This latest step-by-step volume from Phil Reed tackles what, for many, are regarded as the ultimate expression of the ship model maker's art, the Navy Board model. These beautiful early eighteenth-century works of art are well represented in the major maritime museums both here and in the States as well as in private collections and here the author deals with the construction of a miniature 1/192 scale model of the Royal George of 1715, in which all the conventions of Navy Board framing and planking are demonstrated .

He takes us through every stage of the work with the aid of nearly 400 photographs, each one accompanied by detailed text. Methods of hull and deck framing, internal and external planking, the construction of the complex stern with its array of galleries doors and windows, are all covered; the rendering of the multitude of decorative carvings on the figurehead, stern and broadside is also demonstrated.

At the end of the book there is a short section showing his model of Syren, which demonstrates how the techniques used to frame Royal George could be adapted for ships of a later date, using single and double frames closer to full-size practice.