEN. OF COURSE THERE WAS JULIA CHILD AND OTHER LADY'S ON PBS. NO TELLING WHAT TALENT WAS LOST BY THE EVIL OF OTHER MEN IN WARS. AMEN
I wish my son would take up a hobby like this,Nice kid couldn't ask for better but kids today are to wrapped up in video games and nothing can stimulate your imagination like working with your hands and especially working on models of any sort in fine detail.
people need to come back to being able to do quality work. America is pathetic and has devolved to substandard quality from what I have seen in models. people spend hours and hours at worthless things every day. I have been criticized by some for my passion at modeling on a high level. modelers need to be appreciated more as most people can't do it to a high standard.
As a side note I think it's so interesting when he said that the college program that he was in the art program there was no expectation that you would be able to earn a living with that degree or education which by the way was the original design of universities and colleges the original University system was designed for Aristocrats and rich people to send their children to so that they could become well-rounded well-read educated men and women of the world and then when you got your degree you would go back home and run the family Factory or live off your family's Fortune there was never an expectation that you graduate and then go use your degree to earn a living and sadly that model never modernized for most universities which is the reason we find yourself in the situation that we're in where we have millions of college-educated young people who cannot get a job or are working at fast food with a four-year college degree because they studied a program that was never designed for you to use to earn a living with just an interesting side thought not relevant to his video or the Artistry that he performs I just thought it was a very interesting side note that he brought up when he was telling his origin story
Absolutely exquisite , thank you for producing these videos. I have two of your books, The building a Miniature Navy Board Model, and Modelling Sailing Men-of-War. Question...how do you decide what scale you want to build a particular subject?
These videos are a gem and an inspiration. Thank you for posting them! Philip is indeed a humble and intelligent craftsman (as Doron mentioned in another comment).
I'm having a periodic return to these informative and charming video's. Couldn't help but notice your generous reference to one of my previous comments. Then I was struck by your name (Alex), spooky, that's also my real name! Take care and enjoy life.
Well done fella ! I found exactly the same book in mumbles library in 1992 and learned the Harold Underhill method just as you did I've made 4 models whilst also bringing up a family but all things are worth doing, family are grown up ,will make a few more models now rock on Harold Underhill
Thanks for uploading. Amazing work. I've come to valve amplifier building late in life, it's a hobby that involves detail though not as intricate as Philip's work. It's kept me sane and helped turn my life around. I'd advocate anyone taking up a hobby, you won't regret it.....DA.
This is a ridiculously fascinating video. I think I'll try my hand at some from scratch models, I work on some airfix type things (mostly WW2 aircraft) but this is so mutch more impressive.
Was für ein wunderbares Talent dieser Mann besitzt.So filigrane Kunstwerke herstellen zu können bewundere ich sehr.Mir würde vieles mißlingen und so verlöre ich schnell die Lust daran und würde deshalb auch schlechte Laune entwickeln.Ein großer Handwerker und Künstler.👍👍👍
For us that are not bi-lingual Translation is: Napoleon l Empereur 2 days ago (edited) What a wonderful talent this man has. To be able to produce such filigree works of art I admire very much. I would fail many things and so I quickly lose interest in it and would therefore also develop a bad mood. A great craftsman and artist. Community Verified icon
Thanks so much for sharing, absolutely fascinating seeing such works of art, you really are a true professional. Looking forward to your future videos, hopefully one will explain how you create such amazingly realistic sea.
