Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models


Title: Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models
Author: Brett Green
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

A year or so ago I purchased Osprey's Modelling Scale Aircraft by Brett Green. While it was an interesting, but basic, booklet, it surprised me that painting was glossed over. Not long after the booklet was issued, it became clear why detailed painting tips were missing from the Modelling book, as Osprey announced the Mr. Green had Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models in the queue.

While Modelling had been a modest booklet, Airbrushing and Finishing is a much expanded 192 pages in a neat little binder format. As with most of Mr. Green's Osprey modeling books, it is illustrated with many beautiful pictures of both completed models, and in progress projects. The expected ground is covered including fundamental of the airbrush, a brief history of color, basic techniques, and then painting and finishing aircraft, armour, and other models. Techniques include winter white-wash finishes, gloss finishes, painting black and white, natural metal, and the expected, but overexposed, Luftwaffe finishes. Projects include a Blackburn Firebrand, Lancasters, B-25s, a Skua, a Meteor, a P-51, a Renault Alpine, and a KV-1 tank. (Also included are the usual -109s, -110s, and Hetzer tanks.) Overall, the book is well laid out, but one or two mistakes crept in. For example in the Lancaster section, a Bf 110 photo was mistakenly included rather then the correct Lancaster. The text is someone general, with more details illustrated and explained in the very detailed photo captions.

Overall I enjoyed the book. There are quite a few great tips in the book, and I would class it as useful for the basic to intermediate modeler.

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