Viewing the products and publications shown at the link provided below will be an aide to those reading this review.

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/308-the-weathering-aircraft

There are at least 50 publications listed. Some of the publications are available in various languages, the six publications below are in English. This website is a source for some of the AMMO products mentioned in the publications and well as the publications themselves.

English Language

It is the “Weathering: Wood” publication, Issue 19, that is the publication in review.

The publication is softbound, with 62 pages of text and stunning images printed on glossy 8 ¼ x 11 ½ paper. The original idea for the Weathering series, as one would expect, came from Mig Jimenez. There are eight “chapters” written by some outstanding artists that will address and explain the tools and techniques used when creating a “Wood” appearance on a plastic model.

Chipping on Wood Surfaces

Julio Fuente Diaz produced a stunning model of a Bronco 1/35^th scale V-1. Mr. Diaz describes the tools and techniques that he used to produce the “chipping” effect on wooden surfaces. His finished model shows a disassembled V-1 loaded into a U.S. Army truck after WWII had come to an end. As an example of the text Mr. Diaz provides when describing the tools and techniques used to achieve his excellent result, one of the paragraphs reads as follows:

Page 13 – Paragraph 14 – “To lower the contrast of the work on the wings and give them a dirty and aged look, small amounts of Rainmarks Effect A.MIG-1208 and Streaking Grime A-MIG-1203 were applied to the wings and blended by moving a brush humid with thinner from front to back.”

Wooden WWI Propellers

Beginning on page 14, Karim Bibi lays out the techniques he uses to produce an outstanding “wood” appearance on WWI propellers. For those who have attempted to produce the appearance of a laminated prop, Mr. Bibi has this advice.

Page 15 – Paragraph 11/12 – “The piece (prop) was placed on a flat surface and the (a) mechanical pencil slid along it, so that a horizontal line follows the curve of the edge of the helix. If necessary, darken the lines for clear reference.” In this way Mr. Bibi’s prop will have a laminated appearance, balanced across the opposing blades.

Wood with Decals

Pages 18 through 31 feature the techniques and tools recommended by Mario Gabas. Mr. Gabas uses the Tamiya 1/48^thscale IL2-M3 Sturmovik kit to demonstrate reproducing different kinds of wood using decals. Using a set of Uschi decals, which reproduce the unique characteristics of wood, Mr. Gabas describes the application process thusly.

Page 21 – Paragraph 12 – “Next, Ultra Decal Fis A.MIG-2030 was used to cover the whole decal. This product will make waterslide decals perfectly adapt to the surface, although you must be careful as it is somewhat aggressive and should be used in moderation.” It is always helpful when an expert provides a word of caution about the application of a very useful product. “A Word to the Wise” is appreciated.

Technique: Wire

Pages 32 through 35 lay out the materials and techniques used by Ricardo “Chicho” Abad as he works on an Eduard 1/48^th Albatros W4. One might think that “Chicho’s” contribution to this publication refers to rigging. But that would not be correct. “Chicho” demonstrates how to make a tool, to be used as a template, which allows the modeler to produce an outstanding example of woodgrain on the aircraft. As stated on Page 34, Paragraph 7, “The tool ….uses a rectangle of tin with some threads of wire glued across the tool.”. “Chicho” airbrushed RLM Medium Brown, A-MIG-0070 with an added 10% of A-MIG 04 Gold Yellow, A-MIG-0125. Further work, using additional A-MIG products produces a stunningly realistic woodgrain appearance.

Workbench: Real Wood

A ubiquitous piece of equipment, especially for WWI and Pre-WWII aircraft is a workbench and a set of sawhorses. Karim Bibi shares the techniques and the tools he uses to scratch-build a workbench in 1/32^nd scale. Rather than used plastic sheet to build the workbench, Mr. Bibi uses actual wood.

Pages 36 to 40 – Mr. Bibi describes how he used Filter Brown, A-MIG-1506, and Filter Tan for 3 Tone Camo, A-MIG-1510 applied directly to the wood forming the workbench’s upper surface to create different tones. He describes how tiny holes were drilled to accept tiny nails which were later painted with Medium Rust, A-MIG-0040, enhanced with Light Rust A-MIG-0039, giving the nail heads a natural and realistic weathered and rusty appearance. From the looks of the finished product, Mr. Bibi’s workbench has seen a lot of use.

Technique: Oilbrushers

Pages 42 through 49 feature Julio Fuente Diaz using the A.MIG-7801 Wood Effects Set using a Wingnut Wings 1/32^ndAlbatros D.Va. Mr. Diaz used the Wood Effects Set to produce a highly realistic woodgrain effect both on the interior and exterior of this very popular Wingnut Wings kit. On Page 45 – Paragraph 10, working on the fuselage interior, specifically the stringers, Mr. Diaz shares that, “the stringers were worked directly with Oilbrusher colour Earth. Any errors can easily be cleaned with a brush dipped in Enamel Odourless Thinner A.MIG-2019.”. The accompanying images of the fuselage show just how realistic an appearance can be achieved by brushing on various items supplied in the A.MIG-7801 Wood Effects Set. Mr. Diaz shares how he created a ‘test-palette”. On Page 46 – Paragraphs 16 -19, Mr. Diaz describes how he isolated one wood panel from another, and then, applied Oilbrusher Earth A.MIG-3514. He states, “The process is very easy: the chosen area is completely covered with Oilbrusher Earth A.MIG-3514, deposited with its own applicator. The product will take time to dry which makes for a pleasant and relaxed working pace. The texture needs to be thick for the technique to work properly. The excess was then removed with an old round brush while beginning to imitate the wood grain. You must unload and clean the brush frequently. The process continues by switching to a saw brush, this tool will create the final pattern of the wood grain.” As you can see, it is almost like having a “techniques” coach working with you as you use the various A.MIG products as described.

Painting Wood by Brush

Manuel Gil elected to use a brush to create the wood panel effect using an Academy 1/72^nd scale Me-163B Komet. Mr. Gil describes, on Page 53, Paragraphs 11, 12, and 13 his use of a brush to simulate woodgrain. He says, “to simulate the woodgrain, a flat stiff bristle brush was used beginning with the Sand Brown colour diluted with a little water. Almost all of the paint was unloaded onto a napkin and the brush passed perpendicularly and very gently over the surface moving from front to back. The process was repeated with NATO Brown A.MIG-0085, Khaki Brown A.MIG-0088, Earth Brown A.MIG-0064, Tan A.MIG-0202, and Light Wood A.MIG-0038.”. Mr. Gil’s use of the A.MIG products he lists in his article produce a spectacular and realistic wood surface.

Stenciling and Staining

Michael Scarborough makes a living working with wood, but he states that his real passion is modelling. Mr. Scarborough used the Wingnut Wings Albatros B.II and the Albatros D.V to demonstrate his use of stenciling and staining to simulate a wood surface. He described how he used a photo-etch tool by RB Productions which can simulate a wood grain pattern. Applying various paint products and using a sponge with a little thinner applied to it, was “subtly touched to the surface to remove part of the oils, which will generate a very real worn effect on the wood.” As with the previous articles in this publication, Mr. Scarborough names the products he used, and described the techniques he employed to generate a realistic and natural wood appearance.

This publication and the articles within, is more than just a “how-to”. In order to achieve the level of modeling demonstrated by the contributors one must first “learn” the techniques presented and comprehend how the proper tools can be combined with those techniques to achieve results similar to the outstanding work presented in this book.

Summary

This publication is highly recommended for the outstanding photography which illustrates the detailed discussions describing the tools and techniques that can be employed to produce a true and accurate “wood” appearance on models. The price of the publication is very reasonable for the wealth of information provided.

Thanks to AMMO for providing this book to IPMS/USA for review.