F.A.Q.
Frequently asked questions about techniques used for constructing and painting aircraft

by J.M. Villalba

Andrea Press

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

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I first came across the book’s distinctive layout when reading Andrea Press’ earlier publication on painting figures.

It utilises a highly visual approach to instruct the reader about the different techniques used to construct and paint the subject...in this case aircraft.

The design is clever in that it’s centred on a “question and answer” format which is presented in the same order that one would expect if building an actual model. After posing a query, the author then answers in a combination of clear colour photographs and explanatory captions.

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Thumbnail panels:

Of the former, there are a massive 800+ images which employ a few carefully selected subjects to explain each topic. There are 160 pages between the soft card covers and the A4 size works well for this type of publication. It allows both text and photographs to be presented in a well laid out and uncluttered fashion.

A brief introduction starts the book off and this covers the general safety of the materials and associated tools.

The rest of the publication is the “meat” of the book and discusses the author’s approach to modelling aircraft in a step-by-step manner. It’s obvious from the start that he is an accomplished builder and painter, and this clearly shows in his work. The important thing to note here is that the techniques are all relevant even if you wish to adopt a different style of finish from that shown.

Every facet of construction is covered...from cutting the parts off the sprue to basic detailing of the airframe. The painting procedure is no different with an equally thorough approach being adopted.
Washes, highlighting, stains, detail painting, masking effects, and airbrushing are all examined in detail. Applying decals, weathering, and even dealing with vacformed transparencies are covered. 

A Gallery of finished aircraft completes the package with plenty here to inspire the budding modeller.

Anyone that’s new to the hobby can very quickly understand the methods used to attain the high standards displayed in this book. The approach is logical and the methods used can easily be adopted to suit the readers’ own taste regarding the final finish.

So if you want a book that contains a complete repertoire of basic techniques then this is the one for you.

Thanks to Andrea Press for the review sample