MODELMAKER’S LIFE: A BIG CAT DIARY…

I’ve tried to reflect my honest opinions and where possible, bring humour into the project and where I’ve cocked-up, felt unsure, or been stumped by anything I’ve faced, you’ll read about that too!

3rd June 2025

Big news today is that I am in the process of completing a brand-new book, this time dedicated to the equally new, Airfix 1/48 SEPECAT Jaguar. 

Tentatively entitled ‘A Big Cat Diary’ this new book will be slightly different from those that have gone before in that it is exactly as described: a diary of my journey through the construction and painting of my kit. It’s written in present tense, charting my thoughts on the days that I have worked on the model so that you can see exactly how it went together and how I felt, every step of the way.

In many ways it mirrors what I’ve been writing on here so some of the contents will have been seen as part of my daily diary on his site, but in a much more expansive form. So far, I’ve written 8000 words that cover everything up to my tentative first steps into the model’s painting and weathering, but there will be much more to come! Throughout the book as you can see here, I’ve taken a large number of images, all of which are captioned in great detail to both explain what’s going on in the pictures, but also, expand on ideas discussed in the text.

In terms of the text, the book certainly differs in my approach to how the chapters are written and the way my thoughts are presented. Again, much like on here, those thoughts are often a stream of consciousness so you will not find too much in the way of dry prose. I’ve tried to reflect my honest opinions and where possible, bring humour into the project and where I’ve cocked-up, felt unsure, or been stumped by anything I’ve faced, you’ll read about that too!

One thing I haven’t done is treat this as a technical exercise, where I have dived deep into the world of the Jaguar. Sure, I’ve added detail and yes, I’m trying to replicate a scheme as closely as possible, but I’ve taken it no further than that. Though I’ve used some aftermarket parts for instance, my model was built before the full-length intakes were offered to the modeller, so these are not included (though I hope to at least mention them at the end of the book). This is a modelling title pure and simple, using what I had at the time the model was built. When build another, I may use some more of the aftermarket items that we are now seeing on sale…  

My new book has been a lot of fun to put together and I think you will enjoy the results, both in terms of imagery and the text that accompanies them. Yes, it’s a very different approach, but one that I hope puts you inside my workshop as the model was being built as if looking over my shoulder. As such, you will have as much fun reading about the project as I did, putting it together!

I’ll have more information on the book next week, including  – fingers crossed –  a cover. In the meantime, I hope you are pleased that I’ve tackled this model and now written a book about. Perhaps you will even consider buying a copy when it’s offered for presale, in a few weeks time!

In the meantime, have a lovely evening and I will see you again, tomorrow.