Calling all English men. I'm having trouble finding somewhere to buy the Mig jiminez FAQ book. If anyone has any idea where it can be got I'd appreciate the heads up.
Regards
Ian

Hi Ian,

Volume 2 is still available but is an eye watering £58.00, Volume 1 sometimes crops up on Abebooks at the moment there is only one in the states. I picked up my copy in Hay on Wye for a very reasonable £15.00 a few years ago. My advice would be to keep an eye on eBay. If you are after Vol2 and you don't mind an eBook you can buy it direct from AK Interactive.

I hope this helps

Brian

Thanks Brian appreciate the quick reply. What's the main difference between 1 and 2 ? They seem to be as rare as Unicorn poo! Pretty heavy price too. I guess you think it's worth a read though right . I will try that link you gave mate .
Thanks again you're a good egg .
Regards Ian

Volume one features Mig Productions Products while Volume two focuses on the use of AK Interactive Products.

There are new and diffrent procedures and techniques discussed on both volumes.There are lots of illuatrations.Nice books but not indispensible.Check out the Tank Art series by Michael Rinaldi for a diffrent school of weathering.Not rare and no where near as expensive.

Thanks Anthony for taking the time .I will check out the bloke you mentioned. That FAQ book is eye wateringly expensive hey !
Regards
Ian

I'd agree about the Tank Art series, any of them would be great and very reasonable in price. I have both FAQ books and all 3 Tank Art books and find myself going to the Tank Art series far more often.

Ian, FAQ1 and 2 are available on Amazon UK for about £50. Mig made out that things have moved on a lot in modeling techniques, and 1 was kind of obsolete, so he wrote 2, but really that's a bit of spin. You can check out quite a lot of the techniques he uses in both books on his blog, if you're prepared to browse through it. Personally I find FAQ1 to be the more accessible book. 2 includes chipping at some length, while 1 doesn't. Still, chipping will probably be out of favour soon!

I also have the first 2 Rinaldi books, and *personally* despite the superior production of photos and book design, I find them quite wordy and a bit confusing. The models tend to have quite extreme finishes, with all that oil paint rendering andchipping, so that may or may not appeal to you.

The Mig books tend to deal with how to apply techniques one at a time, the Rinaldi books focus on compete builds. I think that's why I find the FAQ books easier to dip in and out of.

Also not bad is the Alex Clark book on small scale armour modeling...

Hi guys,

It is always great to hear feedback in this regards, good and bad. I wanted to just mention the TA books are designed to compliment what else is being done in the hobby publishing world, such as FAQ 1 & 2. It's very difficult to produce "a be all, end all" type of product and that was never my intent, so definitely build your library around these various products, all are great resources. I created the TA series to work alongside the other similar stuff out there...

Also, I think there are definitions of the word extreme, and Matthew, I'd actually disagree about my models leaning towards extreme, some do yes, but most are based around photos to guide what I want to achieve and showcase. If you have TA1 & 2, there is a rather broad spectrum across subjects that cover a lot of territory in finish levels. The winter ones are definitely a lot more involved and yes, could be considered extreme, but there are plenty that I'd consider very average weathering levels like the Pershing, Tiger I, Char B1, and the KV-1s, for example.

Plus, there is a wealth of discussion inside TA books on all the regular ideas such as filters, washes, and pigments et al that provide a balance against the newer HS technique and OPR discussions. I'd never expect everyone to like everything, but I do put a lot of energy into balance of topics regarding techniques, and covering as much ground as I can, given the restrictions of print. I leave it up to you to author your models as you see fit, to use as much or as little of any idea as needed.

Also, if anything is confusing, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm always around the forums or via email ([email protected]), I'm happy to answer Q&A at length. Not everyone learns in the same manner or via the same processes, so again I'm certainly under no illusions that everyone likes the rather in-depth amount of text I provide. As they say, your mileage will vary, so please give a shout if you need additional explanations or clarifying.

To each their own, of course, but I have to say that personally the in depth text is what draws me to Mike's books vs. say the FAQ books. Both serve their own purpose and I'm glad I have them all, but I find it much easier to learn when I have not just pictures but in depth text explaining how something is done and why it was done that way. But, if you want a quick answer to a specific technique, it is probably easier to find it rapidly in the FAQ books. Just buy them all!

I have both FAQ books and all three books from M. Rinaldi. I like them all.. FAQ books cuz they have allot of pictures for fast access, Mikes cuz they are very detailed and highly explained. Two series of books that in some way fulfill each other..

As always brilliant feedback and even more so to hear from an author. I started by asking for help specifically from English guys purely because I thought that they would know where to find the book in England but as usual it's you chaps over the water who have come to the rescue. Thank you all i appreciate you taking he time . I now want to check out the TA stuff which I was unaware of but sounds like a must .
Have a great weekend

I bought Mike Rinaldi Tankart on German tanks, and it's a wonderful book. By the way not so aimed to persuade people to buy a specific brand of product.... I strongly recommend it.

Luca, the thing about Mig's books being aimed at persuading people to buy a product is really quite unfounded with regard to FAQ1. A quick flick through the book shows many many photos featuring Tamiya, Vallejo, Humbrol, Gunze, Mir paints as well as generic Spanish thinners and all kinds of products; yes there's qite a few shots of Mig pigments, but there were fewer brands of that at the time. Mig Prod didn't even make oil paints back then. FAQ2 may be a somewhat different matter.

Michael, I must say, I did pick my words quite carefully...

Much respect to you for taking the time to get involved with this mate. Have a great weekend .
Regards
Ian Buick

Well guys off I go searching for Mr Rinaldi's Tank art. Now where can I find those ??
Ian

Here it is :


http://www.rinaldistudiopress.com/

Ian, in the UK, you can order them from Historex Agents; they have them in stock, their deliveries are at a good price and arrive quickly. I quite often buy stuff from them, they are very good.

http://www.historexagents.com/shop/hxsearchresults.php?SupplierCode=RS

From their home page, if you look for Andrea Press, under books, they also have FAQ 1 in stock ...! I didn't realise it was available again new, but it appears it is.

I also have the FAQ 1 & 2 books along it Rinaldi's Tank Art books. Not much to add content-wise that hasn't already been said above.

However, in regards to each guy's finishing style and the book example models, I would suggest that you should look at the books with an eye towards picking and choosing various techniques to be combined on your own work.

If you think the book models are too extreme, just consider them as examples of what is POSSIBLE and not as REQUIREMENTS for what should be done. They are reflections and examples of one particular model artist's style and not depictions of what MUST be done, only what CAN be done.

If you like the model artist's particular style, then imitation of the book models might be your goal. There's a lot to be learned from trying to do just that - copy a work or style in detail.

However, if you look at these kinds of books as a menu of discrete techniques and methods that can be combined in infinite ways to create YOUR OWN finishing style, then I think you'll be getting a lot more from them.

This second point of view is why I think the Tank Art books are somewhat superior to the FAQ books (and FAQ2 in particular). FAQ2 presents techniques that are much more product-line dependent than the TA books. The TA books leverage the strengths of various mediums without the reliance on brand specifics. It's a subtle difference, perhaps, but a difference nevertheless.

FAQ1 was much less proprietary product-line dependent than FAQ2, but as the OP said, finding a copy of FAQ1 is like searching for "unicorn poo." The main advantage that FAQ2 has over the individual TA books is volume and breadth of coverage - especially if you rely heavily on AK products (and presumably the new MIG-Ammo product line's analogs).

The TA books are much more free and open and a lot less formulaic.

I think the differences between FAQ and TA reflect more than just differences in finishing styles, but that's just me.

Happy modeling!

As always, Mike has given a very thorough and well thought out bit of advice, but I will just disagree on one small point.

While the FAQ2 book does in fact push their own products, I can say (as someone who worked with AK for several years) they are no more than pre-thinned enamels. One could, if they so chose, simply thin their own Humbrol or Model Master et al paints and use them in the same manner and achieve the same effects using the book as a guide.

Not trying to be argumentative, just saying. There is no magic potion in those bottles that are needed to pull off the techniques covered within. It's all just thinned enamel paint.

Thanks again ,more good advice very well put .
Regards
Ian

Ken does make a good point which is very true.

You do have to know and understand that, though. New modelers are apt to think that only the proprietary products depicted will work or produce the results shown.

However, with some experience (and perhaps a little experimentation), all of the techniques shown in all of these books can be replicated with more "generic" products based around the same mediums. In fact, many of the results can be achieved with entirely different classes of products using totally different mediums - oils, enamels or acrylics - sometimes even using similar application techniques.

This is, I think, something of a corollary to the rule that these books (and others like them) do not have to be used exactly as the techniques are shown.

I believe that too many modelers take these works as a sort of "modeler's cook book" and are too timid with it comes to creating their own "recipes" and styles.

These kinds of works can be either liberating, with near endless possibilities, or as restrictive as a straight jacket. Ultimately, every modeler, as he advances his skills, craft and art, should also be creating his own "style."

Unfortunately, I see far too many of our modeling friends who take these kinds of works as dogmatic gospel, formulations and incantations that can't be deviated from least their "Mig Magic" will fail.

Ken's point is well made.

Although Andrea Press don't sell unicorn poo, they do appear to sell FAQ1, as do Historex Agents.

Thanks Mathew I'm on it . Appreciate the reply mate.
Regards Ian

There was also an issue with the original Publisher leaving out some significant aspects....

Personally, I much prefer the Rinaldi Tank Art books - perhaps it's a question of personal style preferences?

I'm NOT against a tie-in with a manufacture per se, but as several have pointed out, GENERICS, GENERERICS, and more GENERICS!!!!!

Thanks Jim good point and it seems a lot of you feel the same . Tank art it is then.
Regards
Ian