Interview with Per Olav Lund

Author: Alberto Villasana Creation date:  17-Nov-2010

 

Greetings my modelers friends!

 

On this occasion we're going to present you a guest that needs no introduction, at least for those interested in the dioramas. Per Olav Lund, this modeler of Norwegian origin has developed a style which many consider as a school, is one of the founders of the Norwegian style or Nordic Edge.
His work has appeared in countless places and has participated in the creation of the 3 books "The Nordic Edge" where along with other major Norwegian modelers show us the result of this famous style.

We hope you enjoy the interview with this great modeler.

 

Alberto: A lot of people know your work by the reach of different media, like websites and forums, but tell us a little about you. Who is the man behind the modeler, who is Per Olav?
Per Olav: Well, I'm a 42 year old guy from Norway, married and have 2 kids. I'm working as a project manager in a company working with securing roads. I have been modeling almost all my life since I was a little boy and the hobby has become a passion and an important part of my life.

Alberto:How would you say was your beginning into modeling? What do you like/enjoy the most about it?
Per Olav:I remember my first experience with modeling as a little boy age 5 or 6 watching my older brother making models. Besides the cool models of tanks and planes I also remember the often dramatic and action packed box arts that made a big impression on me. I soon started to do my own models, no particular types, planes, cars, ships, and tanks, everything worked. After I saw some pictures of dioramas in some old Airfix and Tamiya catalogues I was definitely hooked, since then I think most of my modeling has been put into dioramas.

The thing I like most about modeling today is the relaxing feeling it gives sit down and get away from the daily stress and just enjoy building on a project. The social aspect about traveling to competitions and meeting friends with the same interest is also very important. And of course the good feeling you get when you can sit back after finishing a challenging project and just enjoy.

Alberto:Are you currently working with a certain group of modeling or modeling club? Or do you consider yourself a freelance modeler?
Per Olav:Model builders in Norway are a very small group of people. We have only one club the IPMS and most people there don't share the same interest (military subject and dioramas). Lately we have become a small group of guys meeting up maybe every second month and do some modeling. This group is also travelling together to a couple of model shows around Europe during the year. Sometimes I really envy the model communities they have in many other countries since meeting up regularly with people with the same interest is very important and inspirational. I also think that the different forums on the internet are a great way to share your work and get inspired.

Alberto: We know that dioramas are your best. But tell us, how you get the inspiration to start afresh in a new project. How much time do you spend on it?
Per Olav: The ideas and inspiration for a new project can come in many different ways. Maybe from watching a specific picture, a clip from a movie or maybe something I see or experience during the day. I live very close to the forest and my daily trip with my dog in the forest is often very inspirational and often gives me a lot of ideas too.

The time I spend on a project is very different: I consider myself to build quite fast and I rarely spend more than 7-8 month on a bigger project (like Ragnarok or my BR52 Diorama).

Alberto: What would you consider your best project to current date?
Per Olav: My next one# No seriously, it's difficult to choose one specific project but I think my WW1 diorama with the crashed airplane is one of my best. The project involved a completely scratch build airplane using vacuum forming and the diorama also had 4 fully scratched figures. The diorama is about 5 years old now and I could certainly have done a better technical and paint job today since I have developed many new and better techniques the last years but I'm still satisfied with the end result.

Alberto: Once you have finished one of your dioramas, what do you do with them?
Per Olav: I place some of them on display at my local hobby shop and at the moment I'm building a huge glass cabinet in my living room. I'm looking forward to have this finished and have my dioramas on display because I think it's a pity they are stored away in boxes to protect them from dust.

Alberto: Where do you get the reference for a new scene?
Per Olav: The references are often collected on different sites on the internet, but I think one of my most important reference library is my surroundings. A lot of references i.e. rust on vehicles/machines, old buildings and groundwork is often found in my neighborhood. I always carry a camera when I'm out travelling both in my job and on my daily walks.

Alberto: Your work has been published in some books. Tell us how this happen?
Per Olav: The magazine articles have often been requested by the editors. About my articles in the 3 Nordic edge books, the editor is a very good friend of mine.

Alberto: Tell us what's involved in the process of making a modeling book?
Per Olav: Doing articles can often be a challenge since it needs a lot of preparation especially with the step by step photos. When you are well into a project I think it's very easy to forget to takes photos. I also sometimes feel the time pressure to get an article finished in time for the release date can often destroy some of the joy about the building. In the future I will only do articles when I can do it in my own time schedule.

Alberto: Are you working on some new publication?
Per Olav: No, not any particular at the moment.

Alberto: Where can we see some of your work? Do you have a website?
Per Olav:No, sorry I don't have my own website. I have thought about it a couple of times but since maintaining a website demands some work I think it's better to use my precious spare time (remember I got 2 kids!) at the model desk.
I was a little bit involved in the start up of the www.little-norway.org a model forum that is now a fast growing model forum where I try to be as active as possible.

 

Well folks thats all for now, for those who are interested in seeing more of the work of Per, you can do on the site http://www.little-norway.org where find the work of other great modelers.

Finally we leave you with a sample of the work of this talented modeller. See you soon friends.
Alberto

All material displayed on this interview is protected by copyright and was published with the permission in writing from the original owner.

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