FAQ 2 (AFV Painting Techniques book)

[Mike]

FAQ 2 (AFV Painting Techniques book)

AK Interactive

The hugely successful original FAQ book brought a large number of techniques for painting AFVs and vehicles to the general model populace, and transformed the hobby in one fell swoop, but has been out of print now for some time. This new FAQ2 book does the same job better, as with the benefit of the intervening years it is a much more comprehensive volume, covering techniques that are still very new at the time of publishing.

Written by the irrepressible master modeller Mig Jiminez, the book is a masterpiece of content and layout, walking the reader through the main stages of building any armoured or softskin vehicle, although some of these techniques can equally be applied to many other genres of modelling, so shouldn’t be seen as a guide strictly for the armour modeller.

The book is split into easy chapters, with sub-headings detailing each technique in some depth, accompanied each time by superb pictures to illustrate the process. As explained in the preamble, the book is not designed to make the modeller a master, but is for the modeller to use as a reference manual, in much the same way as a mechanic would use a maintenance manual whilst working on a car. If you’re like me and intersperse your AFV models with something that has wings, you can quite easily forget some of the more intricate techniques, and here this “manual” will be invaluable.

Rather than waffle on about it further, I’ve reproduced the table of contents to show you what is covered:

Introduction

Materials

Painting Techniques

Priming

Base colour

Colour modulation

Panelling and outlines

Washes

Filters

Streaking effects

Techniques using oils

Rain marks

Hairspray technique

Chipping

Rust

Dust effects

Mud effects

Oil and fuel

How to paint tracks

Special effects

Paint for accessories

The importance of accessories

Painting accessories

Simple dioramas

Basic composition

Creating terrain

Model Gallery

50 pages of stupendously good models

Conclusion

Pretty comprehensive, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Conclusion

It’s not a cheap book, but it is an invaluable guide for the modeller that wants to progress their techniques and try new things to make their models more realistic, whilst adding some artistry to their creations. Anyone can gain something from reading this book, no matter what their skill level - as long as they are willing to experiment and also pick up some new tools to master these techniques.

The volume is perfect bound in a portrait A4 format, and spans a whopping 303 pages, with hundreds of pictures in full colour throughout. It is a real quality production, and will be a book that you return to again and again, making it excellent value.

Highly recommended.

Review sample courtesy of