Review - Imperial Armour Model Masterclass Vol 1 - Forgeworld

I have a fair number of armor modeling books, but there are only a few that I turn to again and again. The first is Sheperd Paine's How to Build Dioramas and the second is Imperial Armour Model Masterclass. I'm not sure where the F.A.Q. books will end up just yet (and I did manage to acquire FAQ 1 this week) in my reference library but the Forgeworld book is always at my fingertips. Lots of pictures and a large amount of step by step, beginning to end type of direction. The pictures are excellent the writing is concise and to the point. It covers most of the major modeling techniques (it does not cover the salt and hairspray techniques) but there are a couple of sections that are not covered in enough depth, like the section on winter camouflage and the aircraft sections. But overall its an excellent book, I keep it close at hand and I'm would love to see Vol 2 actually written at some point.

Review - Masterclass Scenics: Mud & Water Bundle - Secret Weapon Miniatures

I think, like many modelers, I have a tendency to buy something, get it, oh and ah over it and then stick it in a drawer and forget about it. Well as I finished up my WWI US Marines I was thinking about how to base them and I remembered that I had ordered the Masterclass: Mud and Water Bundle from Secret Weapon Miniatures. It comes with three jars of pigments; Dark Earth, Terracotta Earth and Clay Brown, a bottle of Woodland Scenics Realistic Water, a small ziplock of plaster and a small ziplock of finely ground sand. I compared the pigments to my selection of MIG Pigments and quite frankly they look about the same to me. Its just hard to tell what brand is more finely ground. Everything you can do with MIG and AK Interactive pigments you should be able to do with the Secret Weapon pigments. So there is another tool for your arsenal and they are $1 cheaper and come in the same 20ml quantity. The instructions were pretty brief however if you have made mud before for modeling then the process is the same, you are just adding volume with the plaster instead of acrylic resin. The addition of the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water to the mixture though adds a nice touch to the dry mud and it can be used to fill those small hollows in the base where water may have collected. The instructions do refer you to his tutorial on the website which is quite well done and comes with pictures and a step by step guide on how to make and apply the mud to achieve the best affect. I'm pretty pleased with my bases although they came out a bit redder than I anticipated. What you are really getting is everything you need to make mud in one package and an alternative source of weathering pigments. I think its a pretty darn good deal. Justin has a number of other kits on the Secret Weapon Miniatures site along with various tutorials so its pretty hard to go wrong. You can find these at some stores like Total Escape Games here in Colorado and of course on his website (although he does encourage you to support your local retailer). I have his site listed in my links but here is the link again; Secret Weapon Miniatures
Here is a picture I swiped from the Secret Weapon site showing a base created with the Mud and Water bundle.

Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918 - Osprey Campaign

I had only glanced through this book to this point so when I flew out to Kansas City I grabbed this one to read on the plane. As far as quick concise guide to the battle and the events leading up to that battle (on both sides of the line) this is a great book. I found myself frequently frustrated when consulting the maps though. There are two or three key hills that are featured in the battle and mentioned in the book. However, those hills are not pointed out on any of the maps. Since they are key terrain features it would have been nice to actually see where they were on the battlefield so you could better see the impact these features had on the battle. Otherwise an excellent book to get a an overview of the battle and how it progressed.

WWI US Marines finished for now

So I did actually get my Marines finished before I left on my business trip. I just didn't have time to take and post pictures. I'm unhappy with the Army Painter Matte Spray this time around. The miniatures came out semi-gloss rather than a nice matte finish as well as some white specks in some places. So that will have to be redone. I also forgot how much matte spray kills highlights so I may go in and re-apply some highlights. There are of course some things I missed even in the touch up round so I may go back in and touch up a second time. For now though they are finished and should look good on the table. I'm still not sure about mixing the Brigade Games miniatures with the Great War Miniatures but I should have enough to create platoons that consist of just a single brand if one or the other. So a few group shots here and more close ups in the gallery.

Another self-created travel nightmare

I have traveled on a semi-regular basis for the last three years or so and in my new position I expect to be traveling even more than I did before. I can't remember the last time I had a business trip go smoothly. Case in point for tonight. I went to the bank and used the drive through bay. I was taking money out so I put in the withdrawal slip and my drivers license. Get money, don't think about it and off I go. Nine hours later I'm at the airport in the security line and realize I don't have my license. After three treks to my car (yes, I could have done that better) I find out that you don't actually have to have an a government issued ID to get through the security line. In this case my rail/bus pass (that has a picture on it) and my credit card and I was through security. I'm in the air and half way to my destination I realize that I won't be able to pick up my rental car because I don't have my license. Fortunately I know, by chance on a morning conference call, that my boss is coming in from NY after me. No need to panic. So a day of meetings and back to the airport, which I hope will allow me to pull the same trick that I did coming out, one photo ID and a credit card. Otherwise its going to be a very long walk home. What have I learned? Not to panic and go ballistic it never helps, clear thinking will get you through every time. Oh and what did I do during those nine hours? I finished off the first platoon of Marines, just didn't get them photographed.