Reviews of general scale modeling products such as paint, glue, etc.

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
April 3, 2018
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$5.99

Sealing the paint before decals and weathering a model is an important step in preventing damage the base coat. Ammo by Mig Jimenez has released a line of acrylic varnishes (finishes) that are easy to use and are nontoxic. Here is the description from their catalog:

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
March 31, 2018
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$7.95

Ammo by Mig Jimenez has released a new line of primers that are formulated to be applied in one layer or “One Shot” as the bottle says. Ammo says this is formulated with a high gripping power that is self-leveling. They come in larger 60 ml bottle. It can be sanded after drying for 24 hours, does not need thinning, is non-toxic and has a no drip cap. I must not be pouring it incorrectly, because I had a lot of drips, then it splattered when I closed the lid. I wish it came in eye-dropper style bottle like their paint does. I tested the black #2023 and the grey #2024.

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
March 29, 2018
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$4.95

Ammo by Mig Jimenez has developed a line of oil paints that are already thinned and come in a clear bottle with a brush attached to the cap. Here is their description for these oilbrusher:

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
March 26, 2018
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$1.99

Here is the description from Ammo’s website:

“The Synthetic Brush range made of high-quality fibers, offers great spring and color carrying capacity, making them an excellent option to paint medium and large areas of our models. The ideal brush for working with military vehicles, aircraft, groundwork, and all manner of scale models. Thanks to the fine point, smaller sizes are also suitable for detail painting.

They are solvent-resistant and can be used with any paint type including acrylics, enamels, and oils. These are heavy duty brushes at a very economic price, making them a great option for all types of painting and weathering techniques and tasks. Both round and flat shapes can be used to apply washes, filters, pigments, splashes, mud, and a wide range of weathering effects.”

Review Author
John Noack
Published on
September 6, 2021
Company
Bob Smith Industries, Incorporated

Our friends at BSI sent along a box of current and new releases across their line of CA products. Some of these may be familiar to you, others, like their new Plastic-Cure brush on product, were new to me.

Let’s take a look at the family of BSI products:

BSI-105 Plastic-Cure Adhesive: this new ½ ounce product comes in a bottle with a brush cap. Applied like many solvent based adhesives, it is applied to one of the mating surfaces and cures up in 10-20 seconds. It reacts to the Accelerator product as well, if an instant cure is desired. It won’t fill large gaps but is ideal for joints where the two surfaces make intimate contact (think fuselage seams, upper to lower wing joints, etc.)

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
January 7, 2018
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.95

If there is one thing I hate about modeling aircraft it is masking canopies. To me it is just a chore. I can mask an entire model multiple times but something as mundane as a canopy is a pain and time consuming. That is why I really enjoy Eduard’s canopy masks.

Printed on Kabuki tape, similar to Tamiya tape, these masks are precisely cut for the Eduard Bf-109G-4 kit. They should fit the G-2/5/6 as well. The thing about these masks that is different from other masks is that the aft canopy has internal framework. Eduard gives you both the interior and exterior framework for the aft canopy. The other canopy parts are just the outside. The single page of instructions shows you which masks goes where.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
February 10, 2020
Company
AK Interactive
MSRP
$2.70

Real Colors are AK-Interactive’s excellent new line of acrylic lacquer paints. These paints are new technically in the paint formula and new artistically with the statement on paint colors. These paint colors have been determined through scientific analysis of actual WWII paint samples to produce colors as accurate as possible. In addition to the paints, AK has published a book, Real Colors of WWII, that documents the historical research and analysis that went into determining the paint colors. The Real Colors paints and Real Colors of WWII book provide a historical benchmark of paint colors that will be a valuable resource for modelers to reproduce accurate vehicle colors. I anticipate lots of discussion about the colors presented.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
June 28, 2017
Company
Coastal Kits
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$11.00

Coastal Kits was founded in 2011 and is based in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. It is a family-run business that originally retailed model kits and their associated supplies. Coastal Kits began marketing their own range of display bases at the end of 2012 after their bases were well received at Telford’s Scale Model World. The Business soon decided to concentrate solely on their display base product line. The range currently exceeds 220 bases in multiple scales and subjects. They also provide custom bases upon request.

The display bases are manufactured from 3mm Foamex board which is a rigid, waterproof plastic. Laminated matte vinyl is used to print the subject with the latest odorless latex ink providing a permanent and waterproof finish. The benefit over alternatives like paper-based products is that the display will not fade, lift, or bubble.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
June 28, 2017
Company
Coastal Kits
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$11.00

Coastal Kits was founded in 2011 and is based in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. It is a family-run business that originally retailed model kits and their associated supplies. Coastal Kits began marketing their own range of display bases at the end of 2012 after their bases were well received at Telford’s Scale Model World. The Business soon decided to concentrate solely on their display base product line. The range currently exceeds 220 bases in multiple scales and subjects. They also provide custom bases upon request.

The display bases are manufactured from 3mm Foamex board which is a rigid, waterproof plastic. Laminated matte vinyl is used to print the subject with the latest odorless latex ink providing a permanent and waterproof finish. The benefit over alternatives like paper-based products is that the display will not fade, lift, or bubble.

Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
June 10, 2017
Company
Acrylicos Vallejo
MSRP
$3.95

Vallejo’s name is well recognized in the scale modeling field. They have a huge array of products, and their specialized modeling products line is one of the best in the world. At our last IPMS Chapter meeting, Keith Pieper of Avalon Books gave me a tube of Vallejo’s new white Plastic Putty.

The putty itself is an acrylic medium with white color and marble dust. The added marble dust makes the putty more durable than most.

The tube is fairly small, 20 ml., but with the fine applicator “spout”, it goes pretty much where I put it, so I have less waste of putty when I’m doing a seam. The first time I tried it, I put the putty on the cab of an Italeri Opel Blitz ambulance in 1/72, which needed a pretty good fill between the hood and the doors of the cab. After I let it set up overnight, I sanded the seam, and it worked pretty well. Because it’s white, it made painting easier, the color covered better than they would red or white putty. No primer required.