Scale Model Handbook  #17 arrived in the mails the other day and it continues with their superlative award winning figure presentations. This one has a neat mixture of nine subjects. Three are busts, three are vignettes, and three are standard stand-alone full figures.

The articles range from quite in depth explanations of what was done to achieve the look of the subject, while on the other side we have a few that are just a few pages long and provide basic info, such as the colors used for various parts of things. This provides a good mixture as there are times when we want a lot of info and others where we do not.

The order of the articles I'll give are as they are in the book and not necessarily as they are on the cover.

First is an 1854 Crimean War mounted figure in 90mm. This article is pretty well in depth and provides information not only on the man, but also on how to get the superb dappled appearance on the horse.

Next is a 180mm bust of Gaius Julius Ceaser and provides just basic color info.

We then move on to what I think is the coolest of the group, a 180mm bust of a New Zealand WWII pilot and his dog. This one goes into quite a bit of detail and results in a truly charming piece.

Another superb bust is the 180mm Templar Knight. The way the artist weathered the figure and his clothing/equipment is superb and nicely explained in the text.

Moving to 1/35 scale, we have a diorama of WWI Australian troops at Gallipoli. This scene shows the use of a periscope sniper rifle, an ingenious method of keeping the Entente snipers alive during this campaign.

Keeping with Gallipoli in 1915 is a lone figure of an Australian trooper holding a Turkish helmet.

A nice piece with two German figures and a wall is a 1944 Ardennes piece which is quite nicely done.

This moves on to a 1914 Mons figure of a British soldier firing his rifle.

The final piece required a section of Panzer III to depict two tankers at Kharkov taking a break during this 1943 battle.

As usual, the photos are superb and often will give a step by step on how the various effects were reached. As figure modelers are mostly painters, this sort of information is quite useful.

August 2016

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