IPMS/USA Reviews

This review covers the following standing sticks from the AMMO line

• Standard sanding stick with grits 180/320/600/2000; MSRP: $1.50

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/accessories/2865-standard-sanding-stick-8432074085638.html

• Large Surfaces sanding stick with grits: 320/600/4000; MSRP: $2.10

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/accessories/2867-large-surface-sanding-stick-8432074085652.html

• Multipurpose sanding stick with grits 150/240/320/600/1200/2000; MSRP: $2.30

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/accessories/2866-multipurpose-sanding-stick-8432074085645.html

Although the idea itself was born earlier, the Hungarian Peko Publishing, was established in 2012. Even though this is quite a young company, it became popular and well known by the modeling community in a short period of time. The key to their success is that they own thousands of original photographs, most of which have not yet been published. PeKo Publishing Books are distributed in North America by Casemate Publications.

Silly me. When I saw the title of this book, I thought it was simply going to be a compilation of various shield motifs I could use in my figure modeling. Instead, this publication opened a world of fascinating information on the development, manufacture and use of this most Roman of military items - the scutum or shield. Use of the large, rectangular shield had a large part in dictating Roman tactics, as it permitted the Legionnaire to move in tight formations, well-protected by his fellow soldiers and his own shield - something few other ancient armies were capable of.

How this definitive device came to be is an intriguing story in its own right - centuries of development and trial and experimentation (presumably) along with the development and use of other forms of shields for other types of troops. This book delves into surviving records, artifacts, and art to sift out the facts in a thorough and scholarly fashion. Every possible research source seems to have been utilized to help the reader understand the process and creation of these defensive (AND offensive) devices.

Thanks to Osprey Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy!

Steven J. Zaloga has a BA in History from Union Collee and a MA from Columbia University. Steven was an analyst on missile systems and international arms trade for the aerospace industry for over 30 years, and served on the Institute for Defense Analyses, a Federal think tank. He is a prolific author on military issues, specializing on WW2 US Army and Poland/Russia/Soviet Union history.

Steve Noon illustrated the book and painted original artwork of battle scenes.

This book is in the Campaign series from Osprey Publishing (#1349). Here is Osprey's description of the Campaign Series: "Books in the Osprey Campaign series span military history from the ancient world to modern times. Napoleonic battles, American Civil War battles, World War I battles and World War II battles are all analysed, as are the major military engagements of the American Revolution, the medieval period, and the 16th to 19th centuries.

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.