The Ship Model Forum

My favourite 4 in no particular order.
Geoff Hunt (sail)
Takeshi Yuki (IJN)
Robert Taylor (WW2)
Tom Freeman (WW2)

My true heroes are the guys who painted the 60s to 70s boxarts (and some recent ones as well). Those artworks were the No.1 reason for me to buy model ships and other kits, despite the (aforementioned) fact that the kits inside could rarely compete with the boxart.

That would be Roy Cross who did almost the entire line of Airfix boxes, be it ships, planes, cars or trains. As far as I know, he is devoted to marine paintings nowadays.

Paul Lengell� did most of the Heller ships (and planes etc.) up to the late 70s, while others were done by the acclaimed marine artist Roger Chapelet. Almost all of their works ranged from outstanding to dramatic.

Not to forget Jack Leynnwood who did most Revell "boxwraps" of those decades. He and John Steel painted some of the most memorable ship illustrations for Revell, but also for Monogram and Lindberg.

IMO the most recognizable Japanese boxart artist is Yoshiyuki Takani. Most of Tamiyas 1/350 ship illustrations are his work (as are nearly all of their 1/35 tank kit boxes), as well as the recent Trumpeter Bismarck, most of the new PitRoad 700 kits, the upcoming Fujimi Kongo, the venerable old Nichimo Yamato as well as their entire line of 1/500 ships and many more. He must have been in business forever since even early 70s kits feature his somewhat rough, powerful style of painting. His ships are as good and convincing as are his tanks, planes and even robots. I wonder how many artworks he has created so far - must be thousands.

Last but not least, Hasegawas (and Japans) No.1 Aircraft artist, Shigeo Koike, has expanded his talent to marine subjects: He has done all of the outstanding boxart of the new Hasegawa 1/350 kits (Soya, Mikasa, Yukikaze, Nagato).

Those guys are so versatile, quick and professional and are really outstanding compared to the usual unexciting boxart dullness (with some exceptions thankfully) of recent years.

I really like some of the watercolors that were shown as "sold" in the Maritime Prints site! A.B Cull did some great work! I have an original watercolor of the HMS Vanguard in harbor, done by Frank Wood in 1911, and a goauche/watercolor of the USS Tatnall, a 4 stacker, done by Worden Wood, a U.S. illustration artist. My favorite contemporary marine artist is Paul Bender, who does a lot of the profiles seen in present-day publications.

Norman Wilkinson. I have a reproduction of one of his Standard Ship dazzle designs from WW1 hanging on the wall above this computer.

Thomas G. Webb.

Hi, I wrote the 50th anniversary history of Airfix (Harper Collins 199) and know Roy Cross well. he apinted most of Airfix's box tops between 1965 and 1975. Today, he does indeed concentrate on maritime art.

Geoff Hunt, another well known maritime artist also painted nautical box art for Airfix. A personal favourite of mine is his painting of the Vosper RAF rescue launch.

I've quite a lot of Airfix box art on my collectors community http://www.collectingfriends.com

Hi all,

I found your forum while in search of info about Paul Lengelle's ship paintings. I have a large watercolor named "Ernest S", which looks like the Shackleton ship minus the steam tower. I hesitate to hang it - it surely belongs in a museum; however, the Air Force museum in France did not reply, and the web site indicates that they have many of his paintings. An online art appraisal was $1500, and a large auction house in Europe said to mail it to them for sale. Another hesitation - it costs $500 to mail it, and once when I sent a valuable find for auction, my naivete in not setting a minimum allowed the dealer (highly recommended) to turn it over at a very high profit to himself. There may be other loopholes.

Is there a Lengelle gallery or following in the US? It's a beautiful work, and I could never afford to buy one of these, so it's tempting to keep it. However, perhaps it should be maintained by a museum instead.

Thank you,
Linda