ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for WWII French Armored Vehicles continues this trend and consists of six 12ml wide mouthed paint bottles. The front packaging includes a presentation of a FCM 36 light infantry tank. The back shows three left-profile views of a Panhard 178 AMD-35 (Kit No. 35373), two FCM 36 (Kit No. 3573) in two different camouflage schemes, and with color callouts.

The colors include:

• Olive Green (No. 1068)
• Green 4BO (No. 1073)
• Deep Brown (No. 1008)
• Buff (No. 1041)
• Dark Rust (No. 1051)
• Gun Metal (No. 1027)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating

Chipping is storytelling at its core, which is why we start our modeling journey developing these skills to foster a broad range of looks … Michael Rinaldi

TG/01 Chipping is the first book in a new series of technical guides by Michael Rinaldi in partnership with AMMO by MiG. The book is packed with excellent photos illustrating the weathering process of reductive chipping on scale models. Step by step photos illustrate the chipping process, and diagrams clearly describe the layering of paints.

Rinaldi Studio Press has announced a subsequent book in the series, TG/02 on Oil Paint Rendering (OPR).

This Chipping technical guide by Rinaldi goes into great detail on reductive chipping, which is the process of removing the top layers of paint to reveal other colors below. This process can create chips in finish paint showing rust or primer below, add areas of wear, battle damage, weather, and other environmental effects on vehicles.

In case you were not aware, last year Squadron joined up with Scale Colors to release a line of paints that include sets as well as individual colors. These paints are acrylic and are best thinned with a 50–50 mix of water (I prefer distilled water) and isopropyl alcohol or using the Squadron Scale Colors Thinner (product SCW001). This set is designed for use with an airbrush, and I would highly recommend it.

First off, my apologies to Jon Vojtech, the generous genius behind the UMM product line. Jon graciously provided the Reviewers Corps with a nice selection of new products at the National Convention in Hampton VA, this year, and I am very late in submitting my review.

If you need to make extremely fine cuts in a part – plastic, soft metal, 3D resin, or cast resin material – this tool will do the trick. The blade itself is razor thin (sorry…), coming in at 0.1mm or about 0.004”. Using a blade this thin means applying gentle pressure, letting the very fine teeth do the work – push too hard and you’re likely to bend or snap the blade.

The handle is 3D printed filament, and incorporates a recess for the included Allen wrench that’s used to change blades. And speaking of that, the handle will accommodate a number of blades including the UBT12 Medium Rough Razor Saw.

This handheld tool is designed to get into tight spaces like wing roots, intakes, or other tight or hard to reach spaces. It has four resin-like tips which are to be superglued to the tip of the tool, and sandpaper is to be attached to the tip with double-sided tape. I have to admit that at first this seemed like a pain to set up, but it is really very quick and easy. I tested the tip change out by removing the attached tip and prying it off with a hobby knife, and it came off cleanly and in one piece. I then glued on another tip, the one with the triangular point. I attached a small piece of sandpaper with double-sided tape, and then trimmed the sandpaper to match the tip with my hobby knife, and the sander was ready to use. As advertised, it works well in awkward spots like wing roots, as shown in the accompanying photos. I also find it useful in cleaning up areas to be glued where paint needs to be carefully removed.