I think you are barking up the wrong tree Jimbo. Look what they put on the cover as the attraction for potential buyers: "A special chapter focused on CHIPPING the paint". What goes on before the first coat of [insert brand name here] primer obviously isn't that important to the authors, publishers, or readers. KL

Hi Kurt, I see no barking here, maybe an opinion or rather an advice to anyone wanting to push this kit to a next level as the Trumpeter BTR-80A has some issues Based on the cover + intro pages it seems to me that the articles involve a good deal of building as well. However it does not need to involve any DIY (which I do not do often either) especially as I assume these are sample kits. Will see soon how it is as I am buying this for the painting portion. Cheers, Ps.: should you need any extra info on BTR-80/80A just let me know.

You may know already, but that's an American idiom. I don't see that. While the models are perhaps constructed to a high level of skill, I don't see any evidence of a particular attention to building the models in the example pages: Image 1/Cover - Completed models only with a particular emphasis on painting. Image 2 - One smaller photo of a complete but unpainted model. Image 3 - A half-page sidebar on what looks to be flattening tires, one-and-a-half pages showing painting steps. Image 4 - Perhaps something there, but it looks to be, at best, a superficial set of photos on the generic use of PE. Image 5 - Smaller photos of a complete but unpainted model. Image 6 - 100% painting. Image 7 - Completed model only. I just don't see this magazine spending any effort addressing the types of corrections you mentioned, or how to overcome construction difficulties one might encounter with these kits. It's fine that they choose to value the weather/finishing aspect of modeling to the near exclusion of anything else, but let's not kid ourselves about the content. KL

One thing with all the Trumpeter BTR-60 kits (not seen the -70 or -80) which I have never seen corrected is that the plates which fit inboard of the wheel arches (i.e. which form the inner walls of the lower hull) have a significant gap between them and the hull tub walls. This is simply not there on the real thing but it is very fiddly to eliminate so nobody seems to bother. It is pretty visible though, particularly if washes are applied to a white interior or in the open-topped -60P. Other than that, the kits are great in my opinion. Maybe this is the publication to address that. Or not.... Still, apparently the finishing is the fun part of modelling, so obviously I'm just not having fun fixing this stuff. Actually I'd like to reach the finishing stage but I don't feel happy to do so until the constructional stuff is, well, finished first.

The focus seems to be on the latest fads in finishing, not anything on correcting/accurizing the kits. I still don't get why the mag is called Abrams Squad?? Does anyone get it??

The articles are a mix of build, painting, diorama and reference, including vehicle histories, walk-arounds and in-action photos. The builds vary between straight-from-the-box to more involved detailing - but no major conversions. What the balance is between detailing and painting depends on the modeller. Neither of the BTR-80A builds address the features mentioned, but there's some excellent reference of these vehicles. Other builds do address correcting or detailing the base kits. So it's not accurate to say the magazine values the weather/finishing aspect of modelling to the exclusion of anything else

Only thing that comes to my mind is the fact that the Australians organize their company size tank units in "Squadrons" .... maybe then their platoons are called "Squads"? It probably just seems to be a advertisement thing ... or a mystery Cheers Christopher

Unlikely to be that. The Aussies follow British practice, so the subordinate unit to a sqn in an armoured unit (derived from cavalry days) is a troop. Squads are equivalent to sections in infantry platoons, so it's s mystery to me. Armies which use companies and platoons for armoured units don't have smaller units than platoon.

I like the Abrams Squad Magazines ... but If they do a so called "special on modelling" they should put a lot more effort into pointing out how to correct kit flaws and failures. But nowadays it is all about painting and weathering ... cheers Walter