［自 己 紹 介］　　 

白井一信

[self-introduction]

I was born in Tokyo in 1951. I live in Yokohama and work for a bank. Needless to say, my main hobby is making wooden sailing ship models and I also enjoy gardening and yachting. I started making models when I was five years old. In those days there weren't any plastic models, so I used to make wooden airplanes and so on by carving with a knife. When I was about ten, the first plastic models were on the storefront. So I began to make tanks and airplanes during WW2. After that, I also enjoyed making radio-controlled models such as boats, yachts and steam engine tugboats. My history of making models is based on the story told in 'MASTER MODELER CREATING THE TAMIYA STYLE' written by Mr. Shunsaku Tamiya.

The first wooden ship model I made was Goldenhind. By getting the kit from Italy, I became really into the world of wooden sailing ship models. Though it was so hard for me to understand Italian, I could complete it within a year. At that time importing kits of wooden ship models started in Japan. Having finished the first ship, I made Bluenose and Le Mirage.

In summer,1975 some of the modellers planned to establish the club of wooden sailing ship models in Japan. The Rope was organized in October and I also took part in it. In January, 1976 about seventy models were exhibited at the first exhibition of The Rope in Tokyo. As a large-scale exhibition like that had never been held before then, it was reported widely in mass media and recorded 8500 visiters in 15 days. The Rope exhibition has been held in January every year since then. I've been a manager of The Rope since the firs t exhibition and I have charge of guidance for beginners and web.

I used to make models on a scale of 1/75 or 1/72 , except the first three models. But now I've made models on a scale of 1/48 for years, for it's easier to make them in detail. Most of the models I've made are scratch built and they are English and French navy ships from the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century. I try to make models as minutely as possible, consulting Anatomy of the ship series and monographs by Jean Boudriot.More than a quarter century has passed since I started making wooden sailing ship models. No matter how old I get, I would like to continue making ones.

Kazunobu Shirai

Launched
製作年