Kagero Publications are offering a small selection of their titles as free pdf downloads. These are totally legal and come directly from their website. Click on A10 TopColors cover to get to the list of available titles. Kagero have been providing modellers with quality publications and decals for some time now and the opportunity to access these at no charge is a real bonus.
Enjoy!
Easy steps to create a realistic metal finish by Marc Guerrero
The technique of bare metal application has always eluded me due to the fact that it just looks so hard to master, or at the very least just so time consuming. There are many sources of information regarding this topic, but the one I would like to show you demonstrates this technique in a very easy manner using high quality photos and text. I would like to thank Marc Guerrero for making this look so easy and for allowing us to share this from his site.
Wings & Tracks 2015 was held Sunday March 22nd at the Copland Room, Ashburton Library, the very place we have our club meetings. The great weather brought out a nice selection of models and modellers for the viewing public and competitors. Run by IPMS, this annual event seeks to bring together aircraft and AFV modellers in a fun environment where the competitive can strive for victory and the not so competitive can take in the hard work of their fellow military modellers. A number of traders were on hand to empty modellers wallets also!
A healthy turnout of warbirds and warmachines hit the tables with Warbirds members Larry d’Argaville taking out the Golden Wing award for this years theme aircraft, the Mitsubishi Zero and Vice-President Michael Tabone took out the Golden Sprocket for the theme AFV, the Panzer III and derivatives. Both subjects were to be built to IPMS out of box rules.
Congratulations also to IPMS for a well run event and congratulations Larry and Michael and here’s a small selection of what was on the table – check the gallery for photos of the event.
Larry d’Argaville’s superb captured A6M5 Zero taking out the Golden Wing award
![IMG_0543[1]](https://warbirdsamg2.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/img_05431.jpg?w=300&h=225)
Michael Tabone’s 1/48 Panzer III winning the Golden Sprocket award
Last year’s release of the 1/32 Horten 229 by Zoukei-Mura created quite a stir in the modelling world. While we’ve become accustomed to their exciting releases, this kit was particularly interesting in that the subject matter was one of the mysterious late war What-Ifs that actually had a substantiated base with a captured prototype. Also of keen interest was the ability to do something special with the wooden finish.
Uschi from Germany have released a set of wood grain decals that will also be released soon under Zoukei-Mura branding. While the art of replicating wood-grain has become somewhat of an art-form driven by the Wingnut Wings phenomenon, this is one subject that as wonderful as it looks in natural wood may not actually be all that realistic based on the research at the Smithsonian on their example of the aircraft.
The team at the Smithsonian have exhaustively been analyzing the aircrafts structure and materials working out how to preserve and restore the Horten. Interestingly it appears the wood was treated with a semi-transparent green coating. While the grain is visible, it may mean natural timber panels, while stunning to look at are not truly representative.
Here’s a link to the research done by the Smithsonian on the wooden structure:
And here are some specific panel samples
And here’s a view on the metal coatings, it appears to be a similar colour!
So perhaps as nice as the natural wood and metal finish looks, it may not be all that accurate based on how it appears they intended to produce the Horten Ho229?
You be the judge!!!
warbirdsamg.com 