Just the other day I was being asked about a book on basics that a beginner could use to give hints, tips and helpful suggestions. In the mail appeared this book called the Applied Modeling Encyclopedia: Aircraft. This is an English reprint of a 1996 Spanish book and a first in what appears to be a series that will cover other aspects of modeling.

The book is in full color and provides some excellent photography and a rather substantial number of kit builds. The authors go on quite a bit about the importance of colors and weathering and they also put forth some of their personal opinions on the state of the art at the time, not all of which I agree with, but it is their book and they can espouse what they wish. I should point out that there were some glitches in terms of captioning, but nothing too glaring. Just beware that following the steps as listed may not make sense in some cases!

There are full build articles on a number of different models, most of them in 1/48 scale. Along with each build or two, there is a section on varying aspects of the hobby such as masking, applying decals, airbrushes, use of hypodermic needles, making small parts, applying camouflage, exhaust stains, ultra-detailing engines, polishing canopies, making your own decals (as in painting on them) and so on. Probably one of the larger areas of concern for North American readers is that many of the products called out in the book are not available here. When one comes to a section that calls for a specific material, one will just have to substitute what is locally available. This is especially true when it comes to the airbrush section where the authors go into detail of the operation of a compressor using a refrigerator compressor, but tell us nothing about how to actually build such a beast!

Some of the aircraft covered are the Revell I-16, Testors Lysander, Hasegawa Bf-109F, Hasegawa Ju-87, Tamiya Mig-15, Hasegawa Tomcat and Revell 1/32 Bf-109G. Because this book is 6 years out of date, there are some statements that just are not true anymore, such as the comment that there isn't a good 1/32 Bf-109G!

The first two models are built out of the box and brush painted, so these will be helpful to beginners. From there, it seems as if the authors just cannot build something out of the box. Nearly every other model has been super-detailed to the 'nth' degree using techniques that are beyond the abilities of  newer modelers and of this reviewer! (See image to left of Tamiya Mig-15 cockpit suitably enhanced. Everywhere you seen white, buff or metal is a part that has been scratch-built.)  For instance, many of the models have the insignia and markings painted on them using custom made masks. I know of few of us who will do that.  The work is superbly done and there are step by step instructions on what was done to these models, but as a basic primer, this book is of dubious value. The rest of us will find a lot of superbly done stuff and will be able to glean a technique here and an application there to help improve our model building. If you are looking for motivation, then this is an excellent way to get it.

Perhaps the title of the book should be Advanced Modeling Encylopedia as that would be much more appropriate to what is actually in the book and in that regard, it is a superb product.

You can find this book and many others at

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