A (serious and rather sad) preface:

Thanks for dropping by. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via PM or post comments under the respective pics.

 

These pics are public, but they are not free of rights!

 

This private photo collection is open to the public and intended for the personal enjoyment and inspiration of visitors and online users. But there are rules. And good manners!!! If you want to grab a photo for your private collection (offline), feel free to do so. However, if you want to publish it on your personal web page, another forum or blog etc., please ask beforehand for permission (PM via FlickR) and add proper credit / link to the source page here.

This is even more so seriously requested if you want to modify and/or publish it in other media and/or use it in any public/commercial way (magazine, book, videos, banners, ads on online platforms etc.).

There have been a considerable number of unauthorized publications and cases of intellectual theft over time, sometimes in doubtful context which I did and do not support, and without my permission or consent. Any direct or indirect artwork hijacking or unauthorized re-publication in any media will result in legal prosecution. I'd rather like to avoid such inconvenience for anyone involved beforehand, so please ask. Or just leave it.

 

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About me...

I consider myself being rather a modeler than a photographer. Model kit building has been my longest-lasting passion, things started around the age of four, looong ago. I began, like many others, with military model kits, mostly 1:72 scale planes, plus some tanks and a few ships. Star Wars was also a major childhood influence, but never really found its way into models. Model photography came considerably later, but this aspect has evolved into an essential element of building and presenting the builds: setting them in scene or into an appropriate environment, creating a more or less fictional background and adding scenic drama, if possible.

 

Building model kits and interest in corresponding technical or historical things has been a passion that never went away throughout my life so far, despite some hiatus phases and other interests or duties. However with growing age and getting a bit bored with what the real world has to offer, two more fantastic and inspiring topics crept into my spectrum:

• Japanese, anime-related model kits (mecha as well as large scale character figures)

• What-if/whif models, primarily fictional aviation; based on real projects that never were, potential developments that could have been, or just pure fantasy

• Some SF kits, e.g. from the Star Wars universe

  

Personal "career hightlights":

Invitation to AniMagic, Germany's biggest anime convention at that time, where I took part as an exhibitor and model kit workshop instructor/demonstrator in 2001-2005. Crazy, big fun, good times and great people all round.

 

  

Another highlight was an article about my Dorvack Powered Armor Suits in the Brazilian 'ZUPI Art Magazine' (Issue #29, June 2012). Many thanks to Allan Szacher for his interest and making this happen!

 

 

  

I am not much into model kit building contests, since I am rather creative than nit-pickingly accurate. But in March 2014 I was awarded with no less than four so-called "Whiffies", an internal model kit builder award at the whatifmodellers.com forum. Utterly proud, since both nominations and votings come from the board members and are picked from regular works. :D

 

 

 

 

  

2016 another Whiffie award followed - even more unexpected, and for a tiny triplane model:

 

  

2018: a Whiffie for the "Best Jet Kitbash" followed, with a rather large and epic piece of work:

 

  

2018: winner of the annual "1 Week Group Build" at whatifmodellers.com with a two-seat Hawker Seahawk conversion:

 

  

2019: two Whiffies, in the categories "Best Alternate Prop Scheme – Allied" (a Dewoitine D.520 in fictional pre-wwII Czech Air Force livery) and "Best Vehicle" for the fictional ChADI 9-II high speed/land speed record vehicle:

 

 

  

2020: three Whiffies for two builds: the fictional PTAK-30 Vintoplan in the categories "Best Multi Prop" and "Best "VTOL", as well as a four-engine Boeing 727 in the category "Best Alternate Jet Scheme Pre 1980 "

 

 

  

2020: (shared) 2nd place in the "Prototypes" group build at whatifmodellers.com, with the purely fictional and kitbashed YA-14A "Squatina", a stealthy A-10 replacement.

 

  

2021: 3rd place in the "Blue Lights" group build at whatifmodellers.com with a converted Cessna 337 in the (fictional) service of the Los Angeles Police department, inspired by a similar real-world modification.

 

 

  

2021: a Whiffie in the "Best (fictional) Figure" category for my converted Star Wars Biker Scout and his vehicle

 

  

2022: 2nd place (among 14 entries) in the 'Gunships' group build at whatifmodellers.com with an updated Rockwell Bronco

 

  

2022: Winner (among 19 entries) of the 'Hunter/Lightning/Canberra' group build at whatifmodellers.com with a side-by-side engine BAC Lightning called 'Skyspark'

 

  

2023: Winner (among 29 entries and a final round with 3 favorites) of the 'Logistics' group build at whatifmodellers.com with a civilian air crane version of the Bell AH-1 attack helicopter, the 'K-Cobra'

 

  

2023: A Whiffie for the 'Best Multi Prop' model (among 15 finalists in the category) at whatifmodellers.com's internal annual forum awards for the updated MV-10 Bronco

 

  

2024: The Whiffie for the 'Best Multi Jet' model (among 22 category finalists) for the four-engines Airbus A318 MPA

 

  

Other achievements:

Shared 1st place in the late 2016 "Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 002" of the Arawasi Publications blog (arawasi-wildeagles.blogspot.de/search/label/Japanese%20Ai...)

 

Mention in UK's "Science Fiction & Fantasy Modeler" magazine, in the course of a "Battlestar Galactica Custom Viper" group build,

 

A kit review/presentation at starshipmodelers.com (www.starshipmodeler.com/mecha/tk_dorvack.htm),

 

A guest gallery at Model Geek Magazine's forum: modelgeek.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=fe....

 

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About the pics:

Almost all pictures were taken with relatively simple digital pocket cameras, improvised lighting, self-made dioramas, bases or settings and simple background posters.

No composing - what you see is the actual setting, with some digital editing (e. g. hiding the landing gear or the display in flying scenes) and finishing with various softwares, including GIMP, Corel Draw, XnView and even Magix Movie Maker, and online editors.

 

 

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Some stats visitor stats from photostream and albums:

17th of March 2012: 500K views

7th of March 2014: 1 million views

1st of October 2014: 10 million views

17th of April 2015: 15 million views

9th of November 2015: 20 million views

8th of May 2016: 25 million views

6th of November 2016: 30 million views

21st of April 2017: 35 million views

20th of September 2017: 40 million views

15th of February 2018: 45 million views

17th of July 2018: 50 million views

4th of January 2019: 55 million views

3rd of April 2019: 60 million views

4th of October 2019: 65 million views

1st of February 2020: 70 million views

1st of June 2020: 75 million views

1st of October 2020: 80 million views

16th of February 2021: 85 million views

30th of June 2021: 90 million views

11th of November 2021: 95 million views

2rd of April 2022: 100 million views

13th of February 2024 125 million views!

 

Thanks a lot for your interest and feedback!