Sheperd Paine: The Life and Work of a Master Modeler and Military Historian

[Panzer]

Sheperd Paine: The Life and Work of a Master Modeler and Military Historian.
Any thought on this publication?

I myself was a little let down with the quality of the publication, some of the photography reproduction was rather poor and I also thought that the book was way over priced, quite normal for Schiffer publishing.

The interview aspect was OK but from what I hear from most modelers is that they would have preferred more on the modeler that that of the historian after all it was his modeling that projected him into the lime light!
Mrosko

Rating 6.5 out of 10

Mrosko

 

[Guy]

I got an issue for a Christmas present. I am into about page 30-35 so I cannot really give an opinion yet. From what I saw it is a very pricy book.

 

[Steve]

I thought it worth every penny but I am guilty of hero worship. Peter Schiffer died unexpectedly on Dec. 19 so maybe things will change there...maybe not.

 

[Nappy1]

Shep's Book

Simply the best book ever published on the hobby, and it's a lot more than just pretty photographs. In fact,the book is a relief from the tons of repetitve publications filled with boring step-by-step painting instructions and figures that look almost identical. If you want pretty picture books, there are plenty of them out there. But everyone in the hobby should relish this amazing in-depth look at how it all really started in the U.S. with one unselfish individual: Vignettes, dioramas, conversions, quality sculpting, artist composition, boxed dioramas, Historex figures, etc.

Considering Jim's very frank discussions with Shep, the total number of words and pages, the hundreds of good photographs, the ultra-qiuality paper by Schiffer, sidebars by well-known painters, insider revelaions about the hobby, and a sense of how and when the hobby turned to a quasi-art form, this is a tremendous buy... and it's no more expensive than one stock 80mm mounted kit.

Rating: An 11 out of 10!

 

[Nappy1]

Peter Schiffer

I for one hope Schiffer's death does not affect the tremendous value of their publications. Quality always costs and I don't see a lot of hesitation within the hobby to pay exorbitant prices for figures. Most books published today will yellow, chip and eventually disintegrate within 2 generations due to the cheapest possible paper on which they're printed. Schiffer has not only published the best quality books in terms of materials, but also produces nothing shoddy or ill-researched.

 

[Kevin D.]

Have to admit that I am enjoying it very much. Nothing new yet re: modeling (am about page 35 Guy lol) but just reading how it all came about makes for some very enjoyable reading.

The wife likes the book just because I am no longer telling her to turn out the lights so I can go to sleep LOL LOL

Just my two cents worth

Kevin D.

 

[Tarok]

Simply the best book ever published on the hobby, and it's a lot more than just pretty photographs. ....

Rating: An 11 out of 10!

LOL! No offense, but you sound a bit like a salesman for Schiffer

80USD is a bit steep for me though, and while I loved Shep's other 3 books and I'm sure this one is great (but seriously, the best ever published?!?) I'd rather spend less and buy a few more figures or one of those (as you call them) "boring repetitive" books with modelling techniques.

Rudi

 

[Nappy1]

Schiffer

Noit a shill for Schiffer. Just like quality and am willing to pay for it. So much out there is repetitive junk.

 

[Jimdero]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments on the Shep Paine book: It was a labor of love, and I am glad many of my fellow modelers are enjoying it! I did it because it was the book I wanted to have on my shelf; I'm thrilled it's winning a place on many of yours!

Chris, as for your comments, well, I'm a professional critic; you're entitled to your opinion, of course and absolutely, even if I disagree with it (especially about the photo reproduction). I respect your work a lot, and I hate to think of you being disappointed.

Did you actually buy the book? Or did you just flip through it?

If you bought it and feel that it really is only a 6.5 out of 10, I am happy to send you a check for $27.98, refunding 35 percent of what you paid -- that way, you'll have only paid 65 percent and will have gotten your 6.5 out of 10's worth! Just send me your mailing address (here or at [email protected]).

Believe me, Shep and I struggled with Schiffer to keep the cost as low as possible. These are tough times for everyone. But as a matter of perspective, I will once again point out that the $79.95 for this book is less than, say, the $89.98 for the new Land-Wasser-Schlepper from Bronco, or the $89.99 for that cool new 90mm German sniper by Andrea. And I daresay that despite the hours of pleasure either of those kits would give any of us, this book will be something we come back to much more often.

 

[Jeff]

Jim,

You and Shep have produced a wonderful book. I am just about through reading the book and I really like the interview style of the book. Nappy1 is right we did not need a new step by step book. This is a fine over view of Shep's work, and that it is what it is supposed to be.

As far as the photos go I do not see any problem with them. I have looked at some of the photos that have been published in the past and some of them look the same now some look better. A few seem a little grainer. One thing we may be seeing is the slides and film stock that the photos were taken with my not be as archival s they thought back in the 70's. This is a problem with some of the 70's film stocks just ask any one who restores films for a living. But none of this has taken away from my enjoyment of the book.
I think I would rather see a slightly grainy photo of an early work then to have no photo at all.

I have taken both Shep's painting class and was lucky enough to take his one and only sculpting class. That sculpting class was a joy and one of the best classes I have ever taken. It is a shame that he has never done another one. Shep once told me that the sculpting class was one of his proudest moments in the hobby. He loves to see his pupils go on to bigger and better things. I think Shep enjoyed that class as much as we all did. I went back a few years ago and had a friend cast up a copy of the bust I did in that class. I then finished and fixed the things that I had done wrong and painted it. It is still not perfect but I just wanted to fix the really glaring mistakes and take it to a more finished level. If there is one thing I hope Shep does again it would be that sculpting class. If he does I will be there in a heart beat.

This after noon I was looking at the book in a sun lit room and I did notice some of the photos had problems. Some were blown up from what must have been prints and the grain is noticeable. But over all what I really noticed was that some of these shots are ones that we have not seen before. Some of these shots seemed a little over exposed. But it got me thinking about how it was taking photos before the digital revolution. You would take photos and bracket exposures and hope for the best and you might only get one out of four that were publishable. For the purposes of this book I can see where they would want to include those photos. They might show a detail that was never seen before or illustrate a point made in the text. To tell you the truth it is amazing how much of Shep's work is documented considering the deadlines he was under at the time. Even with a digital camera there are times I am hard pressed to get photos of my work when I am working under a deadline. So I still say great book but I do understand Chris's points.

Best
Jeff