Edward P. Von der Porten, former director of the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard Museum near San Francisco says "A museum quality ship model is whatever a museum director accepts for a museum collection". In general, the model (or artifact) must be able to convey part of a carefully thought out story to a thoroughly analyzed audience. If the exhibit concerns ship "crafts", sailor-built models, half-models, and ships in bottles may have a role, even if inaccurate.
In a diorama (for example, in the 2-mile section of Omaha Beach to be displayed aboard the Jeremial O'Brian, using 1:1200 models), a uniform scale is important (for this example, detail is not).
On the other hand, Dana M. Wegner reports that the standards used by the U. S. Navy and Smithsonian have been relatively unchanged since 1945:
{ The full set of specifications can be found in: Department of Ship Model Scales and Service. Ship Model Classification Guidelines [Mystic, Connecticut: Mystic Seaport Museum Stores, 1983] It was also published in part in Ships in Scale 6-34 (March/April 1989) }
- It is reasonable for a model to last 100 years before deterioration becomes visible. Resistance to actions of temperature, humidity, and light is essential...some recently developed model-building materials and techniques should be avoided until sufficient time has passed to properly evaluate their longevity...It is advised that fiberglass resins, styrene, expanding foams, casting resins, and cyanoacrylate glues be avoided when other materials can possibly be used.
- 'Workmanship shall be in accordance, in every respect, with the best model-building practices. Hulls shall be smooth, fair, and symmetrical; without blemishes, sap pockets, or tool marks, and shall be scraped and sand-papered to smooth surface. Machined parts shall bear no tool marks. Castings shall contain no visible mold marks.'
- Any item with any scale dimension of 1/8" or greater must be reproduced...work must be consistent [no super-detailing of one part of the model contrasting with lesser levels of detail elsewhere].
- A great deal is specified about acceptable and required materials (e.g., 'Propellers should be cast in bronze... Plastic propellers are not permitted').
- 'Painting of models shall receive careful attention...All parts of the model shall have a surface treatment representing the actual vessel if reduced in scale...models shall be spray painted with opaque lacquer. Paint shall be applied thinly and evenly so that fine detail will not be obliterated. The use of metallic paints such as silver or gold is discouraged. The use of white enamel or natural varnish is not permitted'... 'Wooden parts shall be sufficiently filled and primed so that when rubbed down, the wood grain is not visible.'
-- What this all boils down to is that the purpose of a ship model is to
support a coat of paint of the correct SHAPE!
{John O. Kopf}
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