IPMS/USA Reviews

As an avid figure modeler, I was given the opportunity to examine this new paint set by Ammo, which replicates the rather fiddly camouflage pattern often seen on modern Russian infantry.  As an avowed enamel/oil paint aficionado, I thought it would be interesting to examine this acrylic set from my own jaundiced perspective.

To try out these paints, I elected to use a rather crude figure from my collection, the argument being it's easy to make a good figure look good, but somewhat more challenging to get the same results from a poor figure. The uniform is not exactly right, but I was more interested in giving these paints a good test than in creating something to add to my collection.

 To give the overlay paints some "tooth" I airbrushed a coat of light grey lacquer primer onto the figure first.  This primer coat was allowed to dry for several days.

As I sit writing this review, I cannot help but think that I should just be returning from seeing some of you at the IPMS Nationals in San Marcos. Well, hopefully there are better days ahead, and I do already have my hotel reservation set for Las Vegas next year. Like many of you, I have met some great folks over the years and look forward to seeing at least some of those folks again in the future, and meeting even more fellow modelers.

So how much can you really say about masking sheets? Well, this new set from Mig contains five sheets measuring 280 by 195mm or roughly 7-11/16 by 11-1/16 inches, which seems to be a pretty good value for the price. The sheets are yellow in color for the masking material with a slightly rough texture. I measure the masking material as 0.0035 inch or 0.08 mm in thickness with an adhesive similar to that used by Tamiya on their masking tapes as far as "stickiness" is concerned.

John Miller, IPMS member and owner of Model Paint Solutions (modelpaintsol.com) has an electric pencil sander called the David 400 (D400) on his web site. The sander has a wall cord that plugs in the back of the sander, fits nicely in the hand, and is very comfortable to use.

When I first saw the tool, I thought why do I need an electric sander? I have an abundance of sanding tools already. It just so happened that I was working on the Airfix 1/72 scale Tiger Moth and had a very small area to sand under the horizontal stabilizer. With that small an area to be sanded and the delicate nature of the sanding that had to be done, I thought the D400 would have made the job a lot easier and faster.

How many of us are getting to the point where it's tough to hold a piece of folded sand paper (or sanding stick) in one hand while holding the part being sanded in the other. Moreover, if it's a sanding job that is going to take a while, how long does it take for your hands to start cramping, especially after a day of filing and sanding? This little tool goes a long way to solving that problem.

Anyone who has used AMMO products knows that the company is prolific in the endless useful and specific sets of paints, washes, and pigments they release. Their range of acrylics for figures are designed to make painting a breeze thanks to the ease of application, with the 17mL dropper bottles. All colors in the range can be mixed with each other and with the full range of AMMO by Mig Jimenez acrylic colors. Each adapts perfectly to the traditional techniques of painting in layers or wet pallet blending as well as new mixed techniques. Each color is suitable for both brush and airbrush application. These acrylics are water-soluble and formulated to be safe and non-toxic. If airbrushing, I would suggest thinning first as the paints are thick out of the bottle which make them great for brush painting.

This set includes 4 bottles for painting the infantry uniforms used today by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). The colors have been selected through rigorous research of period uniforms, allowing you to accurately paint the base tones of uniforms, add highlights, and enhance details. They include the following:

If reading this review feels a little like deja vu all over again, I previously reviewed five of the Shaders, and as four additional colors were still waiting for analysis, I volunteered to help out. Fortunately, I cannot plagiarize myself, so writing this was very easy indeed. Now go ahead and enjoy my assessment of some additional Shaders colors.

A recent arrival for the Review Corps were Shaders from Ammo by Mig Jimenez, which are a unique addition for modelers of just about anything. For this review in particular, I was provided with four of the colors including Candy Red (0868), Orange (0850), Yellow (0867), and Violet (0859). The full line consists of 20 different colors. The Shaders are unique to begin with as they are packaged in 10ml bottles, so they are about half the size of a typical bottle of acrylic paint. Shaders do not require shaking prior to use (they are about the consistency of ink), and they can be mixed to create different shades, and may be thinned with water if desired.