This is a book that provides you details of how to finish and weather military ground vehicle models. It has detailed chapters on 10 different and varied model kits.

The detailed chapters are very well illustrated with very well-presented photographs. The methods and materials used are very well shown and will help move your knowledge and work to a new level.

I found this book very helpful and used some of the ideas already on my latest build of an early Tiger 1. The methods depicted and described are great and will lead to better finishes. The only criticism I have is that it could have been improved with more written descriptions with each photo shown.

I recommend this book to everyone whatever level of modeling you are at.

Thanks go to MMP Books for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Background

Another of ICM’s beautiful 1/24 car kits, this one a 1911 Model T Touring Car. The Touring Car body had two rear seat doors in addition to the front seat doors, two bench seats, and a foldable canvas top. This release also includes two figures, a man and a woman, in period attire. ICM’s kit is an easy build with nice fitting parts and without a lot of small parts.

ICM’s Kit

The kit comes in a 9 x 12 x 2 1/2 light cardboard box with slipcover. The box art depicts the vehicle in a dark green color with brass accessories, the male figure driving, and the woman in the backseat. The canvas top is shown in a medium gray color.

The kit comes on five sprues crisply molded in a light gray color, one clear plastic sprue, and four white vinyl tires. The detail on the parts is simple, but very good, with no apparent flash and very minor mold seems.

This is a review of the Alpha Abrasives plastic sanding needles

I wasn’t able to find the assorted sanding needles on the Alpha Abrasives website. There were only individual packages of course, medium, and fine.

The needles are evidently made in a two-part mold because there are two mold lines running down the shaft. Not very good if you want to sand a round hole. The mold lines would cause a nick in the hole.

Another item is the point. When/if you break the point or round it off, how are you supposed to get the point back?

While they may be useful for sanding contours, I can’t see them being used on round holes like a headlight or taillight.

Thank you to IPMS for allowing me to review this product.

Summary

This is a review of one of the many Alpha products designed specifically for scale modelers.

I have long been a fan of Alpha products in many of their forms. Especially their micro sanding pads which allow me to perform very finely detailed sanding and polishing. With this 5 pack I can use the entire sheet of sanding film or by combining the sheet (or smaller cut pieces) use them in model sanding. I also use smaller pieces cut into strips and held in place with double sided tape and mounted on small popsicle sticks. Alpha Graphics has produced their products for over 75 years and long established their reputation for high quality, long lasting sanding products.

Tracing its lineage back to 1925, VMFA-232 Phantoms began sorties over Vietnam from Da Nang Air Base in late 1967. Flying close air support for the Marines on the ground, the Red Devils flew nearly 6,000 sorties and delivered some 6,00 tons of ordinance during their time in the ‘Nam, being one of the few units capable of delivering 2,000 lb. bombs at the time. They redeployed during Operation Linebacker and lost three Phantoms during that time (one to enemy air action), becoming the last Marine Phantom unit to leave Vietnam in 1973. They finally surrendered their final remaining Phantom in 1988.

AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience.