S&S Models produce the largest range of cold war military vehicle models in 1/72 scale. we also make models in 28mm and 15mm scales as well as terrain.

About
This may surprise some of you but S&S Models started way back in 1986!

It was started by Stewart Crosby and Shaun Matthews, we are 2 wargamers from Burnham on sea in Somerset U.K. and we still own and run it.

We are both members of the ‘Escape Committee Wargames Club’ winners of various awards for excellent demo games at a lot of the UK shows.

(for more details see the relevant page on this site)

Back in the early 80’s gamers and modelers had limited choice for vehicles, guns and figures apart from the plastic models by Airfix, Matchbox, Nitto, Hasegawa and Fujimi there was virtually no resin or metal models in 20mm (1/76-1/72) scale apart from Gramodels, Red Star and Eric Clark and you could only buy the Eric Clarke models if you were in the M.A.F.V.A. (The miniature afv assoc) and so were really hard to get and expensive compared to the plastic ones easily bought in toy and model shops.

In those days gamers generally used mainly plastic kits and only bought resin or metal when you could not get the relevant model in plastic.

When 2 new companies started to advertise new ranges of resin models for sale in the model magazines at a reasonable price we both became interested and duly sent off for some models to expand our collections.

After a few weeks the models arrived and after opening the box we were quite frankly disappointed with the contents, very fragile & broken mudguards, huge air holes and some not even looking like the real vehicles.

After some thought i decided i could scratch build some better ones as i had been converting plastic kits for years, even making them for fellow club members.

We asked a few members what sort of models they would like us to make and after a small list was made we started on the first 2 vehicles an M8 Greyhound and an M20 armoured car which seemed to be the most popular choice.

These club sales gave us enough profit to enable us to buy more resin and rubber which at the time was very expensive in comparison to now and the range grew as we added the Cromwell turret to convert the Matchbox Comet and an a/a turret for the Airfix Crusader.

As our mastering skills and moulding skills grew we started to think about sending off models for review in the various magazines available and our very first review was in Army and Navy Model world magazine, in the June 86 issue, the magazine is sadly long gone, steadily sales grew and more suggestions came flooding in, some good some not so good.

For most of this time we were both working full time with our ‘real’ jobs and sorting the mail order and attending shows at weekends, now one of us does this full time as the sales and range have steadily grown.

Please note, we can supply any of the parts of the current range for your own conversions ect and can sometimes supply parts from older models as well as we have lots of old moulds still here.

Our policy has always to ask you what you want and to try if possible to make them available if we think there is enough interest hence the 15+ club list.

We strive to make the next model better than the last and to use the relevant material for the models parts making them easier to cast and also making them much stronger so gamers can be confidant they will last more than 5 mins on the gaming table.

We also reserve the right to alter or amend any materials or methods of construction as we see fit.

I still have one of the awful resin models we bought and i sometimes look at it to inspire me to make our models even better.

All models are supplied as a single model, unless stated, and are delivered unmade and unpainted and are not for sale to anyone under the age of 18 years due to small parts and some may contain lead.

Thanks for your interest

Stewart Crosby and Shaun Matthews

Shelf Oddity are a group of modellers. We like to do things our way, and the (often) exotic scope of our interests results in the market's inability to meet our expectations. We decided to go ahead with our own ideas as skill and available technology permit.  At some point a thought came to our minds "Hey, maybe there are more freaks out there?" – at this point comes Shelf Oddity, stage right.

Our detail and decal sets are usually created to fit models we build (read: have started and found out that there are deficiencies/inaccuracies/simplifications/room for improvement/details missing etc.). This helps to put some genuine effort into it. On the other hand - there may and will be some idiosyncrasies, exactly for the same reason.

If you expect easy-to-build, shake-and-bake product... well, good for you. This is not and will not be Tamiya-like easy listening lounge music. You'd rather expect some prog heavy metal.

First scope of our focus is aviation in 1/144 scale, although our 1/72 roots may come through from time to time. The emphasis is on external details comes from our observations – nobody really cares how much effort you put into creating detail that is invisible to regular viewer. But don't expect we will strictly follow any set of rules. We do what we find interesting.

Ships in 1/700 and 1/350 scales are the second area of our interest. You can expect the unexpected here.

Feel free to propose new subjects. If they suit us, we will follow. Just remember this is purely subjective, so don't be offended if we decline.

You can contact us by email (even@shelfoddity.com), via contact form somewhere here and on facebook (www.facebook.com/shelfoddity)

Note concerning production batches and delivery time:

We start slow, with limited series. This means "out of stock" can happen, and you may need to wait for next production batch. Don't be afraid though - a product is not likely to be discontinued if there is demand for it.

Most of available items are piling beneath our desk, waiting to be packed and sent. It usually takes 1-3 work days to move our bottom to post office. It may take longer if the order is complex and one of us is currently visiting Mojave or Kure. If in doubt - contact us; ok we will not be able to deliver for next week, but hey, maybe next two weeks?. We only ask for your patience. This is our secondary business, for the time being at least. Where should it leads us? Where should you lead us?