I have Shepard paines' book " how to build dioramas " I think it was worth every cent .

Can anyone recommend any similar quality books as a must have for a newbie?

Specifically for making dioramas , painting figures and ww2 AFV's. I use only vallejo paint and do not own an air brush.

I have a barnes and noble $100 gift card so that is my limit thanks in advance.

If it wasn't for the Barne's and Noble card, I would tell you to ask plenty of questions.

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/206310

The other books from this series are also excellent. They will take you through each individual technique for building, painting and weathering.

Hi Martin,

I don't know if you have 'remaindered' book shops in the US, but they are worth browsing as you can sometimes find an out of print book that is a valuable addition to your library. I would look out for Bill Horan's 'Military Modelling Masterclass' as this is a real inspiration for producing figures, vignettes and dioramas (his Gandamak diorama has to be seen to be believed). The Osprey series of books do several 'how to' guides and are reasonably priced, well worth looking at. I would also recommend going to a public library and looking up art books on the great painters to see how they handle group composition and scenery. You may also get inspiration for dioramas, soldiers no matter what era tend to be doing the same things, just the uniform and equipment change. Look on Ebay, I have had some good book bargains there as well.

Hope this helps,

All the best,

Paul

Hi Martin,

One of the best how to books in my library are the two volumes of Lets build a diorama by Laslo Adoba published in 2009 by SBS Books.

His explanation of techniques is to the point and easy to follow with great results. Fun to experiment too. The materials he uses are quit cheap and are sometimes found among around our household waste (we modelers are great for recycling ).

Highly recommended,give them a look, you will not be disappointed!

Hope it helps,
best Luk

Agreed ... now its three books available and one more on the way. Recommended.
Another book which is worth its weight in gold is "Converting and detailing Plastic Figures" by Bill Chilstrom. To get the best out of your figures with simple technicques that are well explained, look no further than this book. I also like the Osprey Masterclass book "Terrain Modelling". These books with the Shep Paine book already mentioned, will take you a long long way.

Thanks for all the replies much apreciated

Any idea where I can find Laszlo Adobe books for sale
I have tried everything but can't even find his homepage .

thanks