Andrea Press

Frequently Asked Questions of the AFV painting techniques

by  Mig Jimenez

Reviewed By  Floyd S. Werner, Jr, IPMS# 26266

MSRP: $79.95 ISBN: 84-96527-62-X Softbound, over 250 pages, more than 1500 photographs. Thanks to Andrea for the review copy (www.andrea-miniatures.com) Armor modeling has techniques and practices that are unique to that genre There are numerous ways to achieve the effect of a realistic armor vehicle, but none more convincing than the ones shown in this book. Presented in a soft binder on over 250 pages of high quality gloss stock, every photo is presented in clear color which allows you to see what is explained in the text. To start out, the book introduces you to Spanish modeler Mig Jimenez and his search for the perfect armor model. The reason you'll buy this book is the techniques section. This is preceded by the tools and materials. Once that is dispensed with, you are treated with techniques for replicating texture and battle damage on your tank. There are two pages that I think are essential and they explain the techniques and proper sequence in which to employ them. What follows next is a step by step guide from priming to completion. The first technique that was new to me was the concept of filters. This is explained and shown to great effect. Washes and dry brushing are explained as well. Rain marks, fading and discoloration are shown in equal detail. The variety of chipped paints and rust are shown as well. This stuff is phenomenal. Mapping is also a new technique to me that holds great promise for winter paint schemes. Dusting and mud are shown. Mud, what could be difficult about that? Well there is dried mud, damp mud, wet mud and fresh mud. These are all explained. How to paint tracks is essential to a successful armor model and the various techniques are shown for the various types of tracks. Don't forget about wheels - they are covered just as much as the tracks. A whole section is devoted to exhaust pipes. Special effects are covered and these I'll leave to your imagination but they are just the things to take your model to the next level. Tools and accessories are covered and they are given the same treatment as the armor subjects. Some armor requires the interior to be shown. The special techniques are shown here too. Dioramas are a major part of armor modeling and this is taken care of with the same level of expertise. Next comes a miscellaneous section that touches on modeling today and interpretation of black and white photos. The book then goes into modeling philosophy and competitions. Nothing motivates me like seeing excellent models built by experts. There is a whole section that does just that. Now this is a technique book, and the only way to evaluate the techniques is to put them to a test. I decided to build a Tiger I to see if I could do it too. Everything would be put to the test. I haven't done an armor model for years. One of the reasons was I was never happy with my results. I found that the techniques were easy to follow and I will allow you to draw your own conclusions as far as my Tiger goes. I can tell you my opinion, I love the results. I think my mud needs a little more work but I have to say that this model looks every bit of what I was looking for. My conclusion is that this single book is the answer to all your armor modeling questions and THE essential reference book. Some will be put off by the price, but I have to say that this is worth every penny if you want to improve your models. Experienced modelers will gain a lot of information and the beginner will gain valuable insight and dramatic results. Let my model be an indicator of the level you can achieve. There are not enough words to express how great this book is. I think it is your one-stop shop for armor modeling. I am looking forward to more books from Andrea Press if this is the level of detail that I can expect from them. SUPREMELY RECOMMENDED Thanks to Andrea Press for the review copy. You can obtain yours directly from Andrea Press at www.andrea-miniatures.com. Amazon has them on back order but you can order them from there as well.

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