Around the time Erik’s father began to teach him to draw, at age 7, he also introduced Erik and his brother to a hobby which he’d enjoyed for many years -- making scale models of World War II aircraft. The boys took to it fluidly and Erik grew up spending innumerable evenings and weekends at the model table with his father and brother building planes from plastic kits. Strict attention to detail and historical accuracy were enforced by his father who underscored the educational aspect of the whole process. They were learning how to construct, paint and use their hands to express themselves artistically, but more importantly, they were recreating a little piece of history with each airplane. Closely studied were the paint-schemes, markings, and theaters of operation. When Erik reached the age of 13 his interest expanded outside the realm of the single aircraft and he and his brother sought to create scale vignettes and dioramas. Inspired by the discovery of master diorama-maker François Verlinden and the world of 1/35th scale, Erik and his brother hit the ground running. Shown in this section are but a few examples of Erik’s model-making over many years. It has been photographed in such a way as to look true to the period. Click on a thumbnail to view a full-size version with a caption.

Erik’s model-building culminated in the form of the first collaborative effort between the Davies brothers: "Battle For A Block--Marines In Hue 1968".

Site contents © 2005 Erik Davies