http://www.donaldmcnarryshipmodels.com/16.html
Michel
Just joking, I want to show you Donald Mc Narry’s models, and a model John Tilley has buit : Hancock. I hope, he won’t be angry, because I did not ask for his permission to post this picture.
Michel
No problem, Michel. I’ve posted links to that picture - in its residence at Drydock Models - so many times that I suspect many Forum participants are thoroughly sick of it by now.
That website full of McNarry photos is a real find. I’ve said before that, though I’m uncomfortable using superlatives and absolutes in the field of ship modeling, if I had to bestow the title “world’s best modeler” on anybody it probably would be Mr. McNarry. I don’t consider myself up to the task of sharpening his tools. His achievement in ship modeling is, almost by definition, incomparable - in terms not only of the amazing quality of his models but of the sheer breadth of his output. I have no idea how many models he’s built, but the total must be in the hundreds. They range from his “miniature Board Room models” to scenic waterline sailing vessels to twentieth-century warships and liners.
I’ve never been fortunate enough to meet Mr. McNarry, but I did have quite a bit of correspondence with him when I was working at the Mariners’ Museum. He started his model of the Hancock/Iris after I started mine - and got finished before I did. Such are the work habits of the professional modeler, who has to work to a rigorous schedule in order to make a living. I believe he built this particular model, though, as a gift for his wife, whose name is Iris - and is a distinguished ship modeler herself.
I was able to arrange for the museum to acquire one of Mr. McNarry’s smaller models - an English royal barge - and to set up the loan, for a few years, of several others. Just recently the North Carolina Maritime Museum, where our ship model club meets, acquired Mr. McNarry’s model of an American Civil War blockade runner. I found myself literally down on my knees for about fifteen minutes, staring at it. I suspect virtually any other ship modeler would have a similar reaction.
I know what you mean about being dumbstruck … I call myself a modeler, but I’m really just a very tiny bit past the “assembler” stage. When I see the work of some of the people in this forum, or an exceptional piece in a museum, I think, “These guys are the real modelers.”
I remember first seeing some of McNarry’s work when I was very young and telling myself that I’m going to build ships like that someday. Well, I still keep saying someday, maybe in my afterlife.
His attention to scale details is incredible.
Scott
One of the many astonishing things about the man’s achievements is the fact that his models come from a relatively modest workshop. Several pictures of it are on that website to which Michel has referred us. In the foreground of one of those pictures is an old Unimat SL machine tool. (I have one too; that’s about the only similarity I can claim.) I believe that’s the only power tool Mr. McNarry uses.
What strikes me is his broad range of subjects: wood, steam, diorama, frame cutaways, etc. He’s a master of a lot of of varied skills and construction techniques. Quite impressive.
BTW, John, if that full-hull Hancock in Michel’s second post is yours, then I would say that you are overy modest in your self comparison Mr. McNarry. That’s a mighty fine ship.
Andy
Hi,
Does anyone have or know how to get more photos of McNarry’s USS Kearsarge? The photo here shows only the back half of the ship. I’ve never seen a model of Kearsarge in the 1864 fit, only 1890s “as wrecked” fit. Beautiful work!
Thanks.
Weasel
I remember that Mr. McNarry was working on that Kearsarge model while I was working at the Mariners’ Museum - i.e., between 1980 and 1983. He sent me a query about the ship, and I was able to supply him with prints from a couple of photos that were in the Museum library. (I assume they’re still there.) I know he wrote an article about the finished model for Model Shipwright magazine. That must have appeared sometime in the early to mid-eighties. I’m afraid that’s all the help I can offer on that one.
Mr. McNarry sells most of his models, and doesn’t divulge most of his clients’ names. I have no idea where that model is now.
Like Weasel, I too was looking for a copy of that Model Shipwright article about Donald McNarry’s Kearsarge. I emailed a search request to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich yesterday afternoon, and – talk about fast response – had this reply in my inbox this morning:
Dear Mr Ayres,
Thank you for your enquiry. We do have back issues of this magazine and I have looked through the volumes covering 1980-1985. Although there are several articles by Donald McNarry, none of them appear to be about his model of USS Kearsage.
Best wishes,
Joanna Wood, Senior Library Assistant.
I had requested a search between 1980 and 1985; perhaps I should have asked them to look at issues later in the decade? Since Model Shipwright is a quarterly publication, it shouldn’t be that hard to find. I know the Mariners Museum has copies of the publication as well but according to their website, they charge $30 an hour with a one-hour minimum for research requests. One of the differences between a nonprofit museum and a tax-supported one, I guess.
I’m as sure as I can be that Mr. McNarry did an article about his Kearsarge model for Model Shipwright. Either this evening or over the weekend I’ll go through my back issues and see if I can find it.
I think part of the problem may be due to a spelling error. Quite a few people seem to omit the second R in Kearsarge.
As a former employee of the Mariners’ Museum I am utterly disgusted by its current policy regarding research fees. I don’t believe for an instant that those outrageous rates are necessary or justifiable in any sense. I suspect there are two actual reasons: (1) most of the people working there now don’t know how to do research, and (2) they just don’t want to be bothered.
Hmmm, there is a Model Shipwright index, 1972 -199?, maybe somebody in this forum has it?
What I’d like to do is to host J.Tilley’s pictures, so at least John, you can provide a link to your pictures. I think, that I still have pictures of Hancock, Bounty and Phantom.
Michel
Michel - If you’d host those pictures I’d be extremely grateful. I suspect lots of Forum members are sick of looking at them, but in several threads I’ve had occasion to refer to them. It would be great if we could gain access to them without having to jump over to Drydock Models. Many thanks.
The photos of the Bounty, Hancock and Phantom are, I’m afraid, the only ones I have. I work slow; the Hancock, for example, took me over six years. (That’s only one of the numerous differences between Mr. McNarry and me. His productivity boggles my mind.) The only other ship models I currently have in the house are a handful of 1/700 warships, which I don’t think would interest the Forum membership much. I built lots of sailing ships when I was younger, but I don’t have pictures of any of them - and at this point I’m not sure I’d want anybody to look at them anyway.
I’m currently working on a 1/96 Golden Hind, based on the antique Revell kit that I was able to acquire through the courtesy and generosity of our good friend Big Jake. My intention is to take some “in-progress” shots of that one - with the Pentax digital SLR I bought last summer.
I’ve got the Model Shipwright index and back issues out in the workshop; I’ll get out there today and look up Mr. McNarry’s Kearsarge article.
Dr Tilley, The Museum opened “The Nelson Touch” on October 21 last year (200th anniversary of Nelson’s death at Trafalfar) and included the barge you refer to. It is a magnificent piece of work and the first McNarry I’ve seen at close range.
Best,
Ron
OK, I have a new goal now. The thing that most amazes me is the scales. 1:384, and 1:192. To model to that detail level at those scales, wow! Respect, respect, respect. Detail at that level is humanly possible, so…once I develope the techniques, I should be able to come close. I’ve stated before, I stand in awe of this kind of skill, and then work to try to achieve it. I enjoy the challenge, however, I have no illusions about being able to do that kind of work, in THAT short a period of time!
“You don’t build models of ships…you build models of parts of a ship, and then assemble them into a finished product”. One step at a time, one detail at a time, it can be done. John, you are modest, I’ll work at getting to your level first, and then go on from there.
Pete
The pictures of Mr. McNarry’s Kearsarge model are in Model Shipwright No. 63 (March, 1988), pp. 68-70.
This isn’t exactly an article per se; it’s a contribution to the magazine’s regular feature “Photo Album,” which is how it’s listed in the table of contents. (That’s probably why the lady at the NMM missed it. I missed it myself on the first pass - but the ship’s name showed up in the annual index that appeared in the next issue. Sure enough, in the title and text the name is misspelled - though the model’s nameplate, with the name spelled right, is visible in one of the photos. The editor ran an apology for the goof in the next issue.)
Unfortunately there are only five photographs - the three that appear on the website that got this thread started, and two overall views.
Hi,
Thanks for that, but what “three” pictures on the site that started this thread? I only saw one, and that was an overhead view of the rear approximate half of the ship. Am I missing two? If so, can you direct me to them? Thanks much.
Weasel
Weasel - You’re right; my mistake. The senile old brain remembers odd bits of information about seventeen-year-old magazine articles, but has trouble with websites it looked at two days ago. Sorry about that.
I guess we did kind of hijack the McNarry thread. But I’m amazed at how hard it is to find information about the 1864 Kearsarge considering what a famous ship it was. I’ll bet there are lots of photos waiting to be discovered in France somewhere. A visit to Cherbourg, anyone?
I am awe-struck by McNarry’s work, which is even more incredible when you realize the small scales he works in. His replica water is masterful; when I first saw some of the images in the album I thought I had gone to the wrong link and was looking at photos of a real ship!
By the way,
pictures of John Tilley’s models are now hosted :
http://www.hmsvictoryscalemodels.be/johntilleygallery.htm
pictures of Bounty :
http://www.hmsvictoryscalemodels.be/JohnTilleyBounty/index.html
pictures of Hancock :
http://www.hmsvictoryscalemodels.be/JohnTilleyHancock/index.html
and pictures of Phantom :
http://www.hmsvictoryscalemodels.be/JohnTilleyPhantom/index.html
Thank you,
Michel