Miniature Ship Models is the first comprehensive history of how the 1:1200 scale and its 1:1250 continental equivalent became accepted as the modern standard for miniature ship models. The origins can be traced back to the first years of the twentieth century and their use as identification aids by the military during the First World War, but when peace came the manufacturers aimed their increasingly sophisticated products at collectors, and acquiring, modifying or scratch-building miniature ship models has been an avidly pursued hobby ever since. This book charts the commercial rise and fall of the manufacturers, and the advancing technology that produces ever more detailed and accurate replicas. The author—himself a lifetime collector and builder of models—looks at the products of each manufacturer, past and present, rating their quality and suggesting why some are regarded as more collectible than others. But the book deals with more than off-the-shelf models, covering subsidiary issues like painting, modifying and diorama settings, and is illustrated throughout with many of the finest examples of the genre. The combination of fascinating background information with stunning visual presentation will make this book irresistible to any collector or enthusiast.

Paul Jacobs, a skilled model maker, is an editor for the ship modeling website Steelnavy.com and is the owner of a large collection of ship miniatures.

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"I was highly impressed by the quality of the production of Paul Jacobs' new book on 1250-scale ships, with its clear and sharp color photo reproduction.Paul is the most qualified person around to write a history and guide to collecting, modifying, and painting these tiny gems, which are today very often more precisely detailed than their cousins in larger scales. The book is much more than just an introduction to all aspects of the 1250 collecting hobby, however, since Paul is himself a designer and builder of top-rated 1250-scale ship models as well as managing the hobby's standard web page on the subject. In every possible way, his book is an outstanding production, and one hopes that it will sell enthusiastically not only to those with an interest in the hobby but also to those who find that they might be interested in getting into collecting and/or building the models." —A.D. Baker III