Welcome to the Test Bench! Today we are going to be taking a look at a new type of weathering set from AK Interactive, the Uniform Definition Filter set, reference #AK 3008. The set consists of three 35 ml bottles of glaze; AK 3017 Green Glaze, AK 3018 Brown Glaze, and AK 3019 Dark Brown Glaze. Be sure to check out the extensive AK catalog PDF that is available for free online (link attached).
Review
The glazes are all enamels with virtually no odour whatsoever, which is nice as many of us work in confined spaces. They definitely do not need to be thinned as they are very thin and flow quite easily right out of the bottle.
To test them we will pull a couple of old figures of the shelf and see what happens when we add some of these glazes with both a brush and an airbrush.
For the American tanker figure I used the AK 3018 Brown Glaze first with a brush and then with the airbrush. It brushed on very easily; it is very thin and settled quickly into all the creases and undercuts, right where you would want it to be. After that dried I used an airbrush concentrating on the lower regions of the figure. I tried shooting from the bottom up by turning it upside down in order to replicate the shadow effect as much as possible.
I liked how it turned out, not sure that the camera really does it justice or if I should have maybe taken a fine brush and worked the seams, etc. a bit more for the camera. I think it did just as advertised, adding a bit of volume and definition to the figure.
For the freezing German figure I followed the same pattern, brush work first followed by the airbrush with an emphasis on shooting up from the bottom. It was a bit harder to see the difference with this figure due to the darker uniform color, but even with this disadvantage I liked the effect.
Conclusion
I would recommend this set if you are not quite where you want to be with your figure work. It allows you to easily add the shadow and volume to a figure as well as to define and outline uniform and equipment that has been layered on top of a uniform.
SUMMARY
Highs: Easy to work with and ready to go right out of the bottle. No real learning curve at all, shake the bottle, open it up and get going. Suitable for both beginning figure modelers as well as those a little further down the road. Lows: May be a bit pricey for very thinned enamel paint, but it does as advertised. Verdict: I would recommend this for anyone looking for a quick way to make their figures 'pop' a bit more.
Our Thanks to AK Interactive! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
About Rick Cooper (clovis899) FROM: CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
I have been modeling for about 30 years now. Once upon a time in another century I owned my own hobby shop; way more work than it was worth. I tip my opti-visor to those who make a real living at it. Mainly build armor these days but I keep working at figures, planes and the occasional ship.
I was also looking at this during the edit and I see this product appealing to new modellers who are not comfortable with mixing their own washes. I suppose the other benefit is that you have a product on hand that will consistently perform and result in a uniform finish.
Not confortable in mixing colors ? I think that if you can paint a figure, it's hard that you are not comfotable in mixing colors... Ok, business is business, but there are limits to what makes sense put on the market...
I am actually of the understanding that these are not enamels and are in fact inks which is the reason they do not smell like your typical enamels nor do you have to shake them and they don't settle in the bottle...
Mike perhaps you could add your thoughts on this product. I can understand the comment that Luca has made and I agree a little with his assessment of the product. I am however always open to having my opinion changed.
Mike,
You may well be correct about them as inks rather than enamels, the only info that I could find called them enamels but inks makes perfect sense. They do tell you to shake thoroughly however.
Luca,
I understand your skepticism; but for the new figure modeller, or the guy who just wants to add a figure for scale reference and wants a little something more for the finish this works well. It's easy, never too much or too little in your mix. I don't think this would appeal to an advanced figure modeller, only beginners and intermediate skill levels.
Cheers,
Rick
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