Andy Renshaw

Andy Renshaw is a skilled writer, and scale modeler. For over 20 years, capturing the historical significance behind the scale model is the passion that drives the level of detail and skill that carried out on each model Andy constructs and book he writes. In Fall of 2008, he started History In Scale to share that passion, educate others, and celebrate our history. Andy started building scale models when he was 8 years old when his father gave him 2 kits for Christmas, a Monogram A-7B and a Revel HH-3. They built the first model together, and is still on display at a local high school. After that he was turned loose and dove into the hobby. Joining IPMS through the local club in High School my skills were furthered through the mentoring and encouragement of club members, and interaction with other modelers at contests and over the Internet. That is an education that will never cease and continues today. His philosophy in building scale models is achieving a balance between accuracy, realism, and the artistic creation of the miniature. There is a large amount of research that goes behind any scale model, making sure every bolt is counted and each shape is correct. Then he adds to that and improve details, shapes, and markings, etc. The artistic side meshes during that process while scaling the colors, adding equipment, dings and dents, dirt and mud, and arranging the composition on a diorama or the equipment within the vehicle striving for balance and visual interest. The finished result is indeed an art form. His underlying passion for building scale models is the history behind the prototype, or the full size original. Each jeep, aircraft, train, and scene in a diorama has a story of the men and women behind it. They are the human element, and through a miniature, an event is captured and told visually to those who see it, thus preserving our History in Scale. Through the books he authors, Andy Renshaw is able to share his passion and skills with other scale modelers preserving this beautiful craft and helping them to learn not only about the techniques, but also about the history.