News

Update: Model Ship World is Back

Good news for the ship modeling community: Model Ship World is back online.

As many of you know, MSW was taken down on May 2nd following a devastating cyberattack that destroyed the forum’s data — including all backups. Ships in Scale published the NRG’s original statement shortly after the attack, and we promised to share updates as they came. Here is the latest, directly from NRG Chairman Toni Levine:

As many of you know, Model Ship World (MSW) was the victim of a massive cyber-attack on May 2nd. A group of hackers found a way around server security and broke into many servers, destroying data. The attackers not only deleted the files from our primary server housing MSW but also deleted the three backups we had on a secondary, separate server.

Tragically, we were in the process of moving MSW to a different host, one with more robust security, including the ways the backups were held. If the attack had occurred one week later, we would have already migrated and therefore been unaffected by it. Moving forward, we will also maintain a local hard drive backup of the site, under the control of the Nautical Research Guild office.

If you were a member of MSW before, welcome back. The look and feel is very similar to what it was before the attack. Since all data was lost, you will need to rejoin, not just sign in. A legitimate email address is required to join but that information is not searchable by the members. You will then be known by your screen name, just like before. Keep your old one and be instantly recognized by your fellow modelers or use this as an opportunity to rename yourself.

If anyone has saved build logs, either your own or other members’, send one of the Administrators or Moderators a PM.

Remember, MSW is owned by the NRG. There are significant expenses associated with maintaining the site. Consider donating to help defray the additional cost of running MSW. Or better yet, join the Guild. Not only would you help support MSW, but you would receive our quarterly Journal and have access to every online workshop we have presented over the last few years.

— Toni Levine, Chairman, Nautical Research Guild

Welcome back, MSW. We’re glad you’re still sailing.

In Memory of Grant Walker

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Grant Walker passed away on May 6, 2025, after a battle with cancer. He was 73 years old.

Grant was, in every sense, a man who found his calling. A West Point graduate, Army Ranger, and veteran Foreign Area Officer, he retired from the Army in 1993 after a final posting as an instructor of history at the United States Naval Academy — and it was there, walking the halls of the Museum in Preble Hall, that he encountered the Rogers Collection of dockyard ship models. What began as a spark of curiosity grew into more than thirty years of devoted scholarship. Grant didn’t just study these models — he came to know them with an intimacy that few people in the world could claim. He could walk you through a room of centuries-old objects and make each one come alive with history, context, and quiet wonder. I was fortunate enough to receive a personal tour of the collection from Grant on more than one occasion, and I can tell you that his love for those models — and for the Naval Academy Museum and its team — was unmistakable in every word he spoke.

The result of that lifelong devotion is the four-volume series The Rogers Collection of Dockyard Models at the U.S. Naval Academy, published by SeaWatch Books. It is a monumental work — one of the most authoritative and beautifully produced maritime reference series we have ever had the privilege to publish.  Volume IV — the final installment in the series — was completed by Grant before his passing and will be published soon as a tribute to his life’s work. We are committed to seeing it into print with all the care it deserves.

Grant is survived by his beloved wife Annick, who was his constant champion and, in his own words, the person without whom none of this would have been possible. Our deepest sympathies go to her.

Working with Grant over these past several years was one of the genuine privileges of running SeaWatch Books. He was gracious, meticulous, and deeply generous with his knowledge. The maritime community has lost one of its finest scholars — and I have lost a friend.

A Message from the NRG Board and MSW Administrator Jim Hatch

Editor’s note: Ships in Scale received the following message directly from the NRG Board of Directors, who asked us to help spread the word to the broader ship modeling community.

In the last three days, there has been a global issue regarding the software that operates computer servers. This has impacted websites and servers around the world. An unscrupulous group of hackers had found a way around server security and had broken into many servers, destroying data.

Unfortunately for us, Model Ship World’s server was one of countless to be affected.

Over the last 36hrs, our host had taken our server offline to apply software patches which would secure our server, but by the time they did this, it was too late.

The attackers not only deleted the files from our primary disc, housing MSW, but also deleted the three backups we had on a secondary, separate drive.

Model Ship World doesn’t exist in any form. All files, photos, structure, posts, and data have gone.

This was out of our control, and there will many sites around the world, including corporate/business sites, which will also be destroyed.

All we can do from this point is to move on. It will take us some time to recreate the site as members knew it. However, it will NOT have the posts, topics and photos etc. It will be a fresh start.

Please bear with us while we look at this task, as our staff also have other regular jobs and need to fit this into their schedules.

We will be back though. Please bear with us at this time and give as much support as you can.

NRG Board of Directors and MSW Administrators

Model Ship World Suffers Catastrophic Data Loss in Cyberattack

Model Ship World (MSW), the Nautical Research Guild’s flagship online forum and one of the largest ship modeling communities in the world, has been taken offline following a devastating cyberattack that destroyed the site’s data — including all backups.

According to a statement from the NRG Board and MSW administration, attackers exploited a vulnerability in the forum’s server software, deleting both the primary data storage and three separate backup copies housed on a secondary drive. The result: hundreds of thousands of posts, tens of thousands of build logs, photos, and years of accumulated community knowledge are gone. Simply gone.

Continue reading “Model Ship World Suffers Catastrophic Data Loss in Cyberattack” →

Good Kits. Bad Kits. We Want the Truth.

The 2026 Ships in Scale Kit Manufacturer Survey is here — and we need your help.

You’ve been there. You open a new kit, spread the parts across the workbench, and unfold the plans. Sometimes what you find is a thing of beauty — crisp laser-cut frames, quality timber, fittings that actually fit, and instructions that walk you through every step. Other times… not so much. Warped planking stock. Plans that raise more questions than they answer. Parts that belong in a different kit entirely.

Every modeler has opinions about the manufacturers behind the kits we build. Strong opinions. We want to hear yours.

Continue reading “Good Kits. Bad Kits. We Want the Truth.” →

SIS March/April Issue is Out!

The latest issue Ships in Scale is here! This issue takes you from a Viking burial ship to a WWII sub chaser — and everywhere in between. Roger Marshall continues his HMS Ontario build, Thomas Koehl scratch-builds a Harbor Defense Motor Launch in styrene, and James Norton tells the remarkable story behind a Cornish fishing lugger that sailed 12,000 miles to Australia. Ron Neilson goes deeper into 3D printing with two hands-on interviews, Ian McLaughlan returns with Part 2 of his Minor Warships series, and Bob Hunt shares hard-won lessons on spotting kit design flaws before they ruin a build.

We’re also launching the 2026 Kit Manufacturer Survey — tell us which manufacturers deliver and which need to do better.

A First Look at the New Ships in Scale

After many months of planning, design, and conversation with modelers across the community, we’re pleased to share a preview of the relaunched Ships in Scale magazine.

This six-page preview offers a glimpse of what’s ahead: a refreshed design, a clear editorial point of view, and a renewed commitment to serving ship modelers of all experience levels. Our goal is a publication with lasting value—one that informs, inspires, and earns a place on your workbench and bookshelf.

Ships in Scale will feature in-depth build articles, thoughtful how-to guidance, historical context, and regular contributions from modelers and historians who know the craft firsthand. While kits will be a natural starting point for many stories, the magazine will also make room for advanced techniques, scratch building, and the artistry that defines the hobby at its highest levels.

This preview represents the opening pages of our first issue and the beginning of a new chapter for a magazine with a long and respected history. We hope it gives you a sense of where we’re headed—and invites you to be part of it.

Thank you for reading, and welcome aboard.

—
Michael Ellison
Publisher, Ships in Scale

Admiralty Models Workshop Marks a Milestone Transition

By

Ron Neilson

Queenston, Ontario
October 15 & 16, 2025

Since the early 2000s, master ship modeler, and mentor to many, David Antscherl has presented informative, hands-on workshops for ship modelers in partnership with his American colleague, Greg Herbert. This year’s event in Antscherl’s hometown of Niagara-On-The-Lake (NOTL), Canada, focused on “Admiralty” Style & Prototype Framing.

Continue reading “Admiralty Models Workshop Marks a Milestone Transition” →