Model Art

Airbrush Techniques Guidebook

for Aircraft Models

Reviewed By Dennis Tennant, #41582

Soft cover, approximately 8 x 10 inches.  108 pages (100 in full color) on high quality paper.

Model Art’s latest book on airbrush techniques is a delight for the eyes.  I knew from the start that I would be reviewing a book that was printed only in Japanese, so I didn’t expect to get much information about airbrushing techniques from it.  What I wasn’t prepared for was the quality and the quantity of the photography.  I gained a lot more inspiration from leafing through its pages than information.  I can only imagine how helpful this book would be to anyone who can read Japanese!

The book follows eleven models through the various stages of painting and finishing and follows up with photo galleries of the finished aircraft.  When appropriate, step-by-step photos record the painting, masking and detailing used to achieve the end results in the book.  Don’t look for a lot of reference photos on the models featured.  This book is about model aircraft and only model aircraft.  The photography is exceptional with lots of detail shots and the photo galleries show the models from many different angles.

Again, since the book is written in Japanese, I have no idea who manufactured the kits shown or the names of the modelers who built them (with one exception).  The eleven aircraft featured range from WWII props to modern era jets.  The models shown are:

• A 1/48 F/A-18 Hornet with markings for VFA 195’s “Chippy Ho.” The feature shows the steps needed to detail and mask the jet in this intricate paint scheme. 
• A 1/48 FW-189 A-1 “Uhu” twin-engine reconnaissance plane with a two-color paint scheme of white squiggles over a green base coat.
• A F-86F Sabre diorama showing the jet being serviced on the runway during the Korean War.  Many detail photos of the figures and support equipment plus four side profile drawings showing Sabres in the 335th, 25th and 336th FIS and the 67th FBS. 
• A lightly weathered 1/48 Type 61 “Tony” fighter finished with a green on silver scheme with detail photos from several angles.   
• 1/48 K—44 “Shoki” fighter showing off its pounce wheel riveting and moderate weathering. 
• A late war 1/32 Frank with plenty of detail work and the amount of bare metal as you’d expect to see in a well-used plane flown in the final days of WWII.  The finish on this model is absolutely incredible.  Side-view profiles provide markings for five different aircraft.
• A Messerschmitt 109F-2 with step-by-step masking and painting instructions for a 1/48 model of a JG54 bird (with a very distinctive camouflage pattern).  A gallery showing the finished model is included too. 
• Dan Jayne’s cutaway 1/32 F-105D Thunderchief.  This extremely detailed model is presented well in the four pages devoted to it.  The photos give an idea of the amount of work that went into this project.
• A Mig-21MF in Egyptian markings presented both as a finished model and the many sub-assemblies that make up this excellent 1/32 fighter.
• A TBF-1C Avenger with photos of the heavy weathering both above and below.  Six photos show off the 1/48 cockpit, engine and bomb bay subassemblies. 
• Finally, a 1/48 F-4D Phantom II sporting Southeast Asian camouflage and extremely well executed natural metal finish under the tail aft of the engines.

Despite my inability to understand the words, I still enjoyed the pictures and feel this book has a lot to offer the intermediate modeler.  The book gave me some ideas for future projects and inspired me to work that much harder on improving my own airbrush techniques.   Thanks to Model Art for generously providing a copy of their book for this review.

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