The fine folks at Mr. Black Publications, out of Athens, Greece, are on a three month publishing schedule, though this one comes but a month after the previous edition so perhaps they are preparing for a long holiday! This particular edition contains eight articles on various aspects of the wide world of figure modeling, ranging from quick looks to very detailed articles. All of the articles are superbly done and provide material from award winning modelers. Though it is from Greece, the book is written in English. Though my own figure skills are amateurish by comparison, I like to read articles on how the masters are able to do their work. They make it all seem so easy!

I particularly enjoyed that each one of the writing styles of the various authors was different. It is quite refreshing to read a book done in this manner as often times, the 'how I did it' books get to be rote and dull. Not at all in this particular case.

Each of the articles is loaded with full color photos and each one goes through the steps taken by the builder to reach the results shown. It is pretty obvious why these folks won awards for their work as it is truly superlative. Each of the articles highlights a different aspect of the hobby and as you can imagine, many of them are on the painting of the subject more than any actual construction, but that is not entirely the case.

I have included a photo from the back of the book showing the eight subjects. You may notice that there is a considerable variety of subjects with this one, which always adds to the interest. 

The first two are in 75mm and include the Tsar's Guard, Russia, 1830. The next article is 'Hajduk' from the war of Serbian independence.

Moving to 120mm is Addih-Hiddsch, an American Indian Chief with lots of tattoos.

At 54mm is Attila, king of the Huns from 431 AD.

In 180mm is a very nice bust of an Australian 'Digger' on the Kokoda Trail in 1942. 

Next is a 'how to' that shows how to sculpt a German reversible parka in 50mm, a skill that can be used in any scale.

Another 54mm figure is Sgt Conner, Serpentine Heavy Infantry. A very nicely done futuristic figure.

This all comes to an end with Sergeant Bernard McCabe, a 120mm figure from Sobraon in 1846.

A variety of techniques and painting are done on each one and any modifications to the base kit are detailed. Some articles provide a full tool and color listing while others simply mention these items in the article. The end result is an excellent reference book on these various techniques as well inspiration to see what can be accomplished with practice. Highly recommended if you enjoy figures.

Thanks to Mr Black Publications for the review book. Visit them at www.mrblackpublications.com.

December 2012

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