MSW Artist Profile~Tom Hathaway

"Three Generations" (Tom, center)

"MSW crew-mate Tom Hathaway (thathaway3) sits down in a one-on-one conversation, sharing his thoughts, and builds, in this MSW Artist Profile!"



"The Model Shipwrights (http://modelshipwrights.kitmaker.net/) Artist Q&A is a monthly feature. It’s an interview with various artists of the ship modelling world. These artists may include sculptors and painters; commercial and private modellers; well-known and lesser-known artists. Whoever they may be, the artists featured in Model Shipwrights Artist Q&A are highly respected members of our global community; people who have greatly influenced our world in their own way. As we honor these artists with this Q&A and photo feature, they in turn, honor us by sharing a piece of their own world."



Q. Hi Tom, please do tell us a bit about yourself... Your age? Where do you live? Married? Kids? Your job? Your other hobbies and interests?

A. "I’m almost 58 and for the last 31 years, I’ve lived in Canton, Michigan, just outside Detroit. I’m married with 3 kids, one son (almost 33, married with one son), and two daughters (oldest 30, married also with one son, and the youngest 19 at school training to become a professional photographer)."

"I’m an engineer by profession, and spent 30 years working at Ford in Product Development Engineering before retiring in 2007. And I’m starting a new job working for Raytheon doing the same sort of Product Development Engineering working over at Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI. I also spent a total of 30 years in the Army (5 active 25 Reserve) retiring in 2002 as a Colonel. During my career, I spent most of it in the Field Artillery, however I am also qualified as an MP, and commanded the 785th MP Battalion, and when I retired, I had qualified in the Army Corps of Engineers."

"In addition to military modelling I also am interested in Model Railroading, and have two separate layouts going, one in N scale and the other HO. Both represent German lines as I spent over 11 years in Germany both as a dependent as well as being in the service myself. Besides modelling, I’m an active musician, playing the bass guitar both at church and in a local rock band “Wheelhouse”. I also play softball during the summer and handball in the winter."



Q. Very interesting, mate...now please, tell us about both your earliest modeling moment, and your earliest ship modeling moment....

A "My dad was very interested in Military History and modelling, everything from scratchbuilt 1/1250 waterline balsa ship models to Napoleonic and Civil War Figures. I was probably about 8 or so when I built my first model, but I have NO idea what it was, probably an airplane. The first ship model I built was probably the Polaris Missile Submarine with the cut-away hull.



Q. Ok, Tom, what about ship modeling in general...When did it start to appeal to you over other modeling genres?

A "Having spent a lot of my early life in the Tidewater Virginia area, I’ve always had an interest in ships. My grandfather worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Portsmouth, VA and it was always great to go to the yard with him to see what was happening. Later on when I got married, my father in law worked at Newport News Shipbuilding so that added to the interest."



Q. Tom, who or what inspires your ship modeling in general?

A. "Being a student of history myself, I like ships which have a history. And as with my armor models which I try to connect to various units in which I’ve served, I also like to have some sort of personal connection as well, as with the two LA Class Fast Attack boats I built which are the two on which my son served."



Q. Ok, Tom, now what, in your opinion, is the best thing about ship modeling?

A. "I think the best thing about building a ship is that each one is a unique creation, with it’s own name and even when build a ship that’s part of a class, each ship not only will have differences from her sisters, but depending on the time period which you’re representing, the ship may differ significantly in appearance from one time to the next."



Q. NOW, tell us about what, in your opinion, is the worst thing about ship modelling? (if there is one!)

A "That’s the flip side of the coin!! Since I tend to be a stickler for details, being able to have exact plans/photos for how the ship looked in all areas during the period I am representing, can be hard to come by and often you’re stuck with what the manufacturer delivers."



Q. OK, mate, please tell us about your all time favorite modeling era/period, and why?

A. "For ships, that’s WW II. There was an incredible explosion of technological advancements not only in shipbuilding and technology, but in tactics as well. The US Navy transformed into the greatest seagoing force in history during this period and is still on the cutting edge today, over 60 years later."



Q. Tom, through the years of your modeling career, which has been your favorite competition that you have entered, and why?

A. "I really don’t build other than for my own enjoyment, and the satisfaction of having a model which I know is done as well as I can build it, and is unique is reward enough."



Q. Good answer, Tom...Tell us about your all time favourite modeling things...tools, reference materials, or particular ship or ship model kits...

A. "I have a reasonable arsenal of tools, but two that stand out are my trust exacto with a #11 blade, and my pin vise with its assortment of drill bits. I wind up doing a lot of scratch building and with those two items I can do a lot of damage!! As far as reference materials, I have the luxury of being able to get pretty much what I want."

"Probably my most useful references are “The Ships and Aircraft of The US Fleet”, which started out in 1939 as a pamphlet size book and today is in its 18th edition and is a massive book. I’m lucky enough to have a copy of every edition, some of which are original editions I got from my dad who was a huge collector of military reference and history books."



Q. Tom, what has been, or is, your all-time favorite modeling purchase, or ship model?

A. "I’d have to say that so far my favourite model is the USS Missouri. Besides being the last battleship placed in commission in the world and the site of the signing of the peace agreements to end WW II, she is just a beautiful ship."

"I procured a huge array of aftermarket items to upgrade the appearance and did a considerable amount of research to modify the Tamiya kit to represent Missouri as she looked at the end of WW II. It’s always rewarding to me to find a good photo of an area of the ship and if the kit maker didn’t do a good job of depicting it, then making it right myself."



Q. Recently Tom, what is the best modeling or ship kit purchase you have made?

A. "My most recent kit was the 1/350 Tamiya Fletcher, which I completely transformed from an as commissioned round bridge to a late war Emergency AA refit square bridge. Had the Trumpeter Kit been available I may have started with that one, but as it turned out, I’m very happy with the results."

"I like the challenge of modifying the kit to represent what I can see in the reference photos, and I much prefer the way that the after market details look compared to a lot of the OOB items and so I wind up spending WAY more time (and $$) on kits than I should!!"



Q. Tom,in your honest opinion, what do you think about the present situation of the ship kit industry, and its future down the road?

A. "I’m please to see so many good quality kits being released by the manufacturers today. Compared to the way kits were when I started, today’ s kits have great quality. My only gripe is that since I way over detail kits, I’d like to see more manufacturers offer a consolidated “upgrade” kit which includes all the stuff I typically wind up buying or making, so I don’t have to go to 5-6 different places to collect all the stuff that’s out there."



Q. If you could build a ship subject that you haven't tackled yet, what would it would be?

A. "Actually there are two that I’d really like to do some day, and luckily both are available. I’ve always been fascinated with the Lexington/Saratoga as they appeared in the late 30’s with the colourful air wing and would love to eventually add a 1/350 to my shelf. But I’m getting to the point where I’m REALLY trying to actually BUILD the stash I have in my basement (which is really NOT outrageous compared to some I’ve seen!), and knowing how I’d approach this project, it would take at least 2 years!!!"



Q. Tom ,in your opinion, what do you consider to be the all time "modeling dont's"?.... In other words what no respectable ship modeller should ever do.

A. "Well, at the risk of being a “rivet counter” I think the worst sin is not doing a good job of research. Since I like the concept of the model as a depiction of an actual vessel or vehicle, I like to see them as close as possible to the real thing."

"Sometimes the manufacturers don’t do quite as much research as they should. But afterall this is a hobby and it is supposed to be fun for those who participate. OOB builds are a legitimate creative expression in and of themselves, and at the end of the day, whether what you’ve built does or doesn’t closely match the real thing, if you’ve had fun doing it and done it to the best of your abilities, and improved your skill, that’s the right outcome!!"

"I know from looking back over the stuff I’ve built that I’ve made a lot of strides both in accuracy and quality and that’s the goal."



Q. OK, mate, final question...tell us about one (or two) of your modeling secrets!

A. "Not sure that I really have any secrets! I’ve learned an awful lot by reading the tips posted on the website, and those have helped out a lot! It’s certainly not a secret, but one of my techniques which helps a lot with the scratch building I wind up taking on, is to spend plenty of time looking over the drawings/photos and do a thorough job of measuring out what you plan on fabricating."



Edit note-Thanks Tom, great answers!