Jon Smith Modellbau did not appear overnight, but was a process of many years interest and hobby. It probably all started way back in the 70s when buying those Japanese plastic kits and then checking beforehand the side of the box to see how many figures were with the model. To me, even in those early days the figures gave the model an understandable scale. I think it is what people will look at first when confronted with a vehicle or building diorama, military or otherwise.

The obvious next steps were the simple figure kit conversions - swapping heads, arms and legs etc. Of course they would never always fit and gaps had to be filled / small alterations applied.

It was only a matter of time before the first scratch was attempted. There were never any commercial thoughts at this stage and was probably more of a challenge. Or little bit of just for fun than anything else.

Then came the end of the 80s and a new large era of resin figures had been introduced to the model market. In the meantime I had produced for myself a small series of 1:25 scale German Infantry 1944-45 in winter snow-suits, a British Observer - Royal Observer Corps 1944 in the same size and a larger scale Prussian Guardsman, 1914, holding a child on his arm. The last two produced based on the original photos.

The response from friends, particularly with the Prussian Guardsman gave rise to the first small resin and white metal figure production, using 2 part silicon rubber moulds. Of course the results were never as good as one hoped and it soon became apparent that to bring out a figure onto the market a professional caster had to be brought in.

Today, part of the casting is contracted out to different firms, the rest; particularly the larger model-plaster pieces are produced by myself.

I have of course many other historical interests - Ancient Briton, Romans, Saxons, Celts and of cause early buildings / styles just to name a few. Also I am a great fan of the classical fantasy stories - so orcs, goblins, elves and wizards have always been a part of the hobby.

It is really a combination of different reasons why I chose The Great War. Firstly, there was not really much on the market in the 1:15 scale at the time and I believed the interest was certainly there. Secondly, in order to make the figures I needed to examine, measure and photograph the original equipment, weapons and uniforms etc. This was achieved mainly through museums and collectors, which are never more than a few hours drive away from home. From the two the collector is by far the most helpful and knowledgeable and will talk for hours about thier own subject. Naturally, some of this information is then passed on in the infosheets and painting instructions supplied with each model kit.

The first figure kits are in the large Super Scale 1:15, or more commonly known as 120mm. More recently I have turned to the classical 1:32, or 54mm scale and a new German Stormtrooper is due out at the beginning 2009. End of 2006 saw the completion of the large German Maxim Machine Gun Trench Set. There is also a one-off (for the moment at least) a German Pilot in 1:48 Scale.

The scale of a figure is nothing more than the ratio to the original size of a person from a given period, or to be more precise - a measurable item; a rifle for example. A 1:15 figure is 15 x smaller than the person you are sculpting (or 120mm x 15). A 1:32 scale figure 32 x smaller and so on...When you measure a model figure one should do it from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head, without any form of headdress, or shoes. To give another example - building plans are scaled down to their traditional sizes i.e. 1:500 - 2mm is 1m, 1:200 - 5mm is 1m, 1:100 - 10mm is 1m, 1:50 - 20mm is 1m etc. and if printed out on an accurate plotter can actually be compared using a ruler.

It should always be remembered that people today are on average much taller than in bygone days and many a collector has tried squeezing into some of his best uniform pieces. Even going back the short time to the 1914-18 period people were a lot smaller.   

The German Machine Gunner (21MXG) figure is intentionally below the average 120 mm standard size associated with this model scale and would be the equivalent to a man of 1.70 m height - quite normal for this nation and period of time (French troops were on average even smaller).

Really the name is Jonathan Peter and I was brought up in Warwickshire in the Midlands, later Sussex in the early 70s and then on to Bath, in the southwest of England. It was whilst in Sussex that I joined the British Army as an infantryman. This virtually put an end to any model making and it was not until the mid 80s that I slowly picked up the reins again. Like many ex-servicemen I married a local girl and settle down here in Northern Germany.

An apprenticeship as a painter and decorator was followed some years later by trade training as a professional architectural model-maker in Hanover, Germany. A natural advancement to the professional model making business was the upgrade training to a CAD Specialist, in building construction (Computer Aided Design) in 2001.

Since 2006 I have been doing my Meister at the FBZ Trade School in Garbsen, near Hanover.

In recent years the business has expanded in both range of products and customers, with JSM kits being sent to all corners of the world. I always look forward to receiving mail from home or overseas and will endeavour to answer any critic, comments, or suggestions within a few days. I am particularly pleased with the current interest from Japan and it seems that what started so long ago with the purchase of those first Tamiya plastic injection moulded kits has now turned a complete cycle.

Today I live with my family in the small town of Walsrode on the edge of the Luneburg Heath, in Northern Germany.