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Guillermo Rojas Bazan

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Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless scale model by Guillermo Rojas Bazan

Guillermo Rojas Bazan (born 1949) is an aviation model maker and researcher from Argentina.

During the first forty-five years of his career, while living and working in four countries, he made more than 200 custom models for museums, art galleries, scale model companies, and collectors.[1]

Life and work

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Guillermo Rojas Bazan was born in 1949 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[2] Rojas Bazan received his education in both a technical school and an art school.[3] From 1981 to 1988, Rojas Bazan worked for the Instituto Aeronaval (Naval Air Institute) and the Argentine Air Force.[1] During that time, he worked as a technical draftsman, aircraft illustrator, and designer.[1] Additionally, he was commissioned to build all of the aircraft used in Argentina's Naval history,[4][5] resulting in ninety-nine aircraft models built.[6][7]

In 1988, he left Argentina for Spain, where he built models for an aviation art gallery in London and produced replicas for collectors in the United States and Europe.[1] While working for the London gallery, Rojas Bazan was able to choose which models he built, and made several of what he describes as non-commercial models.[6]

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress scale model by Guillermo Rojas Bazan

In 1994, he moved to the U.S. and was hired by Fine Art Models, a company located in Royal Oak, Michigan.[8][9] During his years working for Fine Art Models, he made models in 1/15 scale that were copied in Eastern Europe and sold in limited editions.[8][10] In recent years, he has worked as a freelance artist for collectors and museums.[1]

Models

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Vought F4U Corsair scale model by Guillermo Rojas Bazan

Rojas Bazan built eighty-seven models for Argentina’s National Museum of the Nation as a result of being commissioned to build every aircraft used in Argentina’s Naval history.[4][6] He built an additional twelve models that were displayed in different locations in Argentina.[7] At Fine Art Models, he built numerous models including the F-4UD Corsair[6][11] When asked about which are his favorite models, Rojas Bazan said, 'I do not have only one favorite model, I have several. Many of them are planes from the period between 1920 and 1939, before WWII (golden age of aviation). These include the Northrop Gamma, Boeing B-15, Boeing YB-17 (prototypes on the great B-17), Martin B-10, Vought Vindicator, Curtiss Hawk III, Junkers G-38, Junkers G-24, Heinkel He70, Fairey Battle, etc. Many of these aircraft were not good machines, or have not been very popular, but I like them aesthetically.'[1] His last completed model is a Consolidated B-24H Liberator. It was commissioned by the 467th Bombardment Group (H) Association for the purpose of being displayed at the historic Wendover airfield.[12]

Recognition

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  • At the North American Model Engineering Expo, Rojas Bazan accepted the Joe Martin Foundation Award for Craftsman of the Year (2013).[1]
  • The University of Notre Dame, the U.S. Airforce,[8] and Christie's have given Rojas Bazan letters of recognition.[8][13]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Libuse, C. (2013, Jan). “A Family Tradition of Model Making Turns into a Profession.” The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum.
  2. ↑ Knepper, M. (1995). "Fighter Jets for the Home". Cigar Aficionado.
  3. ↑ Cooper, A. (1994, Aug). “A Different Kind of Artist.” Private Pilot.
  4. 1 2 (1987, Feb). Exposición Aeronaval en el Museo Naval de la Nación. Mach 1. 39-41. https://www.scribd.com/document/426415263/Mach-1-N%C2%BA-15-Febrero-1987#
  5. ↑ Brea, E. (2010, Feb). "Guardianes del Delta bonaerense (I)". Gaceta AeroNautica.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kanoneberg, A. (2011). Scalemodelle (A, Burden, Ed.) (1st). Motorbuch.
  7. 1 2 "Entrevistando a un artesano del modelismo El Sr. Guillermo Rojas Bazán.” Pegaso Aeromodelismo.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Shaw, Kelly (Apr, 2009). "Guillermo Rojas Bazan's passion for perfection." Fine Scale Modeler.
  9. ↑ Fine Art Models. (n.d.). “Aircrafts [sic],”
  10. ↑ Miniature Replicas: Models of Perfection.” Detroit Free Press, https://freep.newspapers.com/search/?query=Models%20of%20Perfection&dr_year=2002-2002
  11. ↑ (1997). "Das Modell und der Tüftler." IQ. 1.
  12. ↑ (2025, Jun). The "Witch" returns to Wendover. Newsletter of the 467th Bomb Group Association. 5. http://www.467bg.com/poopResults.php?cDate=01%20Jun%202025
  13. ↑ Benedetto, F. "Guillermo Rojás Bazan Fine Art Models." Ares.
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