Modeling US Armor of World War 2 (Modelling Masterclass) [Hardcover-spiral]

Steven J. Zaloga (Author)

Book Description

Series: Modelling Masterclass | Publication Date: September 29, 2009

United States tanks and other armored fighting vehicles in World War II have always been some of the most popular subjects for scale modelers, and hundreds of kits have been and are currently manufactured. Now, renowned modeler and AFV expert, Steven J. Zaloga, presents the definitive guide to modeling these famous fighting vehicles. Based around four building projects, Zaloga presents all the techniques necessary to get a great finish on a model, including super-detailing, correcting a flawed kit, building a resin model, scratch building, and painting and markings. These step-by-step guides is enhanced by numerous photographs specially shot form Steven's personal collection of US WWII armor, which looks at the vehicles with a modeler's eye and aid in obtaining the most realistic results on a finished project.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Written by prolific author, historian, and modeler Steve Zaloga, this book is a smorgasbord of Mr. Zaloga's tips, techniques, creative ideas and concepts, with valuable historical background liberally sprinkled though the book like nuggets of gold. In addition to all of the terrific information throughout the book, a bonus of sorts are the many nicely reproduced photos of Mr. Zaloga's incredible body of work." - Chuck Aleshire, AMPS (October 2009)

"The book is well suited for beginners and even has plenty to offer old dogs like me... There is not alot of wasted space on these pages. The book is content rich and enjoyable throughout. Zaloga’s work is also quite good and interesting to look at and captured well in the book’s many photos...The book is also useful to modelers who don’t build US armor since many of Zaloga’s techniques are applicable even to other armor subjects... [The] book is so chock full of ideas and useful information that even an old cheapie like me would shell out for a copy. So would I recommend buying this book? Absolutely." -Bart Cusamano, IPMS/USA (December 2009)

"First off, this one is hardbound and done so with a sort of ring binding that allows the pages to lay flat once the book is opened... Another interesting feature is that the left side pages are color coded to match color guides to the various chapters. Makes it easy to find what you are seeking in this manner. You would expect a book like this to be full of large, clear, color images with easy to read captions to help out while you duplicate some skill and that is exactly what you get with no more than three large images per page. You would also expect the book to cover as many different aspects of the genre as it could and that it does quite admirably with everything from working with resin and photo-etch to painting and detailing bases. It is all here under one cover." -Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness/modelingmadness.com (December 2009)
 
"Modeling US Armor of World War 2 offers a survey of tanks and fighting vehicles in the war and comes from a renowned modeler and AFV expert who provides a definitive guide to modeling these vehicles. Four building projects offer in-depth techniques applied to modeling efforts in a step-by-step guide packed with photos from the author's personal collection of WWII armor." -California Bookwatch (January 2010)

About the Author

Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in history from Union College and his MA from Columbia University. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for over two decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II as well as Russia and the former Soviet Union. He is one of the world's leading modelers. The author lives in Abingdon, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 192 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; Spi edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846033985
• ISBN-13: 978-1846033988
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm. His professional specialization is the commercial and technological aspects of the international trade in missiles, precision guided munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles. He also serves as an adjunct staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank.

Mr. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles on military technology and military history. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He has been a special correspondent for "Jane's Intelligence Review" and is on the executive board of the "Journal of Slavic Military Studies". From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/director for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series "Firepower" that aired on The Discovery Channel in the US.

Mr. Zaloga was born in 1952 and received his BA in history from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He received an MA in history from Columbia University specializing in modern East European history, and did graduate research and language study at Uniwersitet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for the AFV modeler!!, October 3, 2009

By 

Dr. JM "I-Man" (Centerville, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Modeling US Armor of World War 2 (Modelling Masterclass) (Hardcover-spiral)

Wow!! This is the best I've seen of Steven Zaloga's incredible authorship. In this extraordinarily comprehensive volume, in characteristic style, Zaloga covers the gamut of US World War II armor modeling. From the very basics to the advanced,this book covers in depth construction tips, painting techniques with a wonderful history of Olive Drab, detailed descriptions of stowage and tools, figures, dioramas and photography. This book will serve as an invaluable resource for all AFV modellers, regardless of their interest. As a big collector of 'how-to' model books, from Shep Paine onward, this book is one of the best. I put all my AFV modeling on hold till I got this book, and as a predominantly US and Russian WW II modeler, I'm happy that I did.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zaloga's Masterclass, August 25, 2011

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Firefly - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Modeling US Armor of World War 2 (Modelling Masterclass) (Hardcover-spiral)

In my view, being an Armour modeller for the last 25 years, this is one of the most comprehensive how to books on the subject ever produced.
It comes in a hardbacked ring binder format with each of the sections colour coded on the edge of the page for easy reference of each section.
There are 7 chapters in total dealing with construction, painting, stowage, figures, bases, photography and a couple of pages listing Mr Zaloga's many articles in popular modelling magazines and books. The book is packed with excellent colour photos of nearly all of Mr Zaloga's previous modeling projects most of which i had seen before and a small portion which i hadn't. I don't think the lack of completly new material detracts in the least as the purpose of the book is to catalogue all his tricks and tip into one volume rather than have them spread over so many other publications as in the past.
If you love US tanks, guns and halftracks of WWII in model form then this is the book for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Zaloga's Essential Guide for the Serious Modeler, January 15, 2012

By 

Patterson P. Patrick (Tanasi) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Modeling US Armor of World War 2 (Modelling Masterclass) (Hardcover-spiral)

As said in the previous reveiws this very instructional and in depth guide book is aimed at 1/35 scale but does cover a little in 1/48 and 1/72.
The introduction does a fairly good job of letting you know Mr. Zaloga and his take on accurate scale modeling and it's evolution. His personality shows through giving the attentive reader more than just a how-to book on models but just a bit of his life and work.

Most guides I have from Osprey are made for the construction of one given item or piece of equipment. They have also helped produce many great historical textbooks on just about every war or nation worth modeling. Mr. Zaloga points out specifically that is not his goal in doing this book. It's all about the mass amount of skill he wishes to share, Master Artist to the apprentice.
With seven chapters (construction tips/tricks, painting techniques, stowage and tools, the human factor, setting the scene, photography, and a short two page further reading section) and lots of pictures and examples this is really a great guide for the novice to expert. There are many good suggestions by Zaloga on were to go on the Web to find help and information.

A great "FIRST BOOK" and go to introduction into a world of model building. I hope you enjoy Mr. Zaloga as much as I did.