This is Michael Rinaldi’s third book in this series, the first being on the Industria Mechanika 1/35 FichtenFoo's Fantastical Fish-shaped Submersible resin kit with the second being the Trumpeter 1/35 Stalinetz S.65 Russian Army tractor kit. This issue focuses on the Bandai 1/100 Sazabi Gundam Mecha that has been customized. The Single Model (SM) series represents a focus on a specific kit and as such is a limited edition (i.e. Only One Print Run!). This singular focus permits Michael Rinaldi to tackle topics outside of his successful TankArt series and allows him to address finishes that he has not attempted before. A core premise of the new book series is to explore and redefine artistic and creative finishes for each subject.

This edition uses all the style and methodology that is on display in Rinaldi’s Tank Art series of books. The print quality of the photographs is truly superb. As in SM01 and SM02, Michael Rinaldi demonstrates a step by step method of building this Sazabi Gundam Robot with the focus on bringing finishes to life. Each of his techniques are demonstrated and are painstakingly explained in the text. Just seeing what Michael Rinaldi does makes me anxious to go buy my first Gundam kit and try it myself. The last chapter is essentially an index, in sequence, of all the steps outlined in the previous 130 pages. I found it a nice touch and an easy reference to quickly refer back to the right pages in the book. I counted 225 color photographs that lead you through each step.

The Table of Contents includes the following sections:

• Introduction
• Painting Principles
• Weathering Philosophy [Page 11]
• Technique Proficiency [Page 17]
  • Hair Spray Technique
  • Practice and Testing
  • Oil Paint Rendering [Page 35]
• Assembly [Page 49]
• Painting
  • Primer Stage
  • Exterior Mods [Page 59]
  • HS Application
  • External Paint
• Hair Spray Technique [Page 81]
• Chipping
• Markings [Page 90]
• Weathering: Oil Paint Rendering [Page 100, 115]
• Final Details
• Model Gallery
• Step-By-Step Reference [Page 133]

You can tell that Michael loves the challenge of working on a model outside of his wheelhouse of armor and it shows. What I really enjoy is that Michael not only shows you the ‘How’ about his techniques, but he also includes the ‘Why’. I think that any modeler can learn a lot from this book and apply these techniques to any type of model they wish. The focus is on painting and weathering, and this book easily demonstrates how both can be utilized to produce a great model. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! My thanks to Rinaldi Studio Press and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!

Frank Landrus, IPMS# 35035