TRANSLATION OF ARES WORDEFENCE - 2003

Translation of page 1:

[Caption] In these views of Douglas Dauntless, the extreme detailing can be clearly seen, both the interior of the cabin as well as the actuators and mechanisms of the dive brakes. To complement the model, there is nothing better than a good set design, this is where the deck of an aircraft carrier fits in.

Modeling is the activity that allows those of us who are interested in history at any level and those who have a passion for various machines or objects, to materialize in three dimensions planes, cars, ships and everything that is the target of our admiration or interest. It also allows us to go into detailed investigations and gives us the possibility of exercising something that we all lose as we emerge from childhood, the capacity for abstraction that leads us to relax from the daily bustle and free ourselves from worries, even momentarily.

One can be an amateur modeler and just have fun or enter the category of professionals, who are dedicated to making models for collectors who order replicas, which for lack of (continues below)

Translation of page 2:

[Caption] Various construction steps of Rojas Bazán models.

[Caption] F4U Corsair in its fullness. In the inset we see the excellence of the replica through its details.

(continues from above) time or skill, they cannot make themselves; but there is a third category that could be said, occupied by a single man...

Yes, a single man, an Argentine named Guillermo Rojas Bazán. Born on April 23, 1949, he is your typical neighborhood friend that we could see every day and with whom we would share infinite afternoons of coffee and talks about life. However Guillermo hides a secret, that is not so secret, that sets him apart from all of us: he is the best modeler in the world!!

This story starts at the dawn of the 20th century, with the skill of Guillermo Rojas Bazán's father, who, being just a young man of 15, managed to attract attention by becoming a master of "scratch building" or the art of building models with pieces of common materials or waste. His models became as famous as he was, a Junkers W-33 made of corrugated aluminum that was the star of the premiere of the film "FP-1 Doesn't Reply," when it was displayed hanging in the theater.

Also, a Laté XXV that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, used to fly in Argentina was the object of admiration in countless exhibitions.

The old adage "like father like son" was never better used, since little Guillermo inherited from his father, some would say that the same talent ran through his veins, the ability to convert aluminum, not just into models to scale, but into dazzling works of art beyond all comprehension.

Fascinated with the Glenn Martin 139 WAA and Northrop 8A-2 flying in the Argentine Air Force from the early 1940s to the early eighties, using plans, photos and references from his father, he built these two planes. With the rise of plastic kits, flourishing from the late '60s, Rojas Bazán dedicated himself to them, but soon moved to scratch construction, first in wood and then in aluminum.

With solid foundations acquired from a technical school and his innate ability, he was hired by the FAA National Museum of Aeronautics to make large models, including a KC-130 Hercules, BAC Bk.62 Canberra, Fokker F-28, DHC-6 Twin Otter, among others. The Argentine Navy saw the opportunity to have him replicate its entire historical fleet of aircraft that totaled 87 1/40 scale models that can be seen at the Museo Naval del Tigre, in the province of Buenos Aires.

Towards the end of the eighties, Guillermo's spirit led him to settle in Spain, where he produced several models for a London aeronautical art gallery, later acquired by important collectors from Europe and the United States.

After meeting and marrying Clarisa, his wife and undisputed right-hand person, he decided to move to Israel where she worked as a social worker. From there he continued to supply avid collectors with expensive and incomparable one-of-a-kind models.

Translation of page 3:

[Caption] Guillermo Rojas Bazàn, in his atelier, showing us his latest work in progress, a magnificent Kingfisher.

[Caption] The impressive realism that this aluminum artist imparts on his models is more than evident in this Curtiss P-40 of the Flying Tigers of the Hells' Angels squadron, used in China by the American Voluntary Group.

[Caption] Athlon 12-cylinder V-engine made by Rojas Bazan to be placed later in the P-40 shown in the photo.

In 1994 he moved again, this time landing in New York, USA where he met Gary Kohs, owner of Fine Art Models in Royal Oak, Michigan. Cognizant of challenges suffered by the couple, Gary offered Guillermo to work for him... The offer was tantalizing and the condition a real challenge: to create the best 1/15 scale model ever built! But never a barrier to a professional artist like Guillermo.

Fine Art Models is a company that dedicates its energies to offering to avid collectors of planes, trains, cars, ships and military vehicles, exclusive models in very limited editions built on the basis of originals, made by artists who dominate each of these categories... a true privilege of the senses.

In order to complete his work, Guillermo has to instruct the artisans that the company has in Europe and who are dedicated to replicating the complicated originals that are sold in the most demanding circles of great collectors.

So far, an overview of the artist's life. But as interesting is the technique and execution process of his planes. Using as much information as possible, plans, photos and everything that provides details, Guillermo begins his work practically as if he were an engineer for Grumman or Chance Vought; interpreting, measuring, observing and then turning all this wealth of knowledge into aluminum pieces made by hand and that gradually take the form of ribs, stringers, panels, inspection doors, instruments and everything that makes a real airplane.

The most amazing thing about this process is that after trying hundreds of glues that are continuously sent to him from any corner of the planet, none could compare to an old acquaintance of all, Poxipol 10 Minutes Gray!! This turned out to be one of Guillermo's best friends, with an incomparable power of malleability and adhesion that make it irreplaceable.

His preferred scale is 1/15 because it allows for super detailed models. Many models have removable inspection panels or covers that allow access to engines, machine guns, fuselage, etc. The realism includes where required, painted surfaces, wood and even rivets, marked one by one, to guarantee a finish that with the use of a machine would be impossible to obtain. The use of aluminum in various alloys also adds the (continues below)

Translation of page 4:

[Caption] When such a model is accompanied by a suitable scenery, it becomes a work of art that is difficult to forget.

[Caption] Guillermo Rojas Bazàn and his wife and right-hand person, Clarisa, meet the German ace Günther Rall, a privilege deservedly bestowed to Guillermo, as recognition for his talent and for his works.

[Caption] IA-58 Pucara in 1/48 scale made of aluminum just after the Falklands War.

(continued from above) essential touch for paint schemes that include weathering or worn by use and time, as well as being essential in airplanes with bare metal finishes.

To make the model of the F4U Corsair with which he began his work at Fine Art Models, Guillermo displayed another skill, that of illustrator and technical draftsman. He had at his disposal four aircraft manuals of which two were engineering, however the drawings were not to scale. To find the appropriate ones he reviewed meters and meters of original microfilmed plans, visited the place where they were restoring a Corsair owned by Gary Kohs and had to make the plans himself to be able to work correctly and professionally, the only way to do things right ... and the results are visible and within everyone's reach.

Guillermo has dedicated his life to his great passion, airplanes, a germ injected by another virtuoso, his father, who was his teacher. Today the facts show us again that the student has surpassed the teacher to become the only person on the planet (no reports have come from other places ...) who has this peculiar talent that amazes us and fills us with pride, because we know the effort, dedication and passion that he gives to his art, but above all because those of us who are lucky enough to know him know that he is still the friend of the neighborhood with whom we can continue to share those coffees and chat evenings...

Rojas Bazán is considered by the United States Air Force Museum, the University of Notre Dame and the renowned auction house CHRISTIE'S as the best modeler in the world whose works are considered as The Tiffany of Models, which bring a new dimension to world modeling.

www.rojasbazan.com

[Caption] Facsimiles of the letters in which these three prestigious institutions recognize Guillermo's unique ability, the only one of its kind.