Introduction

Panzer Aces Armour Modeling Magazine out of Spain has recently issued their 41st issue. Panzer Aces is published by Accion Press in a nice, full color, full sized format that has consistently features some of the finest modeling work around with a focus on Spanish modelers, and what is sometimes referred to as the Spanish School of finishing.

Contents

This issue is a 1/48 special as all of the models included in the magazine are 1/48 scale creations. That fact doesn’t really diminish the work in any way as the focus is clearly on the finish and weathering of the kits which translates into any scale for the most part.
Included in the issue are seven different articles, six of which are build/finishing style pieces and one “Modeling Lesson” on making better trees, something many of us can find useful. Each of the articles is well laid out with plenty of all color pictures to support the text. Each photo is captioned in a detailed step by step style.

Review

One of the first things I noticed when flipping through the magazine was that most of the authors had finished their kit with a somewhat different variety of products, not to say that they were exclusively one supplier or another but that the majority of their finishing product choices were pretty easy to pick out.

The first article, an amazing destroyed Jagdpanther by Diego Quijano, shows the weathering and painting process with a nice variety of paints and other finishing products from a variety of suppliers. The next article, a white washed JS-2 by Luciano Rodriguez, uses predominantly Tamiya finishing products from both the acrylic and enamel lines. Following this we get a beautiful Panther F from Domingo Hernandez whose finish has been accomplished using mainly Tamiya acrylic products.

Using a majority of AK Interactive materials was Javier Soler for his T-34-76. Next we have the longest piece in the issue, a two model affair featuring a Tiger and a Pz. II titled “Gray Extremes”, you can probably figure out the finishing scheme from that alone. The pair were built and finished by Jose Luis Lopez using a tour de force of suppliers materials; Tamiya, AK, Vallejo, and Gunze. The article also includes a section on adding mud to tracks, always a popular topic. The last model in the issue is a nice little Hetzer by Pat Johnston who used a lot of Tamiya products to accomplish the painting but employs a variety of Humbrol paints and oils to add the superb finish and weathering. The last article in the issue ends with a short treatise on improving trees in dioramas by Rodrigo Hernandez Cabos.

Conclusion

If you haven’t seen an issue of this first rate modeling magazine, I would urge you to pick up a copy, it is filled with inspiration from some of the best modelers around in a down to earth easy to follow manner. The magazine ends with a one page editorial that implores modelers to “just have fun”, I don’t believe that better words regarding the hobby have ever been spoken, a great way to close out the issue and this review!