This is a very useful, and visually attractive book produced by Games Workshop,. It is a fairly thin A4 paperback of some 82 pages (including the inside covers), divided into five main themes - a general introduction to the techniques of modelling scenery and the "tools of the trade"; Warhammer scenery (which really covers normal terrain features such as rivers and hills); Warhammer buildings (ancient to medieval/rennaissance building styles, as well as pure fantasy); Warhammer 40,000 scenery (science fiction oriented scenery); and special features (combining a "where to go next" with "incredible terrain to aspire to"). The whole is profusely illustrated throughout with immaculately modelled terrain crawling with (mostly) excellently painted Citadel figures - which is certainly both inspiring and a great encouragement to make something similar oneself.

Even old hands should find a couple of new tips in the well laid out introduction, which gives a comprehensive guide to materials and tools and also is fairly safety conscious - polystyrene foam is certainly not the book's material of choice (although it does crop up now and again). The tone of the book is set early on - the intention is to allow the creation - from relatively cheap materials - of excellent looking terrain features of reasonable durability.

The Warhammer scenery section covers just about all the natural terrain features a player could want, as well as a useful section on rock formations - cairns, standing stones and circles and burial mounds.

Warhammer buildings covers a range of styles of architecture - huts, circular watchtowers, a simple peasant cottage, a ruined temple and pyramids. A variety of hedges, walls, fences and other man made features are also covered. Tips on detailing Games Workshop's own card building kits are also included, as well as hints on making buildings at different detail levels expand the usefulness of this section to the complete novice.

The chapter on Warhammer 40,000 scenery adds even more rock formations as well as jungle scenery and craters. The modelling of further building types, of a suitability to modern/science fiction games, are described - such as security fences, bunkers, weapon blasted ruins and industrial developments. There is also a nice section on flat roofed buildings of a middle eastern style.

The special features chapter illustrates large terrain pieces - including a wonderful moated castle and a huge motte and bailey. Additional useful (more expensive and more durable) materials are introduced. Finally modular terrain and gaming table construction is covered in adequate depth.

All in all - and you may already have guessed - I'd say that this is a brilliant book. Seemingly expensive at £ 12, the glossy paper and heavy use of colour illustrations fully justifies this (after all, it is only the price of three or four issues of the wargames "glossies"). The tone of the book is highly enthusiastic, and, although clearly written with the younger (GW playing) end of the gaming market in mind (such as myself !!) is not patronising.

The complete novice will find everything helpful, especially the step by step photo illustrations of the projects at each stage of construction. The more experienced can "cut to the chase" and get building straight away. Recommended. [I agree with Jonathan on this having browsed it at my local model shop. Kenn] BEHIND THE LINES OR INSIDER KNOWLEDGE OR, EVEN KNOWING SOMEONE WHO KNOWS by Bob Mirrey.

Well here we are again, with more news of books being published by Osprey in the coming months- Since writing the last article I've had the pleasure of seeing Kenn at my local show Skelp, which continues to surprise us by the number of people willing to travel vast distances to visit us, we like to think its the show but some say that the fact we have 3 or 4 pubs within a short walking distance helps.

This year the judges (including Kenn and David Barnes) of the painting competitions did another excellent job by awarding the prizes [one being the Solo Wargamers Association shield] to some excellent entries, it's not a job I would do as you can never manage to please everybody all of the time.

Members of my club are involved in a pacific campaign at the moment, with myself acting as the American commander. There we were planning a airstrike against a Japanese force of Battleships and escorts located the previous club night, while moving into position to launch our aircraft at 1500 hrs we were surprised by a Japanese airstrike against the carrier force, by 1506 hrs (game time) the USS Hornet is a blazing wreak, even splashing 15 Aircraft was little consolation for the loss of my carrier.

In desperation I asked one of the umpires why we hadn't spotted the incoming aircraft with our fleet of spotter planes, the 2 radar sets on board ships and my standing air patrols and was told his dice rolling had been a bit off. I must remember to put that in my report when I'm court-martialled. We decided that my intelligence officer on the night , Jon, would go down with the ship.

At the moment I'm practising my defence formations against Air attack now the've found me, I have the feeling I'm going to need it.

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