Scale 1:1200/1250 Waterline Model Ships - An international history with focus on the developments on the Swedish scene

Oct 28, 2026

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A historical overview of scale waterline model ship production, tracing how makers and materials evolved across Britain, the United States, and Germany/Sweden. The text covers early 20th-century British output linked to Jane’s Fighting Ships, the rise of 1:1200 and 1:1250 modeling techniques, and shifts from wood to metal and later to plastic during wartime constraints. It also documents company transitions, post-1945 redevelopment, and later market entries by toy and model producers, including Swedish connections.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

The early years

Britain before the First World War

British firms and the move to 1:1200

US production during World War I

Early models from Wiking and Pilot

Starting 1:1250 with Cortsen and Peltzer

Trade marks, materials, and later improvements

World War II changes

Developments in Britain and USA

German displacement and Friedrich Leo Winkler

US wartime training production

After 1945

Wiking’s plastic shift and final ship series

PILOT’s larger-scale focus

UK and Italian producers

New producers enter the market

Hansa and Delphin series

Scale 1:1200/1250 Waterline Model Ships An international history with focus on the developments on the Swedish scene. The early years Small waterline ship models were produced in Britain already before the First World War. The first models were released as a compliment to Jane´s Fighting Ships by Frederik T. Jane. These models were of 1:1800 scale and intended for ”The Jane Naval War Game”. Early models were made of wood but later Janes produced models of metal. During this period the British firm Basset-Lowke produced very fine waterline models. Starting with 1:1800 scale Basset-Lowke soon changed to 1:1200, which scale allowed for finer details. These models were all made of hard wood. In the US the firm H.E. Boucher for a short time during World War I produced waterline models for US Navy Bureau of Ordnance. Basset-Lowke continued after the War to produce scale models for shipbuilders, shipping companies, travel agencies and museums. Early models from Wiking and Pilot (Kenn Eilersen Collection) Pilot and Wiking Production of ship models in the scale 1:1250 was started in the late 1920-ties by Henning Cortsen from Copenhagen. Together with Friedrich Peltzer from Berlin he developed the technique to produce ship models in metal. In the beginning they used no common scale, but later on they decided on the 1:1250 scale. According to Peltzer, this represented the view of a ship in a distance of about 2000 meters. The early models were sold under the trade marks PILOT by Cortsen and Wiking by Peltzer. The models were identical for both firms. During the 1930-ties production developed and quality improved. Wiking also tested other scales and materials (hard wood) . PILOT introduced models of cars and trains (not working) of solid metal. During the Second World War production diminished. As metals no longer were available, Wiking was forced to use other materials such as plastic. PILOTs production ([photo from pilotmodeller.dk](photo from pilotmodeller.dk)) Developments in Britain and USA Basset-Lowke continued after the First World War to produce ship models in different scales for professional customers. The Nazi takeover of Germany in 1933 forced some of Peltzers work staff in Berlin to leave the country. Friedrich Leo Winkler fled to Britain already in 1935. His escape was assisted by Curt Wennberg, who was a Swedish Army officer interested in small scale waterline models. Winkler, who had been master builder and designer with Wiking, settled down in Treforest near Cardiff. He named his business Treforest Mouldings Ltd. or TREMO. Winkler entered on an ambitious program of models of military ships, which also included Japanese ship, a sector which Peltzer had neglected. Winkler’s models were relative simple compared with contemporary models by Wiking. When the war stared in 1939 Winkler, coming from Germany, was considered as an “enemy alien” and was accordingly interned on the Isle of Man. After being released in 1942/43, he was unable to restart his business, as both materials and work force no longer were available. After the war Winkler opened up a new factory, which however soon burnt down. In the US an enormous production of waterline models was initiated by the military early during the war. The models were mainly used for training pilots in identification of enemy and friendly ships. The models were produced by companies such as Bessarabis, Comet, Framburg and South Salem. These models, which often came in large wooden transport boxes, were of very varying quality. After the war all except Comet went out of business or concentrated on other products. Comet changed the name to Authenticast and continued production until early 1960´s. Later during the 1960´s Ian John Carter took up the production with help of the remains from Comet/ Authenticast. Carter also succeeded in acquiring models and equipment from the other American manufacturers. Under the trademark Superior Model Inc he also

FAQs

Which firms produced waterline model ships in the early 20th century, and what scales were common?

Early production included Britain-based work before World War I, plus later British firms such as Basset-Lowke. The text highlights initial scales like 1:1800 and then a shift to 1:1200 (and also 1:1250 for some German-led techniques).

How did wartime conditions affect materials and production methods?

During the Second World War, production diminished and metal supplies were no longer available, forcing Wiking to use other materials such as plastic. In the US, wartime production focused on training models used for pilot identification.

What changes occurred in the market after 1945?

After the war, Peltzer and Wiking resumed production based largely on pre-war models, while Wiking’s success shifted toward plastic model cars in 1:100. The text also describes later entries from toy and plastic kit producers in the UK and Italy, followed by Schowanek’s Hansa and Sattler’s Delphin lines.

Oct 28, 2026

Upload by dawugda