AMMO AMMO Weathering Special - How to Paint 1:72 Military Vehicles

[Paul A H]

 

AMMO Weathering Special

 

 

How to Paint 1:72 Military Vehicles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it's fair to say that 1:35 scale has come to dominate the world of AFV modelling over the past few decades. Walk into any model show in the UK and you will find a number of traders specialising in military vehicle and accessories in this scale, with a willing queue of punters ready to part with their hard-earned. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find that the smaller scales have managed to carve out their own niche in the modelling world. Led by Tamiya, 1:48 scale AFV modelling has a small but growing band of followers, convinced by the compromise between the detail of larger kits and the value of the smaller scales. 1:72, meanwhile, has a large following in Europe and the Far East, offering increasing levels of detail in small and affordable packages, as well as unrivalled possibilities for the diorama builder.

 

 

Enter AMMO by Mig Jimenez, the company whose aim it is to provide the 'ammo' for enthusiast modellers like us to paint and weather their models.  Their product range includes a dizzying array of paint, pigments, oils and diorama accessories that provide the modeller with pretty much everything they could want (oak leaves for a diorama? Certainly, sir. Would sir like autumn, dry or decaying leaves?). The range also includes a range of books about painting and weathering models, and the latest tome in the range is dedicated to 1:72 scale military vehicles. Small scale AFVs tend to be ignored by the mainstream modelling press, so the choice of subject is to be welcomed. The book is an A4 format softback which in many ways is reminiscent of a top-quality magazine. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular subject, and there are detailed explanations of the techniques used along the way, as well as large, clear photographs of lots of gorgeous models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book is divided into eight chapters, each of which features a different model finished by a different modeller:

• 'Scrapyard T-72A by Alex Clark (Revell T-72A);
• Panzer IV by Jan Moravik (brand not listed);
• BMD-2 by Mig Jimenez (S-Model BMD-2);
• M1A1(HA) Abrams by Fabrizio Repetto (Dragon M1A1);
• Tiger I Kursk by Artur Walachowski (Zvezda Tiger II);
• 3...2...1... Launch and E-75 88mm by Leonid Postny (Toxso Scud-D on MAZ-543 Chassis and Modelcollect E-75); and
• Small ScaleT-34/85 by Sergey Golikov (Trumpeter T-34/85)

 

 

Tips and techniques are patiently explained, with each build broken down into multiple stages accompanied by lots of clear photographs. The book is remarkably focussed on its subject, with almost no copy wasted describing how each kit has been assembled. It really is all about painting and weathering. Full and detailed descriptions of the weathering process are provided, as well as explanations of why certain techniques have been used. Reference photographs of real rusted vehicles have been included too, in order to help show the relationship between the real thing and the miniature versions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the course of 120 pages the use of a range of different tools, paints and other materials are explained in detail. Products used are almost exclusively MIG's own brand, but the occasional tin of Humbrol or jar of Tamiya sneaks in here and there. While this book isn't necessarily suitable for beginners, on the other hand even the most experienced modeller could learn a few new tricks from these pages.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

This is an interesting and useful reference book. The magazine-like layout is particularly appealing, as is the large number of colour photographs. My only criticism is that the conventional binding technique used will make the book difficult to lay down on the workbench whilst modelling. Some similar publications have made use of spiral binding to get around this problem, and this is my favoured format for this kind of book. All-in-all though, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and useful publication. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of