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Old 12-22-2022, 01:24 PM
Thumb Dog Thumb Dog is offline
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Vintage Model Retrospective

Vintage Model Retrospective
Hi All,

It’s been some time since I posted any of my vintage model builds here in Paper Modelers. That’s not to say I haven’t been building them, it’s just that I’ve been building and storing them in the hope that they would see the light of day in a different medium.

Back in March of 2019, friend and fellow Paper Modelers member Tom Greensfelder emailed me with some exciting news. An accomplished book designer, Tom had just finished a lengthy project and he was ready to move on to a new venture. Notwithstanding the demands of his latest book design, he wrote how pleased he was with the working relationship he had developed with the book’s literary agent, Lyn. She represented an agency in New York City and on a whim, Tom pitched our idea for a book about vintage paper models that we had been kicking around for some time. Below are a couple of Tom’s sample pages to show what we had in mind.


Tom emailed me that Lyn’s response to hearing our pitch was, “This is a fabulous book.” Lyn’s comment was indeed exciting news, and after proper introductions and a flurry of emails, Tom and I signed agreements with Lyn’s agency. It’s important to note that legitimate publishers will not negotiate with or even talk to writers. They will only communicate through literary agents that work on the writer’s behalf. To find a willing literary agent, from New York no less, was a big step in our effort to publish our book.

Over the next 30 months, Tom, Lyn and I, along with the support of our spouses and business associates, put together a number of proposals that were shown to as many publishers as would hear our case. And, if we were going to publish a book to be proud of, we needed more fully assembled paper models. A lot more. And I, along with Tom and his assistant Alexandra, built scores of them.

Throughout the entire process, we were heartened by the positive comments we received from American and European publishers alike. Many of the editors had never heard of the hobby before, and they regularly remarked on the charm, color, history and unique nature of both the artistry of the drawings and the models themselves. But in the end, after so much work, all we could show for our efforts was a collection of glowing rejections, rave refusals and sympathetic vetoes. Well, that and shelves full of completed paper models.

Am I glad we put our time and energy into this project? Absolutely. Luck favors the prepared, and we plugged along as far as we could for as long as we could. The reason nobody picked up the book was money. Many of the editors that Lyn contacted loved the concept, but when they moved the idea up the line to the bean counters, they couldn’t see a market large enough to support such a book. And that’s understandable. It’s important to remember the times, too. Pandemic, anxiety and a general risk aversion prevailed. Publishing has always been a tricky business, and timing was not on our side. Our last friendly exchange of emails with Lyn was in September, 2021. Thanks for all your efforts, Lyn.

So, it’s been more than a year, and now the question is, what am I going to do with all the vintage models that are spilling out of my shelves? Well, I’ll show them to my friends here on the Paper Modelers website, of course. Over the next weeks and months, I’ll present some of the interesting paper models from Tom Greensfelder’s collection along with some of those I have gathered from the internet over the years. Rather than spread the models over a number of individual posts, I’ll display them under this Vintage Model Retrospective banner.

Now, what to show first? Oh, I know…


Goat Cart

Published by Poupée Modèle, 14, Rue Drouot, Paris, this model’s imaginative artist is regrettably unknown. The model, titled, Voiture Aux Chèvres, shows an ornate French cart being pulled by a matched pair of particularly hairy French goats. It was a complex build, so much so that I spent extra time putting together a white copy before attempting the colored version, as seen in the photographs below.

The model came from Tom’s collection, and was originally issued on two and a half pages of surprisingly heavy cardstock. During my build, I laminated three layers of 110 lb. card to come closer to the proper thickness. Due to the original pages being printed on both sides, there would be no white areas on the model, as once each kit part was cut out, it was found to be fully colored on both sides. Only the white edges would need coloring. In general, the parts printed with black, blue, yellow and brown ink are meant for the outside of the cart while the parts printed in yellow and brown are meant for the inside and underside of the cart. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the printer’s registration concerning the opposing sides of the pages, as I built my model from Tom’s excellent one-sided scans. But the two sides of my parts did line up well when I cut them out and glued them together.

Very little glue was needed during construction. As Tom wrote, the kit is as much a puzzle as it is a model. Considering the way the parts interlock with each other, I found if I cut the various slots to the correct width, the resulting snug fit was enough to hold the parts together. Tom owns one other Poupée Modèle. I believe it is a model mill, and I may build it one day, too.

The yellow and brown parts on the backs of the pages included instructive notes as to what they were and what attached to them. I eliminated these notes on the computer for a cleaner looking model. A rather comprehensive set of French instructions was crowded in between the various parts as well. Each yellow and brown side carried a distinctive date, too. 15 Septembre, 1899, 15 Octobre and 15 Novembre. These dates may mean that the pages were originally serialized, as in a magazine, or sold separately at a book store or papeterie. After more than 120 years, it’s likely we will never know.

So, there you have it…how our grand plan to co-author a vintage paper model book resulted in a goat cart for fellow members to enjoy this holiday season. Stay tuned for more vintage paper models and hope for a better New Year.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog
Attached Thumbnails
Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-1.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-2.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-3.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-4.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-5.jpg  

Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-6.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-7.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-8.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-9.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-10.jpg  

Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-11.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-12.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-13.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-14.jpg   Vintage Model Retrospective-goat-cart-15.jpg  

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  #2  
Old 12-22-2022, 01:49 PM
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Vermin_King Vermin_King is offline
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It is an extreme shame that the book did not work out ... yet


I am sure it would have been great
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Old 12-22-2022, 03:34 PM
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SCEtoAUX SCEtoAUX is offline
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Those look great.
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Old 12-22-2022, 03:37 PM
bradford46 bradford46 is offline
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Publishing a book can take a long time, and be a very frustrating business with many dead ends. But don't give up. There are many writers who have had as many rejections as some people have had hot dinners and yet finally do get published. You have a really good idea that has a strong market out there, and I have no doubt you will eventually be successful.
There are lots of people on this forum who are cheering for you!
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Old 12-22-2022, 04:13 PM
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It would be easy to fall in love with that goat-cart.
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Old 12-22-2022, 04:33 PM
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Don Boose Don Boose is offline
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It's a wonderful project and, book or not (and we will stay optimistic that there will be a book), it looks like some wonderful models have resulted, and it looks like we Forum members will be the beneficiaries - as we have been, of your remarkable knowledge, talent, skill, and willingness to share.

You are one of a number of marvelous artisans, craftspeople, historians, and writers who share your bounty with those of us who are fortunate enough to be members of this Forum community.

All I can do is say a heartfelt thanks!

Don
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Old 12-23-2022, 01:03 AM
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Paskal Paskal is offline
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Very interesting idea to show old paper models.
We try to do the same in our PMP' magazine. I did not know this French publisher "Poupée Modele" and it is good to leave a trace here.
History and memory to understand.... Thank you very much Don
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Old 12-23-2022, 07:40 AM
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rockpaperscissor rockpaperscissor is offline
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The goat cart is beautiful. Your vintage model builds are always a cut above (pun intended). Too bad about the planned book, but hopefully something will come of it yet.
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I don't always build models, but when I do... I prefer paper. Keep your scissors sharp, my friends.
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Old 12-25-2022, 09:58 AM
Thumb Dog Thumb Dog is offline
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Hi All,

And many thanks to those who took the time to read and remark on my latest post. Your encouragement and generous comments are much appreciated on this cold winter’s day.

In keeping with the weather, next week I’ll describe the snow cruiser pictured below. Until then, surround yourself with those who love you and enjoy the day.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog
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Vintage Model Retrospective-arctic-snow-cruiser.jpg  
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Old 12-26-2022, 05:03 PM
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whulsey whulsey is offline
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Sorry to hear about the book project. The goat cart is wonderful.

Look forward to seeing the Byrd snow cruiser.
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