What?  TG/01 Chipping

Who?  Written by Michael Rinaldi, published by Ammo by Mig Jimenez

When? Published 2025

How much? US$59.29 (from the publisher’s website)

            First and foremost, I need to apologize for the tardiness of this review.  I got this book in about February and then life got in the way.  So, I have had some time to mull this one over.  I need to state up front, that I’m not a huge fan of chipping.  That was until I read this little wonder of a book.  Mr. Rinaldi takes the reader through his thoughts on what he calls reductive chipping where he actively wears/distorts various paint layers to show wear and tear.  He shows innumerable products ranging from lacquers like Tamiya through true water-based acrylics like Lifecolor to proprietary formulas like Mission Models.  These, combined with hair spray and various manufacturers of chipping fluids, can be layered to produce a myriad of chipped effects in multiple genres.

            The book is broken up into 6 sections and each section is broken into various projects.  There is kind of an introduction and theory section that does not fit into any of the project sections.  This lays out the author’s thoughts and techniques, as well as the materials used in later projects.  The first section is called the “Test Group.”  As its name implies, this section shows off the basics of the technique.  These are primarily aircraft, but a couple of vehicles are there for good measure.  The other sections include: Armor, Aircraft, Civilian, Mecha and a small Bonus Glossary.

            The armor group consists of four projects, all in 1/48 scale.  Not surprisingly, there are two vehicles in African schemes (an Sd.Kfz 232 and Crusader Mk II).  There is also a KV-2 in a winter scheme and an abandoned T-55.  This is where chipping really belongs, in this reviewer’s opinion; as each project highlights extreme conditions for the vehicles to find themselves in.  These aren’t run-of-the-mill vehicles, but ones subjected to the extremes in weathering in every case.

            The aircraft group has four projects as well, with three in 1/72 and one in 1/48 scale.  All aircraft are propeller driven and three (F4U Corsair, A6M3 and A6M5 Zeros) are from the Pacific theater.  The last is an F6F-5 Hellcat target tug.  I’ve always found the stripped paint look of some Japanese aircraft from the Pacific Theater to look derelict, even though they were in service.

            The civilian group I found a little odd, as many are 1/43 scale, with an HO (1/87 scale) thrown in for good measure.  The HO piece is for a piece of railroad rolling stock, whilst the others are construction and/or farm equipment.  Honestly, he beat the snot out of these vehicles to show off the technique and it does bring out the best in the subjects.

            The Mecha section is truly diverse, including Zaku II Gunpla, a modified Star Wars droid, two Maschinen Krieger suits and cyberpunk robot.  The scale of these can be tricky, ranging from 1/144 to 1/20.  Truthfully, this is where the technique can really go wild as it’s less constrained by references.

Finally, there is a small bonus gallery, which shows a group of different subjects.  If there was a part of this book I didn’t like, it was this one as the lighting of some of the models was so dark that it was difficult to really see the results of the techniques discussed.

            One of the more interesting approaches, to me anyway, is the use of multiple layer sets to achieve a particular effect, followed by sealing it and then starting a new set over the top.  The combination of paints is also interesting, including the use of paints chipped with odorless thinner!

            And now for the critiques of the book and I have a few.  First and foremost is the size and construction of the book.  It’s thick! So it doesn’t it lend itself to use in the workshop.  Second are the color choices.  There are several spots where these eyes had a hard time reading the text because of color choices of text and background.  The photography on the whole was good, but there were some spots that were overly dark and more artistic than instructional.  This was especially evident in the “bonus section.” 

Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders.

Thanks goes out to AMMO by Mig Jimenez for this review sample.

Reviewed by Georg Eyerman

PS- Full disclosure, I do occasionally do work for Ammo of Mig doing English/English translations and minor editorial work for product.  This particular book was not involved in that agreement.

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