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Australian model maker Mike Bass of Cutting Edge Models talks about his new model of the Beagle
“I have been a professional model maker now for 28 years and have been fortunate to have worked in every fields of model making, architectural, film, advertising, maritime etc in the UK and in Australia.
My latest model, HMS Beagle is a 1:48th scale of the brig that transported Darwin on his epic journey of discovery. The model has been made for Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and will be one of the main features for its 2009, 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's ground breaking book On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection and the bicentenary of his birth.
The model took four months to complete and for me proved not only a challenge but a lot of fun. In the planning phase of the project I asked ‘do you want a nice shiny museum model or a display that looks like it's been at sea for a couple of months?’ Thankfully the weathered look was agreed on and so I created a model that told a story. This is not the first time I have done this. Two years ago I made for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, HMAS Sydney III ‘Vung Tau Ferry’. With this model I used historic imagery taken during the Vietnam War to create the diorama at 1:96th scale.
My aim with all my creations to tell a story and to create a snapshot of history.”