 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Multi-Media / Military Modelling CDs
- Review |
|
 |
|
|
|
| A Beginner's Guide to Small-Scale Military Modelling |
|
Tell a friend about this item!
Submit a Review!
|
| By: Dave Cox |
| Type: Military Modelling Multi-Media CD |
| Format: Contains PDF documents which require Adobe Acrobat |
| Components: 1 CD |
| Price: £7.50 inc. P&P |
| Review sample provided by Dave Cox |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Displaying Reviews: 1 - 1
|
Average Reviewer Rating:
 
Number of Reviews:
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good, Solid, Practical Advice
|
Reviewer
Rating:
|
|
Reviewed by Antar (info@totalmodel.com) November 28, 2003
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, modelling books were as rare on the ground as rocking horse droppings! When I was a kid, the only advice on offer was from the staff at the local model shop - and even that was fraught with difficulties. I remember visiting my local Beatties model shop in Sheffield and asking the chap behind the counter for the correct shade of grey for painting WWII German uniforms. He started muttering something about "which theatre" - and I began having visions about German stormtroopers dressed as pantomime horses prancing around on stage. The entire conversation was doomed to failure from the start!
I digress...
With the advent of the home PC and then the Internet, access to information has never been easier. The answer to most questions is usually just a mouse click away. Publishers have also responded to our newly developed appetite for information with more books than ever before. Modelling manuals, in particular, seem to be everywhere. Anyone who visited the recent (2003) UK IPMS show could not have failed to notice that the biggest stall in the arena wasn't showcasing models - but books.
Of course in these days of electronic media, not every book has pages. Some books have discs. Simply pop one into your PC and you can scroll your merry way through a slide show of words, pictures and even movies. Better still, if you've got half an idea for a good book - and access to a decent computer - you can even make your own. That's just what Dave Cox decided to do!
Dave Cox is a model maker of some considerable experience. He's been on the Total Model scene almost from the very beginning and in that time he has uploaded countless examples of his work into our User Gallery. He's also a very active member of the forum and has passed on more modelling tips and information than I can recount. It seemed logical, then, that the time would come when Dave would condense at least some of his modelling knowledge into a book. For his first foray into the world of publishing, however, Dave decided to start with an electronic book. A Beginner's Guide to Small-Scale Military Vehicle Modelling - is the result.
The CD contains a selection of different PDF documents - each dedicated to a particular model making topic. There are, for example, separate documents about assembling metal, plastic and resin kits, painting & finishing and tools. There are two guides dedicated to both armour and softskin conversions. There's even a lengthy file describing the process of building a diorama.
Most of the documents have between 6 and 9 pages - though some of the introductory documents have less. Each is laid out in a simple format and punctuated with a feast of photographic reference. The information is delivered in a no-nonsense, easy going manner. You'll get the feeling that Dave is actually sat next to you - instead of preaching from the pulpit. The tutorials are fairly in depth but easy to follow and full of practical advice. Dave hasn't set out with the intention of transforming you into the next Francois Verlinden but rather a competent model maker with a few more feathers in your cap. In this respect, the CD works very well.
It would be wrong of me to even attempt to compare this CD to one of the many others produced by the major multi-national modelling companies. Dave isn't a photographer, nor is he a copy writer and in places the documentation does have a few rough edges. Having said all that, what you're paying for here isn't glossy presentation - but solid information. Dave's CD delivers that in a very honest and palatable fashion. Ultimately, if you do buy a copy of the CD, you'll certainly learn a thing or two - and that's perhaps the best accolade I can give it!
|
|
6
out of
6
people found this review helpful
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Reviews powered by Magpie v1.06t for www.totalmodel.com
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
