Panzer Crew Uniforms – AK Interactive

Authors: Roberto Ramirez, David Hernanz and Juan Manuel Vergara
Soft cover
Format: English text, size 9 ½”” x 6 ¾”, 80 pages.
Review by Bill Curtis (January 2015)

Initial assessment

This is a small sized book with colour and black and white photos and charts. It contains the following chapters:

• Imitate Panzer Crews
• The Panzer Units
• Panzer Crew Black Uniform
• Wehrmacht Tank Crewman with Splinter A
• SS Tank Crewman with M-44 Uniform
• SS Tank Crewman with Plane Tree Autumn Camouflage
• SS Tank Crewman with Plane Tree Spring Camouflage
• SS Tank Crewman with Oak Leaf Autumn Camouflage
• Flesh Lights and Shadows
• Reference Items
• Reference Gallery

As you can see the scope of this volume covers most of the Panzer uniforms with references on ranks both Army and SS with a colour chart for the Waffenfabre (Arm of Service) as used on head wear, collar patches and shoulder straps.

The book goes on to show how to paint the black Panzer uniform using initially an airbrush and the AK Black Uniform paint set and then finished with brush painting.

The following chapters deal with the SS uniforms for various seasons as well as a sheepskin jacket as worn in the winter. Each of these different uniforms are shown in detail with photographs and a clear text explaining how to achieve the finished results.
The next chapter deals with the painting of the face and shows how to apply the paints and to what areas, again using AK paint set for flesh.

The next two pages show in colour a selection of items used by the panzer crews such as hat, collar patches, head set, binoculars weapons and SS arm badges.

Lastly we have a selection of wartime photographs in black and white which will be of use as some are typical portrait style and the others show the crew with there vehicles.

Conclusion

AK are producing sets of this style of book in their Learning Series at a very reasonable price for a volume that has most information to produce figures of both Army and SS that will bring alive a model vehicle or diorama.

I found it a very informative book and I am sure that this will be a big help to new and more experienced modeller.

Highly Recommended

Available direct from AK Interactive  or from Bookworld, where I purchased my copy.

Bill C.