Item #

Name

Type

Year

US $

Set

209.9

Set

Set

243.2

Set

Wondrous Ship (Miribilis Navis) (photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

287.4

386.5

Set

793.3

287.4

496.2

496.2

551.1

881.6

San Felipe (photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

          Wilhelm Heinrich and the photo-chemical Etching Technique
                                                from: "Aus der Welt der kleinen Schiffe" Horst Kroenke ed., Koehler 1996.

      The construction of models has always been a difficult trade. Whether it involves aircraft, ship, or architectural models, only a high level of quality with great detail will satisfy the customer. And now the collector of ship miniatures is presented with a further escalation of the level of quality and detail in the faithful rendering of these little models.
Let’s let Wilhelm Heinrich speak for himself.

     “The most important present that I received in the year 1938 on my 9th birthday was the Wiking model of the cruiser “Leipzig”. I had discovered it in the window of a store in Berlin and I asked if I could have it. With this began my passion for these miniatures that I shared with my friends. We built harbors, traded among ourselves and bought all available models with our allowances. In the fifties followed intense academic studies and the pursuit of a career to make a living, and there was no time left for getting involved with these models. The Wikings landed somewhere up in the attic.

     Only in 1986, while walking around the stores in Hamburg, did I discover that these beautiful miniatures were still available. Due to the technical progress they were more beautiful than ever. I was stunned by the perfection and sharp craftsmanship of the new generation of ship miniatures. But, what was even more interesting to me was that now there were large numbers of entirely new models that had previously just been a dream. The ships of the former Imperial Navy are mentioned here as a special example.

     An additional discovery was the existence of collectors clubs where like-minded people meet to talk shop and trade ships. The old love was reawakened. In conversations with collectors and model builders I found out that a comprehensive set of historic sailing ships beginning with the antiquity all the way to the end of the era of sailing ships was not yet available. This was in my opinion a blank gap that I intended to fill with all that was in my power.”

     These were the initial thoughts of Wilhelm Heinrich. Naturally, there were older issues of models of one or another from pre-Christian or the medieval times; these were also extremely detailed including galleons and ships-of-the-line. But a comprehensive display encompassing five millennia was a blank spot in the otherwise extensive offerings of ship miniatures.
Heinrich first of all began to consider which ships and ship types would fit and for which of them plans and data would possibly be available. Well, all this could be checked out. Museums and the scientific literature were a rich resource. Once he had accomplished this, the next step was to investigate the practical aspects of the undertaking. As Wilhelm Heinrich reports, the following plan evolved:

     “The questions that needed to be answered were easily to figure out in principle:

• Which materials would be most suitable for the production of hulls, sails, rigging, and possibly oars?

• And which techniques could be used for building precise and true-to-the-original models?

     Experimental series and much detail work over a time span of several years cleared things up: resin for the ship hulls and Japanese silk (with appropriate treatment) for sails. In order to make the filigree parts of the ships, rigging and oars, with the sufficient precision that I had imagined, new methods needed to be applied which were rarely used for ship model construction: the [photo] etching technique, until now only known in electronics and chip manufacturing, seemed to be the right method.

     For this – how could it be otherwise- tuition had to be paid, but this approach proved to be correct.

     Thus, I began at the drawing board with the drafting of about 1000 various individual parts that were enlarged by a factor of 10. The drawings were then reduced by an experienced laboratory, transposed photographically on CrNi foil of a thickness of 0.1 to 0.05 mm, and followed by the etching procedure. The width of the parts varies; for example, the rigging is 0.3 to 0.1 mm [Probably should read 0.03 – 0.1 mm. I measured 0.05 mm shrouds, stays and braces; 0.1 mm for ratlines. UHR]. Before mounting, the etched parts are treated with a blackening process of the silvery surface which simultaneously serves as corrosion protection.

     And now begins the meticulous work: The assembly of masts, rigging and many tiny individual parts. Just think of the multitude of oars, for example of a Greek Hekkaidekere. Then starts the painting of the ship hulls. All this requires patience, a sharp eye, and a number of special contrivances and tools, the latter being hijacked from the dental arsenal (how wonderful that we have a dentist in our family!). The development of special devices and jigs for the efficient construction of the models benefitted from my technical training (as designer and interior architect). Perfection had to be acquired step by step, nothing could be ignored, nothing could be left to chance. Today I have arrived at the point where, after the completion of the preparatory work, the completion of a model takes “only” 8 to 12 hours of work.

     The set with the motto “Ships of Five Millennia”, which I had envisioned, will consist of 60 models beginning with the Phoenician and Greek Biremes and extending to the famous Galleons and ships-of-the-line of the 18th and 19th centuries [later increased to over 70 models. GHE]. Among the warships are not only those of the Roman Fleet from about 300 BC, but also the famous Oseberg Ship, ships of the Hanseatic League, and, of course, the three caravels of the Columbus Fleet.”

     Yes, dear readers, this is the ambitious undertaking of Wilhelm Heinrich from Eschwege [phone and address book still lists him….maybe his widow? UHR] who has begun to make his dream a reality. It will take about five years to produce the limited edition sets. Nothing else comes to mind concerning the story of Heinrich except to add a word or two that the collecting of ship miniatures is certainly not an end in itself, but that it “inadvertently” contributes to the expansion of knowledge and the acquisition of and insight into history. Yes, and this purpose is well met with Heinrich’s set together with the accompanying catalog. [I read this as if there once was a syllabus with each set. UHR]

Fig. 1 Wilhelm Heinrich at the drafting machine as the 10x enlarged etching drawing is created.

Fig. 2 The result: the finished etching plate 100 x 130 mm.

Fig. 3 Two French ships of the line from the 17th century.

Fig. 4 Ships of 5 millennia on a historical map of the world.

Fig. 5 “The Reale”, French Admiral’s Ship about 1600.