Andrea Press

Knights In Miniature Parts I & II

by  author

Reviewed By  Mike Howard, IPMS# 30741

MSRP: $16.95 (Volume I) and $24.95 (Volume II) ISBN: Vol 1 - 84-934377-5-1 or 978-849343775-6 ISBN: Vol 2 - 84-96527-61-1 or 978-849652761-4 Vol 1: 64 colour pages with 260 photographs. Vol 2: 8¼ x 11¾ 72 pages full color throughout www.andrea-miniatures.com Imported by Casemate publishing and Distributing (www.casematepublishing.com) Knights in Miniature (volume I) I've been collecting various medieval knight figures for several years, yet have been "afraid" to start them due to lack of references and basic know-how. The two manuals covered in this review have effectively removed this excuse from my arsenal and have boosted my level of confidence to now give them a valid effort towards completion. As the index below shows, the first of the two Andreas Press manuals, Knights in Miniature, jumps right into the midst of building and painting a figure. These manuals assume that the reader is not a novice modeler, but rather a builder looking to refine and advance existing skills. This is illustrated by the fact that they skip any basic assembly instructions and move on to explain what modifications were performed on the figure. The use of various epoxy putties is illustrated, but again at the level of someone who has previously worked with these materials. Accompanying the all of the photos is a very good text explanation of the building/modification/painting process. Each new chapter is prefaced with some history of the subject and decisions behind some of the choices made in reference to the figure, the pose, colors used, ect. Several of the chapters also summarize the colors used (paints are all from the Andreas line) on various areas of the figure and the mix proportions for non-standard colors. As the chapters progress, there are various sections that come back to more basic skills such as painting faces, heraldry, diorama base work and prepping metal figures. Again, the text does a very good job of supporting the pictures for each instructional chapter.

The subjects in this first volume are not just European knight figures, but a Samurai and coverage of some machines of battle are included in a couple of sections. Chapter 3 covers a Trebuchet diorama and the various tasks performed to bring it to completion. Chapter 5 has a very nicely done Viking ship and crew as its focus. The coverage of these items is well done and viewing the finished products is quite inspiring. Overall this book would make a great addition to the library of a moderately experienced modeler that would like to move into the realm of Medieval modeling. Knights in Miniature II Volume II of this series picks up nicely where the previous book ended. Again, the pictures are first rate and the supporting text is well laid out. Histories of the subjects are still there and this time they seem to go more into some of the basics for each subject. Faces are covered again and this time more details on highlights/shading of both bodies and uniforms are addressed. One of the major tools of the time, the horse, is also covered in detail early on. As seen in the first book, one of the chapters focuses on a Japanese Samurai, though this model is not as dressed as traditionally as in volume I.

A good portion of this manual focuses on building an elaborate (as viewed by a novice figure modeler such as myself) diorama of the Crusades. Detailed sections cover the figures, the groundwork, assembling/modifying a structure and then tying all of these pieces together. The groundworks tactics defined here are applicable to just about any type of diorama base, so the benefits go beyond just figure modeling. Pictures of the progress, both in building and painting, work well to illustrate the text and bring it all together to an impressive final product. These two volumes come highly recommended for any modeler, with some previous experience, that wishes to expand their interests into the realm of medevial knights, their equipment, beasts of burden and even some of their structures. I'd like to offer a big "Thanks" to Casemate, Andrea Press and IPMS for the review samples.

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