AMMO has added a new way to apply some products already in their extensive collection of “liquids” for weathering our models. The Effects Brushers come in an elongated 10 ml bottle 4.25” tall and 0.625" in diameter with a special cap 1.5” long. This cap houses a narrow, pointed brush 3.5” long and sports a painting tip with long bristles. My review samples are: Fresh Engine Oil (1800), Fuel Stains (1801), and Wet Effects (1802). There are currently 20 different effects supplied by these Brushers. Being enamel based, they allow the modeler a lot of time to “work” the effect. AMMO suggest using their Enamel Odorless Thinner to thin the product and clean up afterwards. Although these particular weathering effects are available in other containers, the advantage here is the built in brush with an inherent ease of application. With everything ready to go in one bottle, applying these different effects will be easier, faster, and cleaner and with little waste. Here’s a quick description of each of my samples:

• Fresh Engine Oil (1800): Achieve realistic oil stains with this product. Generally, this type of spill is more localized around engines and their accessories. The special brush in this container help that process. Since it is “fresh,” the finish is glossy.
• Fuel Stains (1801): This product makes quick work of fuel or other oil based liquid spills. The narrow brush with its long, pointed tip allows you to make spills precisely where you want them. The relative long drying period, give you time to refine the look of your spill.
• Wet Effects (1802): This effect quickly forms wet run marks like small traces of water. It’s also useful to form pooling water, thus making it ideal for water in dioramas.

The only problem I had with my samples was the bent tip of the long brush (see photos). In each of the three bottles, the fine point of the brush is bent over about 90 degrees. It’s just a tad too long for the container. This might be problematic for delicate, precise application. To check, I trimmed the tip off one with a hobby knife and found it could still be used to apply the product precisely. AMMO might replace this brush with a shorter one in future runs of this product.

The pictures I took of these effects show where I applied them to a 1/72 M3 Halftrack chassis and fuel caps and the front “bow” of a 1/72 Ford G.P.A. Jeep. These are the initial application of the product and have not been blended in. I did this to make them more obvious in this smaller scale. These worked well for me and would definitely recommend them to someone who wanted the convenience of the product and applicator in one container.

My thanks to AMMO and IPMS USA for the review samples and the opportunity to use them.