Introduction

The company website states:

“This set includes the base colors and products essential for imitating the accumulation and weathering effects produced by mud”.

“With this set, you will be able to replicate different types of effects including dry mud, wet mud, and mud splashes. These sets are the perfect solution for casual modelers and those experienced enthusiasts looking for the most realistic painting options in one convenient box.

Each reference in the series contains the essential products you require to create the most common effects used in scale modelling. Among the versatile items included are Oilbrushers, Pigments, Washes, Filters, and the products necessary to obtain hyper realistic results on your models. You will have all the necessary products in a single set, without having to worry about what product you should use to simulate each specific effect. We have provided you with the most accurate and easily applied products for each subject. These sets are the perfect solution for casual modelers and those experienced enthusiasts looking for the most realistic painting options in one convenient box”.

What’s in The Box

Earth Colors

• A.Mig-0079 Clay Brown Acrylic Paint 17ml
• A.Mig-0085 NATO Brown Acrylic Paint 17ml

Five Bottles of Mud and Wet Effects

• A.Mig-1701 Thick Soil 35ml
• A.Mig-1705 Wet Mud 35ml
• A.Mig-1750 Dry Earth Splashes 30ml
• A.Mig-1754 Damp Earth Splashes 30ml
• A.Mig-2015 Wet Effects 35ml

Three Containers of Pigments

• A.Mig-Sinai Dust Pigment 35ml
• A.Mig-3026 Golan Earth Pigment 35ml
• A.Mig-3029 Winter Soil Pigment 35ml
• One A.Mig-3522 Medium Soil Oilbrusher in a 10ml clear tube.

Oilbrushers were first released in 2017 as a replacement for the traditional oil paint squeeze tubes. These can be applied using the supplied fine brush attached to the cap. They are advertised as being spill proof.

Plus, a double-sided Quick Tips guide in full color with captions. A nice touch since a lot of manufacturers show only a few tips on the back of the box. The “Quick Tip” sheet consists of four sections; Acrylics, Oilbrusher, Pigments, and Splashes/Heavy Mud. Each section is then broken down into several steps printed in English and Spanish.

All of these items are contained in a 6” x 7” x 1.5” thin cardboard box with colorful graphics on all sides. The back of the box shows what’s inside. A stainless-steel mixing ball is contained in the 17ml bottles of paint making mixing easier.

The Review

Solutions or Smart Sets are intended to provide the modeler with everything he needs to reproduce the appearance of a vehicle in different surroundings such as this solution set does with mud effects. For this review I brought out a Tamiya Panther Ausf. A medium tank constructed for our club build a year ago. The tank was left clean without any weathering. Since this vehicle would not be used for a show, I decided to apply the products on different areas of the vehicles. Soft mud areas were applied using A. Mig 0079 Clay Brown and A. Mig 0085 Nato Brown using the airbrush. Figure 1 shows after a light coat of both were applied. A very realistic appearance can be achieved by varying the amount that is sprayed on.

Next the Medium Soil Oilbrusher was used around the rear upper hull to replicate dried mud. After application a moistened brush in mineral spirits was used to feather and blend the paint. A. Mig specifies their own brand, however I used Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits without any apparent issues. The tech quick tips sheet provides three easy steps to follow. This was my first time using the Oilbrushers previously reluctant to make the purchase since I had several tubes of oil paints on hand. However, I found the application was much easier than I had expected, not only with the thin brush, but clean up a breeze.

On to the three pigments supplied in the box. For the novice modeler, the tip sheet provides clear and concise instructions on their use. They can be used alone or mixed in varying amounts to achieve the desired appearance. After application I used mineral spirits to wet and bind the pigments to the surface. The instructions state a sponge or brush can be used to rub and remove the excess pigments when dry. Rather than remove the excess pigments, I decided to leave the applied pigments. Figure 2 shows the engine deck after the application of pigments.

Next on the tip sheet is the application of splashes and heavy mud. All these are laid out into twelve steps to apply everything from dry mud splashes to damp earth, thick soil, and wet mud. Both containers of Dry Earth Splashes A. Mig 1750 Damp Earth A. Mig 1754 had large chunks of a clay looking appearance in the bottom which required vigorous shaking to mix. As stated on the tip sheet these can either be applied by flicking using a toothpick or blowing air across the brush. I found with the flicking method I was able to achieve the appearance I desired. Using a brush moistened with thinner I drew vertical strokes down to create dripping stains. See Figure 3.

Moving on to the next section on the tip sheet was the application of Heavy Mud Thick Soil A. Mig 1701 and Wet Mud A. Mig 1705. As with the Splashes these had an exorbitant number of clumps in the bottom. With vigorous hand shaking and finally resorting to my trusted Robart Paint Shaker I was able to get them mixed. These must be hand brushed on. Figure 4 shows an excellent appearance of light-colored heavy mud using the Heavy Mud Thick Soil 1701. By mixing various pigments one can achieve any desired look. See Figure 5 for an image showing the rear of my Panther covered in dark mud. Also, within this section on the tip sheet is A. Mig’s product Wet Effects #2015. Upon use, this product produces an appearance of a water effect as if it had splashed onto the vehicle.

Conclusion

As advertised, this Solution Set provides all the necessary paints, pigments, and mud effects to reproduce any mud conditions all supplied in one box. The enclosed tip sheet provides clear and concise instructions along with images for reference. The products are easy to use and easy to clean up. Given that I have been pleased with Ammo by Mig products in the past, this solution set didn’t disappoint me even with the issue of mixing. I highly recommend this Mud Effects Solution Set to any modeler of any skill level.

Thanks to Ammo by Mig Jimenez and IPMS/USA for allowing me to review this solution set.