AMMO Black & White Paint Set

[Mike]

Black & White Paint Set
AMMO of Mig Jimenez

I've deliberately left the title vague to draw in the unwary, as if it were called "pre-shading" set, some might switch off, as pre-shading is considered "so last season dahling" by some. This isn't pre-shading per se, but more of a development and refining of the technique by Jose Luis Lopez, to achieve very similar effects to the more recent colour modulation, which attempts to mimic the fall of light on vehicles in a manner to fool the eye as to the scale.

This is a pack of six acrylic colours (my art teachers would disagree about black and white being colours) in a handy box set, all of which have a useful ball-bearing inside to help with mixing what is a bit of a tricky bottle shape to mix paint in otherwise – believe me when I say it helps enormously. Also included is an instruction guide to teach you the basics of the technique in eight illustrated steps. In the box are the following colours:

A.MIG2016 Transpirator
A.MIG024 Washable White
A.MIG104 Washable Black
A.MIG090 Satin Varnish
A.MIG046 Matt Black
A.MIG050 Matt White

Without going into too much detail, the technique involves apply mixtures from the darkest greys to white over your model after priming, mimicking direct overhead light from dark in the shadows to light on the upper panels and sides, which you then seal in with a coat of the satin varnish provided. After that you "fool around" with the washable black and white to adapt the shading, and add in paint effects such as weather streaking, chipping and so forth. As implied by the washable part, these paints can be removed or adjusted after application by a brush or cotton bud soaked in water, allowing you to control the effect to a high degree. Although it isn't mentioned, I'd add another coat of satin to lock this delicate layer in before continuing, but that's just my opinion.

The final step in the process is to mix your AMMO base colour with the transpirator at around 50% of each in your mixing cup. This turns any AMMO paint into a translucent colour, which after spraying will leave an element of the underlying shading visible. You can alter your shading by applying more paint to hide areas you feel you overdid in hindsight, so again the level of control is good. The result should be a highly detailed and shade-rich colour scheme that should draw the eye even before you continue with whatever else you feel appropriate to finalise the weathering – the world is your oyster in that respect, as you can choose what state of distress or otherwise your model will be presented in.


Conclusion
Although I'm yet to use this set, I feel there are merits to it over the traditional pre-shading, which can appear a little stark if the overlying paint isn't thick enough to cover it, but can just as easily be lost under too much paint. The addition of white to any colour cannot help but change its hue, so the modulation technique can leave you with a chalky looking finish if you aren't adept at varying your mixes, or using a handy set of tones pre-prepared for you.

Sure, this set uses white and black to create the shading, but it will all be covered by a translucent layer of paint that should leave you with a non-chalky and highly adaptable paint finish, with no blacks or whites visible, which would please my art teachers. I'll try to remember to post my feelings once I've had a chance to use the technique myself.

Recommended as an interesting new take on paint finishing AFVs.

Review sample courtesy of