WWI German Tanks Smart Set is one of the latest releases from AMMO of Mig Jimenez. "AMMO", as they are known, is a company continuing the many years of experience in painting and weathering effects to the modelling community. For many modelers mixing of their own paints is an essential part of the hobby and they have become accustomed to this process and often can obtain stellar results; however, for many more modelers the mixing process of paints is not exactly the highpoint of the finishing process. It is time consuming, unreliable and can be costly depending on how many different paints you need to use to get that so-called “perfect color”. So being to be able to obtain paints designed for a particular project that are consistently made, quality in nature, priced accordingly and combined all in one set...well, it means more time, better results and less frustration on the part of the modeler. Paints sold together, like the Smart Sets from AMMO are designed to help modelers improve their overall finishes to their projects, from novice to expert.

WWI German Tanks

The WWI German Tanks set is sold in a clear plastic blister pack containing four 17ml bottles of acrylic paints. AMMO has incorporated a small stainless steel ball into each jar to asset in the proper mixing of the paint within.

Contents

• A.MIG-077 DULL GREEN
• A.MIG-078 OCHRE EARTH
• A.MIG-079 CLAY BROWN
• A.MIG-910 GREY HIGH LIGHT

These four colors are a collection of commonly used colors for German camouflage during WWI and while designed for use in a set, they colors can be used individually as well. Of course one of the better ways to test drive a set of paints is to actually use them; preferably on a model, since that was what they were designed for. Please excuse the fact that I have chosen the turret from an FT-17 for the purposes of laying down some paint. Seems I neglected to replenish my stockpiling of German WWI armor in the stash. We’ll have to look at this as one of those “under new management” schemes. Besides, the paints themselves is what we are looking at as I will be evaluating the color, consistency, application and price of these paints for the review.


The paints are smooth in constancy and while they are ready for airbrush application out of the bottle, they are thick enough to apply with a brush; however you may need more than one application depending on having a good primer coat and size of the surface area you are looking to cover. If thinning is desired, it is recommended using the manufactures’ MIG -2000 Acrylic Thinner. The stainless steel agitator ball inside each of the bottles does exactly the job it was intended for, to thoroughly mix the paint. Before my applications I shook each bottle for 30 to 45 seconds.

When looking at the colors specifically, there are three basic camouflage colors and one highlighting paint included. All three camouflage paints, the Dull Green, Ochre Earth and Clay Brown are well within the color range for typical German Camouflage schemes for the time period. There was some planning involved in developing the paints whereas consideration for scaling the color to fit the modelling application. As you can see from the pictures in this review, the colors are clean and bright and coverage is excellent when applied correctly. It is recommended to apply the colors light, evenly apply coats to build up the color. The included highlighting color, I believe, can be used to soften and even fade the paints after application. Extremely light applications dusted onto the surface will obtain sufficient fading to all of the colors.

For application, I sprayed the colors over a cured primer in two to three lightly applied coats, building up the color with each pass. This works better than trying to apply one thick coat in one painting session. I did not use any thinner and the pressure on my compressor was set to 15psi. The paint flowed smoothly through the tip and over the needle with no spitting and/or drying of the tip. Cleanup after the application was simple and only required water and a few swishes of and old paint brush to get any residually dried paint in the cup.

Conclusion

I feel AMMO of Mig Jimenez has brought together three accurately represented colors for the WWI German camouflage scheme with their WWI German Tanks Smart Set. The colors are bright and the consistency smooth and ideal for airbrush application even without thinning. The paints offer excellent coverage and the cost of the set, $15.00 US (plus shipping), is reasonable for a set of four quality paints. From my experience in purchasing through the AMMO of Mig Jimenez USA site, the online shopping experience is easy, reliably and shipping prompt. I highly recommend the WWI German Tanks set to anyone looking to obtain a quality WWI camouflage scheme for German vehicles.

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