JM. Villalba Workshop | RLM: Painting and Weathering Luftwaffe WWII Aircrafts

Reviewed by Kevin Futter

JM. Villalba Workshop is the eponymous company of renowned Spanish modeller JM Villalba. Early in 2015 he released a new instructional DVD, entitled RLM: Painting and Weathering Luftwaffe WWII Aircrafts [sic], which is the subject of this review. During the course of the DVD, JM builds and paints Eduard's 1/48 Fw 190D-9, but the focus of the content is on painting techniques. Almost no attention is given to the actual assembly of the model.

The DVD itself ships in a slimline case, and is professionally authored and replicated, rather than duplicated (burnt) on a home computer using blank DVD discs. The disc is available in either NTSC or PAL, but oddly, there's nothing on my review sample to indicate which of the two formats it's in. By loading it up on my computer, I found that the disc itself is called "DVD_PAL", and as far as I can ascertain, it's also region-free. I certainly had no problems with playback on my system. Running time is 80 minutes.

After a brief opening sequence, you're presented with a screen containing six language buttons: English, Spanish, German, Czech, Italian and French.

The reason for this makes itself clear once the main content starts, and comes at first as a little bit of a surprise. Basically, there is no audio content other than some background music on a permanent loop. The story is told solely through the use of video, complemented with onscreen captions in your chosen language.

DVDs of this nature usually feature someone talking to camera, inter-cut with close-ups of the presenter demonstrating the technique. With this one, there's no one talking to camera, and no voice-over narration. Instead, the camera focusses on JM's hands in close-up throughout, as he demonstrates the various elements of the build. As I noted earlier, I was taken aback a little by this unusual approach, but it's actually quite effective.

The content itself is broken down into eight main sections:

  1. Painting the Interiors
  2. Painting the Interiors, Part 2
  3. Photo-etched Parts and Fabric Seat Belts
  4. Preparing for Painting
  5. Painting
  6. Weathering and Markings
  7. Weathering and Markings, Part 2
  8. Gallery

One very minor criticism I have of the content flow is that, as each section gives way to the next, there's no title slide to indicate that the focus has changed, and that you're viewing a new section. This causes a slight disconnect with the content when it happens, but it's not a major problem.

On the other hand, the video content is extremely well done, being clean, clear and very well framed and lit. Some of the action is filmed against a standard green cutting mat, such as below:

...while elsewhere most of the scenes are very nicely filmed in a blacked-out environment for clarity:

Note not only the concise but unobtrusive subtitles, but also the onscreen graphic showing the air pressure used for that particular airbrushing session. It's a thoughtful touch, especially the use of both bar and PSI measurements.

Another common element I particularly liked was that each product used is not only described in the subtitles as it is used, but also shown very clearly in show-and-tell style in the video itself:

I've included below a random selection of screenshots from the DVD to illustrate the range of material covered, including rivetting the model, using photo-etched parts, mixing paint colours, and cutting your own paint masks:

Everything is covered with a refreshing clarity, and being able to see the modeller actually performing the techniques in close-up really helps the viewer to understand what is going on. The painting and weathering techniques outlined are not comprehensive, however, and more complex or advanced techniques are not explored. Being a Spanish modeller, JM is naturally an exponent of the so-called Spanish School of model finishing, and this is the basic approach used in the DVD. JM's execution lies at the subtle end of the spectrum, and the intent is clearly to show the modeller how to achieve a dynamic finish with simple techniques, while retaining some semblance of authentic subtlety. A screenshot of the completed model bears this out:

The video below shows the company's trailer for the DVD, which gives a sense of the content and style of the production:

Conclusion

This is an excellent instructional DVD. The information presented is clear and concise, and the video quality is excellent. The slightly unusual approach to delivery obviates any issues with accents and pronunciation, which makes the material even more widely accessible. It also means there's less focus on the modeller himself, and more on the presentation of the instructional material. For beginning and intermediate modellers looking to improve their painting and weathering techniques, this DVD is highly recommended.

Thanks to JM. Villalba for the review sample.

More information is available at the JM. Villalba Workshop Facebook page and YouTube channel.

© Kevin Futter 2015

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This review was published on Friday, March 13 2015; Last modified on Saturday, March 14 2015