AMMO How to Paint Modern Russian Tanks – Solutions Book #07 (A.MIG-6518)

[Mike]

How to Paint Modern Russian Tanks – Solutions Book #07 (A.MIG-6518)

ISBN: 8432074065180

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 comprehensive 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 context with written captions and icons in English, Spanish, French and German.

 

 

This book, number 7 in the series, covers Modern Russian Tanks in great detail, from the base painting through chipping, grime, mud splashes, leaks and final finishing.  The book is printed in a glossy magazine cover containing 68 pages including the covers, with full colour printing throughout and using the Trumpeter T-72B in 1:35 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 completed but bare tank model that is festooned with the small Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) blocks.  The first steps involve the basic painting, which is pretty patchy initially, especially during the pre-chipping period when much of the easily damaged areas are painted a metallic silver before the chipping fluid and paint are applied.  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.  The chipping then gives way to masking and spraying the rest of the camo with the help of the magic putty that sags over time to fill in any gaps.  The next few pages show the degrading and weathering of the paintwork, as well as some shading of individual panels to give additional visual interest.  Dirt and dust accumulations are added, then the tracks are painted a dirty brown and weathered to within an inch of their lives over the next few steps.  The wheels are given the mud treatment, adding wet and dry effects to show leaks and grime, which is then extended to the underside, an area that is often overlooked by some of us.

 

 

As the process moves toward the end, the model is weathered with an airbrushed dust coat and messed up with enamel thinners.  More dirt, earth and dust areas are applied, as are copious splatters with a brush flicked using a cocktail stick, then a number of pages show the last few details such as additional leaks and stains where dirt has accumulated in the escaping oils.  Finally, a two page spread shows the finished model with the product images crowded around it with arrows showing where they were used.

 

Conclusion

These books are at a quite pocket friendly price point, 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