Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures. Mike Butler, The Crowood Press, Ramsbury, 2022, 208pp.
Reviewer: Chrisr, Australia.
Every now and then a book comes along that stands out from the pack - Mike Butler’s Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures is one of them. When I first saw one of Mike’s models on planetFigure I thought I was looking at a coloured photograph; it was so detailed and realistic down to the sweat on the man’s face, and the texture of the clothing and webbing equipment. Now Mike has revealed his secrets with this book. I have a good number of texts on how to model and paint military figurines. A few of them are excellent - Shep Paine’s Building and Painting Scale Figures, Bill Horan’s Military Modelling Masterclass, Bill Ottinger’s Historex Masterclass, Danilo Cartacci’s Painting Miniatures, and Mike Blank’s Colour Harmony. Mike Butler’s book stands amongst these illustrious volumes, yet he takes the “how to” approach to a new level, explaining a step by step approach to build and paint figurines and busts, the techniques he uses to achieve such realism in his work, and a lavish number of tips. Along the way Mike provides short historical stories of some who fought during the Great War, and are the subject of some of his figures. It is the most comprehensive book I have read on the subject.
Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures comprises an ‘Introduction’, ten chapters, two appendices and a short Index, primarily addressing British, French, Belgian, and Anzac troops, and it is packed full of useful information. The first two short chapters cover the usual “Figure Kits” and “Materials”, with the latter including a paragraph each on lighting and photography. Then we get into the meat of the subject, and throughout each chapter Mike provides useful tips in easily seen side panels, and explains a step by step approach and colours used in larger full width tables. They are abundantly illustrated, but rather than portraying a gallery of his completed works, as so many other books do the fill out the volume, Mike’s photographs are used to supplement the “how to” panels and illustrate the steps and techniques he is explaining. Furthermore, he includes photographs of actual British, French and Belgian uniforms and equipment, showing the different shades of khaki and bleu horizon cloth that was worn during the Great War. Crisp, clear line drawings supplement the photographs to show different and well worn headwear, uniforms and equipment, as well as demonstrating the techniques he uses, and how to make a wet palette.
Chapter Three explains the process of assembling a resin commercial figure, and making minor conversions. Full of tips and explanations, and supplemented by colour photographs, it is one of the best I have read on this subject.
Chapter Four discusses the full range of paints - oils, acrylics enamels, gouche, lacquer paints, thinners, mediums, inks, powders, pigments and powders. In each Mike discusses their attributes and various uses. This is followed by a similar discussion on brushes - natural and synthetic bristles and air brushes. Moreover, he advocates all types, even old and worn brushes that have a purpose in achieving certain effects.
Then, at 101 pages, comes the longest chapter - Painting Figures - and what a tour de force it is. Initially Mike explains the techniques he uses to achieve the extraordinary realism in his figures - stippling, dabbing, stibbling, stabbing, lining, and dotting - together with the types of brushes he employs to effect them, all illustrated in line drawings followed by a table that explains each technique. The remaining seventy pages are devoted to painting various figures - Belgians, French, British, and Anzacs. This lavishly illustrated chapter serves up a wealth of information, not only of how he goes about painting the figures, but also the paints he uses, coloured photographs of various uniforms and equipment, tips and much more. Throughout he provides tables that give the colours he uses for each portion of each of the figures under discussion. It is truly an exemplary painter’s guide, and one that will be hard to better.
Then follows a chapter on resin and metal busts in which Mike describes preparing a bust and making minor conversions to give greater realism to the subject. Again it is well illustrated and has tables detailing the processes. Chapter Seven, the second longest at 48 pages, addresses painting busts, following the same approach in explaining “how to” that he employs in Chapter Five. Here we see the uses and real effects of Mike’s techniques that bring the busts to life with a detail and realism that is extraordinary. Again, like Chapter Five, it is a masterclass in explaining painting.
Chapter Eight concerns scratch-building figures and busts, largely detailing Phil Walden’s technique, while Chapter Nine explains building dioramas using one his Gallipoli scenes to demonstrate the process. Again the explanation is detailed, supported by step by step illustrations, tables and line drawings explaining the processes.
In Chapter Ten Mike reflects on the hobby - the value of shared learning, of experimentation, of World War One modelling and of looking forward to what’s next. He briefly discusses painting women in service and considers the Italian and Russian fronts, subjects that are not well represented in the hobby. Two appendices round out this excellent book, one on figure suppliers with their products and websites, and the other on research resources.
Mike Butler’s Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures sits at the pinnacle of books written on this hobby. It will undoubtedly become a classic in the genre, standing alongside and perhaps a little above others written by masters of the hobby. Packed full of information and illustrations, it is a masterclass of how to make and paint World War One Allied figures that very much delivers value for money. Buy it and you won’t be disappointed. One can only hope he produces another book on how to model and paint figures from an earlier era.
Reviewer: Chrisr, Australia.
Every now and then a book comes along that stands out from the pack - Mike Butler’s Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures is one of them. When I first saw one of Mike’s models on planetFigure I thought I was looking at a coloured photograph; it was so detailed and realistic down to the sweat on the man’s face, and the texture of the clothing and webbing equipment. Now Mike has revealed his secrets with this book. I have a good number of texts on how to model and paint military figurines. A few of them are excellent - Shep Paine’s Building and Painting Scale Figures, Bill Horan’s Military Modelling Masterclass, Bill Ottinger’s Historex Masterclass, Danilo Cartacci’s Painting Miniatures, and Mike Blank’s Colour Harmony. Mike Butler’s book stands amongst these illustrious volumes, yet he takes the “how to” approach to a new level, explaining a step by step approach to build and paint figurines and busts, the techniques he uses to achieve such realism in his work, and a lavish number of tips. Along the way Mike provides short historical stories of some who fought during the Great War, and are the subject of some of his figures. It is the most comprehensive book I have read on the subject.
Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures comprises an ‘Introduction’, ten chapters, two appendices and a short Index, primarily addressing British, French, Belgian, and Anzac troops, and it is packed full of useful information. The first two short chapters cover the usual “Figure Kits” and “Materials”, with the latter including a paragraph each on lighting and photography. Then we get into the meat of the subject, and throughout each chapter Mike provides useful tips in easily seen side panels, and explains a step by step approach and colours used in larger full width tables. They are abundantly illustrated, but rather than portraying a gallery of his completed works, as so many other books do the fill out the volume, Mike’s photographs are used to supplement the “how to” panels and illustrate the steps and techniques he is explaining. Furthermore, he includes photographs of actual British, French and Belgian uniforms and equipment, showing the different shades of khaki and bleu horizon cloth that was worn during the Great War. Crisp, clear line drawings supplement the photographs to show different and well worn headwear, uniforms and equipment, as well as demonstrating the techniques he uses, and how to make a wet palette.
Chapter Three explains the process of assembling a resin commercial figure, and making minor conversions. Full of tips and explanations, and supplemented by colour photographs, it is one of the best I have read on this subject.
Chapter Four discusses the full range of paints - oils, acrylics enamels, gouche, lacquer paints, thinners, mediums, inks, powders, pigments and powders. In each Mike discusses their attributes and various uses. This is followed by a similar discussion on brushes - natural and synthetic bristles and air brushes. Moreover, he advocates all types, even old and worn brushes that have a purpose in achieving certain effects.
Then, at 101 pages, comes the longest chapter - Painting Figures - and what a tour de force it is. Initially Mike explains the techniques he uses to achieve the extraordinary realism in his figures - stippling, dabbing, stibbling, stabbing, lining, and dotting - together with the types of brushes he employs to effect them, all illustrated in line drawings followed by a table that explains each technique. The remaining seventy pages are devoted to painting various figures - Belgians, French, British, and Anzacs. This lavishly illustrated chapter serves up a wealth of information, not only of how he goes about painting the figures, but also the paints he uses, coloured photographs of various uniforms and equipment, tips and much more. Throughout he provides tables that give the colours he uses for each portion of each of the figures under discussion. It is truly an exemplary painter’s guide, and one that will be hard to better.
Then follows a chapter on resin and metal busts in which Mike describes preparing a bust and making minor conversions to give greater realism to the subject. Again it is well illustrated and has tables detailing the processes. Chapter Seven, the second longest at 48 pages, addresses painting busts, following the same approach in explaining “how to” that he employs in Chapter Five. Here we see the uses and real effects of Mike’s techniques that bring the busts to life with a detail and realism that is extraordinary. Again, like Chapter Five, it is a masterclass in explaining painting.
Chapter Eight concerns scratch-building figures and busts, largely detailing Phil Walden’s technique, while Chapter Nine explains building dioramas using one his Gallipoli scenes to demonstrate the process. Again the explanation is detailed, supported by step by step illustrations, tables and line drawings explaining the processes.
In Chapter Ten Mike reflects on the hobby - the value of shared learning, of experimentation, of World War One modelling and of looking forward to what’s next. He briefly discusses painting women in service and considers the Italian and Russian fronts, subjects that are not well represented in the hobby. Two appendices round out this excellent book, one on figure suppliers with their products and websites, and the other on research resources.
Mike Butler’s Modelling and Painting World War I Allied Figures sits at the pinnacle of books written on this hobby. It will undoubtedly become a classic in the genre, standing alongside and perhaps a little above others written by masters of the hobby. Packed full of information and illustrations, it is a masterclass of how to make and paint World War One Allied figures that very much delivers value for money. Buy it and you won’t be disappointed. One can only hope he produces another book on how to model and paint figures from an earlier era.
