I have been impressed with Adam Wilder's YouTube channel and wanted to get his books, as a quick look through online suggested they were of a high quality. I wasn't disappointed. Both are soft bound books in a "lie flat" A4 format printed on high quality paper and in full colour. Both retail at GBP 29.95 (approx NZD 47.50 as of writing this) on the AFV Modeller Publications website.
As usual they have sat on my bedside table collecting dust for the last few months, but with a long plane flight I was able to read Vol. 1 "Construction" and will follow with Vol.2 "Painting and Finishing" when I get a chance.
The book is divided into three sections
- An introduction where Adam gives a general blurb about himself, his modelling, his work at MIG productions and finally establishing his own brand - Wilder.
- A Gallery that goes on for 64 pages, this could be considered a bit of "showing off" but he references the work in the Gallery throughout the book, and it does establish his modelling credentials if you are not already familiar with his work.
- The bulk of the text (118 pages) focusing on construction
The chapters;
- Armour Modelling
- Gallery
- Choosing a Subject & Starting Assembly
- Working with Resin Parts
- Removing Segments of Plastic from Kits
- Cladding Large Open Areas
- Applying Weld Detail
- Zimmerit
- Creating Impacts
- Working with Photo Etch & Other Metallic Parts
- Conclusion
The book is well laid out and despite the chapter titles above follows a logical progression focusing on the build of Tamiya's JSU-152 OOB. Illustrations are clear and in full colour. He does not labour his own brand but does point out what aftermarket products and pieces were used in each build.
The section on working with photo etch is very informative and offers some great tips for constructing photo etch pieces and soldering guides. The Zimmerit section is also very useful and describes several methods including using aftermarket resin decals. There is not a huge amount of discussion about scratch building, I've got to say I understand this as with todays explosion of aftermarket add-ons this is an art that is dying a bit.
Overall this book offers something for everyone. The advanced builders will pick up a few tips, the beginner has a great reference for starting out. I've leafed through Vol.2, it looks like it continues the JSU-152 build to completion, painting and weathering. Looking forward to finding some time to read it!
Highly recommended.
Adam
