The AMMO range of acrylic paints for figures has recently been expanded to include two new sets of paints specifically designed for the late war German Eichenlaubmuster (‘Maple Leaf’) and Erbsenmuster (‘Pea Dot’) camouflage schemes, the latter of which is the subject of this review.

Opening the box reveals a set of six industry-standard 17ml. ‘eyedropper’ style bottles of high-quality acrylic paint from their Ammo line. The assumption is that the paint set would serve as a one-stop shop for producing the intricate uniform pattern that bears its name. These complex schemes have been a favorite for military figure painters and armor modelers alike.

From the Manufacturer’s Website

The M44 Dot Pattern - This set includes the colors required to paint the distinctive and complex German Erbsenmuster (‘Pea Dot’) camouflage pattern, first delivered to the Waffen-SS in 1944.

Ammo by Mig is a well-known provider of all sorts of modeling supplies, from paints to weathering powders to tools. They also publish a fairly extensive library of ‘how-to’ type of books, such as this example.

Printed on good quality, glossy paper and bound between stiff, glossy boards, the publication values of this book, as with others I have seen from Mig, are quite high.

This particular book is written by Artur Miniszewski, an established figure painter and diorama builder. He also has a company, Mantis Miniatures, which produces resin figures and accessories. As can be expected, both Mantis and Ammo products feature prominently in this guide.

The author uses six vignettes that he created throughout the book. There are six chapters, not including the ‘summary’ at the end, with each section focusing on a particular technique or type of effect. The final chapter shows multiple views of each of the vignettes, without text.

Vietnam Earth texture from Ammo is a newish edition to their line of Vignettes Acrylics. This product is designed for small and medium sized dioramas or vignettes and comes ready to use in a 100ml tub.

This particular product has a coarser texture than some of the other textural products ( I.E. concrete) in AMMO/MiG's catalog.

Borrowing from Ammo's own description: The application method is remarkably simple. You can use any kind of tool at hand and the Vietnam Earth Texture can be mixed with other weathering materials such as pigments or acrylic paints to create a full range of authentic earthen effects. It can be used for any scale ranging from 1/16 to 1/72. Using this product, you can obtain a perfect finish in your scenes, virtually mimicking real soil. The new format has been optimized for working on scenes and dioramas, so that the product always remains in perfect conditions for each use.

During the Vietnam War the U.S. Army established fire bases in various locales to support the far flung forward operating /patrol bases set up to...well...patrol the country side. The fire bases were locations where emplaced artillery, either towed or self-propelled, could rain artillery fire down on unsuspecting enemy combatants and the occasional, errant water buffalo.

These fire bases were more often than not semi-permanent operating bases. With the passing of time the personnel at these areas would embellish and improve their living and work environments. Improving that work environment often took the form of some creative DIY projects. One such improvement was the stowage of ammunition for the 'Tube'. [ Technical Note: 'Tube' is cool artillery talk for the actual artillery piece.]

Richard Marmo is one of the founding members of IPMS/USA, member #2, yep, 2. He has been creating ebooks on how to build kits, photo journals and other stuff for a while. This time for issue 13 what better project than the Munsters Living Room.

Now you younger lads and lasses may not know The Munsters but those of us with a few more years under our belts are very familiar with this show that ran from 1964 to 1966 and then syndication. You can still find it on television today or watch it for free on Peacock.

The Munsters Living Room kit was originally released by Aurora back in the 60’s and then rereleased by Polar Lights in the late 1990s. Round2 picked up the license after Polar Lights went under however it is not currently in production.