Review: 'Eavy Metal Masterclass

Whilst looking for advice on NMM for my recent Wood Elf model one of the guys at my local GW store recommended this book.  They didn't have a copy in store but they managed to get some in stock very quickly.   I thought I would give you a quick look at what it includes in case you fancy picking up a copy.



To start with it includes a number of in depth painting tutorials for 13 models.  Within those there are some discussions about individual techniques and concepts.  The range of models is good ranging across WFB, 40K and LotR.

The individual tutorials contain a good amount of detail, lots of up close shots of step by step processes (in the sanguinor the NMM has 12 individual steps photographed).  These are a revelation compared with the more recent White Dwarf painting tutorials.  These are from the Captain Sicarius.  They start with a discussion of the character/model and how this influences the paint job.  Next they do step by step detailed explanation of the major areas of the model.  Finally they look at the rest of the details of the model and discuss the techniques used for them.

A nice feature is that at the end of most of the articles there are a selection of other 'Eavy Metal models that illustrate the technique that the tutorial focused on.  In this case OSL from the vermin lord.

Finally there are some very nice discussions about particular techniques which talk about the theory, where to find inspiration and how to achieve various concepts.  This is a photo of the NMM page.

I really like the book and I'm sure I'll find it very useful for quite a while.  There are only a couple of downsides. 

12 of the 13 tutorials have been printed in White Dwarf but unless you have the correct issues this is the only way I know of getting these. 

It's not cheap, but probably cheaper than sourcing all 12 WDs and you get the 13th tutorial and the extra bits as well.

The paints are the old citadel versions but this isn't too much of an issue if you have the conversion chart or you are happy judging it yourself.

So in conclusion I think it is a great resource if you want to try to improve your painting but not worth it if you already have the relevant WDs.

What have other people found useful when improving their painting?  Can you recommend any literature?
Please feel free to leave any comments, tips or questions below.