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I am working on a long-term scratch-building project, an Academy 1/35 King Tiger Final Production. Specifically, I am creating the interior from scratch utilizing any reference I can find. My current sub-assembly is the transmission housing, utilizing brass sheets that I'm teaching myself to solder. Once I've completed it, though, I see that it requires cast texture. I am aware of the process for reproducing the texture on plastic, but I don't believe I've seen anything for putting it on brass. I've thought of three possibilities: roughing up the surface with a rotary tool, "painting" a very thinned layer of putty or applying metal primer first to "grip" the texture. Each one has its drawbacks, so I'm wondering if anyone else has ever tried texturing brass (not small PE accessories) or knows of any resources. Thanks

How to Paint Bare Metal – Solutions Book #08 (A.MIG-6521) ISBN: 8432074065210 AMMO of Mig Jiménez You may already have heard of the AMMO Solution Boxes, and the Solution Books that complement them, but if not, the boxes are sets of products that can be used to complete the weathering of their chosen subject, and for those that don’t already know the techniques, the books walk you through the process step-by-step, holding your hand and supplying tips and tricks in a graphic-based context with written captions in English, Spanish, French and German. This book, number 8 in the series, covers painting bare metal in great detail, from the base painting through various metallic shades, discolouring from heat, decals, fading, leaks, streaks and final finishing with varnishes. The book is printed in a glossy magazine cover containing 60 pages including the covers, with full colour printing throughout and using the Academy 1:48 Mig-21MF as the example model from start to impressive finish. After a brief introduction to the series, the first section of the book covers the various products that will be used during the second section, which are the products that are needed to complete the task, all available from AMMO as you would expect, but of course there are similar products available from other manufacturers that you might already have in your modelling arsenal. You didn’t hear that from me though. The second section contains a ton of advice on using the products mentioned in section 1. There is another short introduction regarding the specific subject as mentioned above, then it launches into the painting and weathering process beginning with a note on the cockpit, then moving to the almost completed but bare Mig that is then primed and prepared for the metallic finishes. The first steps involve the painting of the canopy with cockpit green so it will show through from the inside, then black primer to give a gloss base for the metallics that will shine that much better for that base coat. As well as various captions, there are also a series of icons that help to guide you along, with a key at the beginning in case you can’t figure them out from the graphics. Masking and spraying different panels to give a varied patina to the metals as per the real thing, but taking care not to go too extreme unless you can back that up with pictures. The next few pages show the degrading and weathering of the metallics, as well as manual shading of individual panels with dirty colours to give additional visual interest. The decals are applied before weathering begins in earnest, including splashes and streaks that are added over the washes and decals for realism. Fading and the use of metallic pigments to vary the tones even further are also covered, which might be a new one to some modellers. Finally, a two-page spread shows the finished model with the product images around it with arrows showing where they were used. Conclusion These books are quite wallet friendly, and if you’ve not used the techniques documented within, they’re a useful resource. Even if you have used them before, they’re a useful quick reference, and for someone like myself with the memory of a goldfish, they’ll come in very handy indeed. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German & Russian Tank Models 1939-45 (9781612007359) Casemate Publishers UK The 2nd World War in Eastern Europe, known as the Great Patriotic War by the Soviets, was total war, with no quarter asked or given, resulting in massive destruction of men, machinery, innocent civilians and the land through which operation Barbarosa was prosecuted. The Russians burned anything that would be of use to the advancing Germans, and the Germans did the same as they were forced back by the then-fully mobilised Soviet war machine. A broad range of equipment was used by both sides, from light tanks to heavy tank destroyers, as well as the ubiquitous T-34 that was produced in huge numbers to counter the complex German tanks that were used to great effect during the initial advances. The Book This is a techniques book that takes a selection of subjects from this campaign and also touches upon North Africa's Afrika Korps (DAK), showing the modeller step-by-step how to achieve realistic and artistic effects that you can try on your next model, whether it's from the Eastern Front or not. Written and modelled by Mario Eens, the book is bound in a hard back cover, which is handy if you're going to be flicking back and forth and leaving it open as reference. Inside are 128 pages plus two blank sheets printed in colour on glossy stock, with an easy to read layout and photographs of the modelling techniques printed at such a size that leave the details easy to see, rather than lots of postage-stamp sized photos that are hard on the eyes (we're none of us getting any younger). There are five subjects within the book, as follows: Panzer I Ausf.A North Africa, 1941 A light tank that was almost obsolete by the time the war was underway, depicted in a worn dark yellow scheme with the original Panzer grey showing through. T-34/76 "chTZ" Russia, Summer 1943 In Russian green with a light coating of dust from the dried out countryside, hay adhering to the stowage from a close encounter with a haystack, and a cheerful crew member grinning at the viewer. Pz.Kpfw.VIII Maus, Germany 1946 An alternate history monster that almost reached service in the final days of WWII, wearing a striking green splinter camo over a dark yellow base. Su-152 Eastern Front, Winter 1943 A 152mm self-propelled howitzer in Russian green with the remnants of a winter white distemper coat clinging to the front and sides. Russian Infantry, Berlin April 1945 A typical member of the army, posing in his padded coat on some steps in front of a discarded cable reel, with a captured Panzerfaust over his shoulder. Each subject has a section of the book devoted to it, and it's not just a slavish out-of-the-box build, but includes plenty of additions and alterations to make the finished result better. This includes some handy hints and tips, as well as suggestions for methods that will improve your own models if you apply them judiciously to your builds. They are broken down further into subsections as if we are watching the build "live", showing various construction and painting phases, with the latter including more tips for effects such as chipping, streaks, and rust effects. It's clear that Mario is a master modeller, and at the top of his game so the end results are all fabulous, and give us all a standard to aim for. Add a couple of his tricks to each subsequent build, and you'll be surprised how soon it will become second nature to you. You will notice that he models each sub-assembly such as exhausts and pioneer tools as a model in and of itself, which helps to further improve the detail, although it takes more time than just lashing a bit of brown paint on the handles of the tools. As well as the gurning tanker that's popping out of the T-34, there is also a little diorama of the Russian solider at the end of the book, which gives the modeller a quick introduction to quality figure painting, often a weak-point of many of us, as well as the construction of the base with its tangle of twisted metal, rubble and the cable reel, which is another area that I personally struggle with. Conclusion A great how-to book that is bound to give you some inspiration as well as technical knowledge that will assist most modellers in achieving better results. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone ... Looking for tips on how to produce a homemade wash for an overall effect. Not just spot weathering or staining ? I already make weathering washes using about 80% water, 15% klear/Future, & 5% acrylic paint to get the color. Dennis

Weathering Magazine - What If Ammo by Mig Jimenez This is the first Weathering Magazine from Ammo that I have seen, but I have had sight of some of their other publications and this seems to be of the same quality. There are 77 pages of glossy high quality paper in an A4 format. These cover 3 Tanks, 2 aircraft, 1 flying saucer (well it is what if!), a Tie Fighter; and one Mech alternative history idea. There are also 5 pages of "What if" ideas to spark some imagination. The pictures are clear and the accompanying text lays out the processes the contributing modellers used to accomplish the finished models. Conclusion This looks to be a very useful publication, although in magazine format the print quality is more like a book. Even though dealing with "what if" subjects the techniques are equally at home with other subjects. Overall a high quality publication. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Dear modellers, Recent surgery has given me an opportunity to “get back into modelling”, something I last did, well, some 30 years ago. Along with the military stuff, I have fond memories of building airliners, notably Airfix’s Trident (BEA livery), a BAC 111 (British Caldonian) and a VC10 (BOAC). So, I thought I’d try one now……Revell’s Airbus A319, in British Airways livery, mainly because these beasties flit over my house every hour on their way into Heathrow. I would like to make “a good go of it” but perusing this forum has left me quite overwhelmed in terms of the tools, techniques and tricks you guys use to make your models represent the real thing. The quality I have to say here is pretty awesome. Long gone it seems are the days of the simple brush and the Quality Street tin full of Humbrol enamels! Therefore, what I’d like to ask is, in respect to airliner modelling per se, what would be your top five tips for a “returnee”? Many thanks flexi ps. it looks like passenger windows are going to be a challenge - what happened to those clear plastic strip windows?

Hello, I'm in the midst of a Mil Mi-17 right now, and was wondering whether anybody had a good way of manipulating plastic rotor blades to give a realistic droop. This is the first whirlybird I've done in over 20 years and the first of this level of complexity, so any advice would be more than welcome.