Post by viscount on Jan 25, 2018 16:07:15 GMT 1
The plastic modeling world has recently been mourning the death of pioneer and prolific producer of plans and decals, Richard Ward who died on 11th November 2017. What the obituaries in the 'glossy' modelling magazines have omitted is that Dick was brought up on Merseyside and was an early member of the 'Merseyside Group of Aviation Enthusiasts' in 1956 and also the R.O.C. It was membership of these groups that cultivated his interest in aviation, colour schemes and markings that became a lifetime passion. Indeed it was in the MGAE's monthly newsletter in early 1960 that appear the first comments on plastic kit construction and reviews of new kits appear. Shortly after the first plans showing colours and the position of markings. Types covered varied greatly from the initial Spitfire 9 article through Defiant NFs, Mosquito FB6, RAF Dakotas, A-36A Invader (early RAF P-51A Mustangs), P-38 Lightning with RAF, Tempest 5, Beaufighters, prototype Sea Fury through to F-102A Delta Dagger, Army Beaver AL.1 and EE Lightning F.1. His work always signed-of with signature 'RLW'.
The early work for the MGAE has none of the quality and precision, but plenty of the detail, which became a hall-mark of his work, mainly because the available technology then was simply not upto the task. Those of you around then will know that drawing plans onto a Gestneter skin was a task best avoided. It was a difficult enough to get reasonable typing to printing from a Gestneter stencil without drawing onto a skin - effectively creating lines of tiny holes in a wafer thin waxed paper without cutting through. I know I used to have to do it - the skill of Gestneter (and spirit) duplicating died very quickly with the widespread introduction of the photocopier (late 70s?). With the MGAE and then MSAE (Merseyside Society of Aviation Enthusiasts) he continued to provide information on a regular basis. From January 1963 it became much easier to reproduce plans when the Society changed to RankXerox offset litho printing, using a plate made directly from original artwork rather than cutting a stencil. The final contribution that I can locate in MSAE's 'Flypast' is in October 1964 dealing with the Mirage IIIR.
I suspect I never met Dick Ward, as by the time I became involved in the MSAE and attended Air Britain meetings in the Stork Hotel in the later '60s he had long left Merseyside. However my aeromodelling days were inspired and influenced by his later magazine work, drawings and decals.
My thanks to George Jones for recently reminding me that RLW's writing on all matters plastic aeromodelling started here on Merseyside with the MGAE, something I was well aware of, but had failed to notice the omission in obituaries I had seen which tend to commence from his move down south during 1962. I hope this puts that right.
The early work for the MGAE has none of the quality and precision, but plenty of the detail, which became a hall-mark of his work, mainly because the available technology then was simply not upto the task. Those of you around then will know that drawing plans onto a Gestneter skin was a task best avoided. It was a difficult enough to get reasonable typing to printing from a Gestneter stencil without drawing onto a skin - effectively creating lines of tiny holes in a wafer thin waxed paper without cutting through. I know I used to have to do it - the skill of Gestneter (and spirit) duplicating died very quickly with the widespread introduction of the photocopier (late 70s?). With the MGAE and then MSAE (Merseyside Society of Aviation Enthusiasts) he continued to provide information on a regular basis. From January 1963 it became much easier to reproduce plans when the Society changed to RankXerox offset litho printing, using a plate made directly from original artwork rather than cutting a stencil. The final contribution that I can locate in MSAE's 'Flypast' is in October 1964 dealing with the Mirage IIIR.
I suspect I never met Dick Ward, as by the time I became involved in the MSAE and attended Air Britain meetings in the Stork Hotel in the later '60s he had long left Merseyside. However my aeromodelling days were inspired and influenced by his later magazine work, drawings and decals.
My thanks to George Jones for recently reminding me that RLW's writing on all matters plastic aeromodelling started here on Merseyside with the MGAE, something I was well aware of, but had failed to notice the omission in obituaries I had seen which tend to commence from his move down south during 1962. I hope this puts that right.
