Martin J Bower, A Profile

Martin Bower is one of the most highly prolific model makers and designers to the film, TV, advertising and publishing industry. From 1969 to the present day, he has so far produced over 740 professional works.

Martin started off building models as a child inspired by his TV favorites such as Supercar, and the early films of Ray Harryhausen; in particular the 1964 film First men in the Moon. He was also very influenced by Frank Hampson's DAN DARE comic strip in the Eagle comic. He is totally self-taught with no college or formal training.

On leaving school Martin took a very brief TV job for Inner London Education Authorities closed circuit TV division. He joined Scale Models International at Carshalton in Surrey where he built many models for the RAF Museum at Hendon, including display models of the Harrier Jump Jet, the Hawker Hunter and Red Arrows Hawks. He also built models of many Container ships. However, after 3 years he left to pursue a career in his life's love: that of making SFX models for TV and Films.

His first TV commission was building sign boards for a PG Tips chimps advert! However, he eventually got a job building and designing models for the TV series Space 1999, thanks in part to the help of SFX Director Brian Johnson, to whom Martin freely admits to being indepted for giving him a very free hand, both in the designing and building of the 86 models he did for the show over a 3 year period. Martin also built models for a one-off TV show produced by the same team that did Space 1999. Into Infinity (aka The Day After Tomorrow) featured Space 1999 stars Nick Tate and Brian Blessed and gave Martin the opportunity to design and build all the models for the film. The Altares 'Lightship' featured in the film is still one of Martin's favourite designs.

Martin went on to work on the TV series Blakes 7, (being responsible for the design of the now famous Teleport Bracelets) Dr Who, The Tomorrow People, Tomorrows World, Horizon, Tripods and many more. He was also Supervising Modelmaker on the 1979 feature film Alien, contributing designs to the film as well as models. He also held the same post on Flash Gordon and Outland, starring Sean Connery.

Other work has included numerous TV commercials and photographic work for books, magazines, comics and video covers. His best known work in the publishing field was for the 1991-1995 Thunderbirds, Stingray and Capt. Scarlet comics, poster magazines and other assorted publicity which rode on the back of the huge success the BBC had when it re-showed these series.

Martin has also been responsible for creating 4 TV Series concepts. Odd Adventures (a children's TV show for the under 5's) Ufonauts, Sargasso and his best known idea STARGUARD. This was made as a short pilot film in the mid 1980's but was never taken up by the TV Companies. Likewise Odd Adventures was also made as a pilot film but met with the same fate.

Although Martin still makes Models for film and Tv the advent of computer generated imagery (CGI) has had a profound effect on the need for models for the screen. Martin Bower also produces many models for advertising, comic book and poster magazines and undertakes many private commissions. Much of his time is involved in the photography & filming of his models. Very often the photograph is the final piece of work.

In the mid 1990's Martin did (under the name BOWERHOUSE VIDEO), produce 2 instructional videos: The Martin Bower Guide to Model Making Techniques Volumes 1&2, for the home video market. These are detailed accounts of modelling techniques covering everything from sculpting nasty creatures, and building alien landscapes to creating spacecraft and other futuristic vehicles. he has also produced World of Models cataloging literally hundreds of his models.

In his own words. this is Martin’s account of recent happenings in his life:-

In early 1985 I started to suffer from growing lower back pain, (probably caused by constant bad posture working bent over models) Over the next 4 years, despite many types of treatment, this became much worse, and by 1989 the condition (with all its associated problems) had become so bad that I had a Discectomy (removal of a spinal disc).

This gave me some relief for a few years, but it became evident by 1991 that the operation had not been as successful as had been thought, and the problem reasserted itself but this time with additional ferocity, causing, among other things, numbness in the hands (not good when you are a model maker!) Once again I embarked on a series of treatments interspersed with stays in hospital; the most recent being in Odstock hospital near Salisbury for 3 weeks, all to no avail. Indeed I came out unable to walk!

As can be imagined, this problem took over my life and by 1997 I was virtually unable to work, except perhaps for a few hours on the odd "good" days. In the end I went to see a councelor. Since I had tried everything else I thought I had nothing to lose. Those who know me well, know that model making is my life, and being denied this got to me very badly.

After many sessions I noticed that the woman I saw seemed to have something special about her, and when I eventually asked her what it was, she told me she was a Christian and "had God in her life". My reaction to this was to be totally baffled. In short I didn't know where she was coming from! Then one day in shear desperation I asked her what I had to do to have "God in my life"!

She told me all I had to do was ask, which once again left me fairly bewildered. I had never believed in God and was totally sceptical. Basically, I thought she was crackers!. But there came a day when in utter agony I cried out in real anger and said "Okay God, if you're there then I need you!"

And nothing happened! ...............However, about 2 weeks later the fence in front of my workshop blew down in a storm. In a pretty angry state I went and got the "Yellow Pages" and picked a fencing contractor out at random from the 33 listed. The next day this guy of about 30 turned up and mended the fence. When I went out to see how he was getting on he immediately noticed that I was in pain (as I usually was on most days)

And he just said to me "Can I pray for you?!"

Which, if you think about it, is not the sort of thing you usually expect a fencing contractor in his "wellies" to say! Well, what do you say in this situation? So I said "yes", more out of embarrassment than anything else. And that was it. I paid him and off he went. Except that wasn't it, because within a very short time I noticed my back was not so bad. And within a few months I was feeling A LOT better!

The back pain and associated problems I'd had for 12 years were gone, the 2 stomach ulcers and one duodenal ulcer I had had gone, and so had the heart problems I was also under investigation for! I felt better than I'd felt for years! Now this wasn't a faith healing, I had no faith remember? But I believe that day God answered my "prayer" and came into my life! And to this day, several years on, I am still fine!.

Okay, I can hear the sceptical ones amoung you saying it was a coincidence this particular guy came to mend the fence. It was a coincidence that my back just finally got better at that time -after 12 years? That God had nothing to do with it. (at one time I'd have probably said that myself ! ) But I do not believe it was a coincidence, and since giving my life to Jesus my whole life has been turned upside down and changed for the better. And you know what....? since I've never been taught to make models, or do any of the other things I do, I used to tell people flippantly that my model making skills were "a God given gift" Now, today, I truly believe that is true!

2001: A Space Odyssey
20000 Leagues Under the Sea
Alien
Blakes 7
Captain Scarlet
Dr Who
Fireball XL5
Flash Gordon
Forbidden Planet
Hitch Hikers Guide
Into Infinity
Outland
Space 1999
Star Trek
Stingray
Terrahawks
Thunderbirds
War of the World’s
Tripods
UFO

Email Martin at: martin@martinbowersmodelworld.co.uk