An Interview with Sheperd Paine, Master Modeler
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- Shep Paine is renowned among the modeling and miniature community, made famous through his remarkable dioramas featured in Monogram plastic kits in the 70s and 80s. This is an audio interview made in the mid 2000s, now available on CZcams. Brought to you by Mind Niche and Studium Magazine.
Shep was a good friend of my dad, Bob Letterman. My dad passed away last year and we still have a couple of Shep's dioramas.
Just watched the video of your father's last unfinished diorama. His dioramas were just amazing as well.
I'm 62 now, and the main reason that I'm still into model building today is Shep Paine's influence.
I was 13 in 1973, and - like so many boys in Junior High at the time - was seriously thinking about getting out of model building. But I decided that I would build one more kit, and went to K-Mart to get one. I settled on the Monogram 1/32 scale Panzer IV partly because of the pictures of Shep Paine's diorama on the side. But when I saw the Diorama Tip Sheet inside, it gave my interest a shot in the arm. My dad cut me a 1' square piece of plywood, gave me some spackle, and the rest as they say was history! I owe Mr. Paine a real debt of gratitude for that.
Sadly, I never got to meet The Man, himself. But I joined IPMS Gateway Chapter when I was 15, and I got to meet Bob Letterman. A few years later, Mr. Letterman introduced me to Francois Verlinden, who was visiting the local hobby shop one day I was there.
Thanks for posting this interview. This is literally the first time I've heard Mr. Paine speaking.
If you don't have a copy of this man's book, "How to build dioramas", get one. No matter what it takes. This is one of the true masters of the hobby.
I have an old copy, started me doing dioramas.
The diorama king. RIP Shep.
Shep is responsible for my vast model collection. The man was a tremendous influence on me. Those pamphlets in monogram kits were fascinating so much so I've collected them all.
Thanks, Warren. Here’s a link to some of his pamphlets I managed to scan or find online some time back. www.studium.com/interviews/painefotos.html
Everything that is the hobby of scale plastic modelling today owes its lineage to Shep Paine. He’s the one that started it all.
It was Sheperd Paine, François Verlinden, and Ray Anderson who inspired me to model the diorama when I was twelve years old. I never stopped. Thanks for sharing. Cheers ~ Boomer.
I used to buy model tank kits from Monogram and would try to create dioramas as suggested by Shepard Paine starting in the early 1970's. I really admired his work and learned so much from him. I once won a model diorama contest when I was about 11 or 12 years old by following his instructions that were included with the model tank kit. The model tank I had built for the contest was a World War II German Flakpanzer tank.
I got lucky to meet him at Montreux miniature show in Switzerland a few years ago. He was invited as a guest Star with Bill Horan ! Two modeling masters at a time I actually could meet, how fortunate I was to get answers to a few painting techniques I had and how nice and humble these guys are... He was such an inspiration, too early gone...
Wonderful interview of a creative genius, Sheperd Paine. Generations of modelers around the world are indebted to Shep for his inspirational work and instructional insights. Thank you.
Great video
My first was the Monogram Patton Tank. The kit was a dream to build and the fascinating booklet by Shep Paine included hooked me into building as a kid. I can remember the photo of the Patton model box top had one of the tracks on backwards
YES! OMG I forgot all about that ! I remember catching it at the time.
As a teenage kid in the UK ,making models in the 70s ,seeing Shep Paine's dioramas in the US model magazines was magical. I still remember the Tamiya Hanomag diorama. Thanks Shep.RIP.
One of the greatest influence in my modeling building life as a teenager to the present day.
The greatest influence on my model building life
"Keep it fun" - Best advice for the hobby.
When I started building and painting Historex models over 50 years ago Shepherd Paine was an inspiration. I still look at his figures in awe and admiration.
I’m very grateful for Shep having many of his techniques and incredible works published. Even those that follow us have access to that inspiration.
I still have several of the diorama pamphlets from the Monogram kits-- the kits not having survived as long! Made me realize this was indeed a "serious" hobby!
Thankfully my Mom was able to laminate those Monogram Pamphlets. They are a treasure to this day. I still marvel at the B-17 example you show. I also love the Wirbelwind captured at Arnhem.
I have had his book "How to Build Dioramas" since I was a kid and love it. He was a tremendous influence in my young life and I'm still amazed by his work.
Cannot agree with you more, D. The pamphlets, his book, the man...pure inspiration.
This is wonderful, I really wish I could have met him.
I’d like to have met him, too, Stanley. He made such a profound effect on the modeling community in his day.
I assure you, he was a wonderful fellow. Aand old-school Renaissance Man.
*An old-school...
Thanks for this. As a child I watched Mr. Roger’s neighborhood and the opening had a miniature neighborhood. I’ve been building ever since and Shep was a huge influence.
I used to stare for hours at those incredible diorama brochures as a kid.
Thanks for your comment. I still do occasionally!
I met Mr. Paine at a hobby store event in Toronto (Hornet Hobbies to be exact) and listened intently as he gave a highly informative seminar on his models, methods, and overall philosophy of model building. He very kindly autographed several of the books he had authored and was very pleasant to speak to.
My first exposure to his work was in, of all places, Sports Illustrated specifically the article 'It's a Small World/Jan 5 1976' which talks about the hobby of scale model building and how Shep Paine was one of its exceptional practitioners. At the event, I mentioned this to him and he jokingly commented that while being far from an athlete he had made it into SI while his varsity classmates had not!
Great interview - do you have more?
Thanks, Vince, for your informative comment! I envy you for having met the man in person. My life has placed me all too frequently where he wasn't. However, I'm honored to have touched base with him by phone and arranged this interview so many years ago.
More? This is my only model-related interview on CZcams. Others, though, include a micro-miniature book publisher (Barbara Raheb) and a renowned paleontologist (Dr. Robert Bakker).
Cheers!
The pamphlet you held up in the intro with the B-17 largely influenced my direction for model making, and to hear that it was most likely done in a week is astounding. Thank you so much for sharing this interview, it was very informative and a neat insight into the life of someone I've never met, but who had a profound influence on my love of the hobby,
Cheers, Brett.
He sounds so much like Richard Nixon for those of us old enough to remember him.
Great interview. Cheers.
I didn't build armor during the Monogram heyday, but since that time I found Shep to be an inspiration and leading light. That P-61 in a week amazes us all.
I agree! He was the Beatles of modeling.
Bought many a series of armor kits and made dioramas because of him l. Great man and great artist.
Shep was a good friend of my father and I. He really inspired me to create.
I envy you! It was his work for Monogram that inspired so many of us to stretch farther.
@@mindniche8736 Same here. He also did quite a bit of sculpting for the Franklin Mint. He also ran a military collector show in South Bend Indiana. It was one of the better shows in the Midwest.
@@mindniche8736 - also, if you had the chance to meet him, he'd probably done your interview as his guest at Gino's East. He was a big fan of Chicago style deep dish pizza.
@@TheSuperMegaFox - Pity it was done by phone from my home at the time in LA. Would've loved a couple of slices over techniques!
The "GRAND POBA" one of the reason why I love the hobby so much.
Paine with Verlinden was my reference modeller
Thank you Dennis 👍
His Alamo diorama was awesome .
Gold
I had stopped building kits for some time. I picked up his book on dioramas and haven't stopped since.
That's terrific, Scott! Shepard was, in my opinion the trailblazer into what could be done with plastic models and their display in vignettes and dioramas. His books are an inspiration to us all!
Dang ! P -61 dio in a week !
I'd need an I.V. to even attempt to keep up with him.
the panzer grenadiers jumping from the half-track....
I still have a letter reply he sent me when i was very young. I am 60 now.
We had him do a couple of seminars on figure painting. He was an interesting character and had plenty of tales. He's really missed in the modeling community.