Igor Donchik Art

Igor Donchik Art Military books & board games by Igor Donchik Art

Hello friends,A few lines, boxes, dots and numbers on a wartime map can contain an extraordinary amount of information —...
23/08/2026

Hello friends,

A few lines, boxes, dots and numbers on a wartime map can contain an extraordinary amount of information — if you know how to read them.

Our new article, “How to Decode Wehrmacht Tactical Signs Properly,” looks at German taktische Zeichen as they were intended to be used: not as isolated symbols to be matched against a chart, but as a complete visual language.

We look at how to distinguish tactical signs from vehicle markings, how branch, date and map scale can change their interpretation, how to read echelon and unit information, and why arrows, boundaries and surrounding markings are often just as important as the symbol itself.

We also discuss some of the most common mistakes — including treating every map as a precise order of battle or relying too heavily on a single modern reference chart.

For historians, archive researchers and scale modellers, learning this language can transform an apparently cryptic mark into useful evidence about a unit, its role, organization and position within an operation.

📖 Read the full article:
https://not-toys.com/featured-projects/military-symbols/decode-wehrmacht-tactical-signs/

Our German Military Symbols Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 books take the subject much further, providing a comprehensive visual reference to German tactical symbols used on maps, organizational diagrams, vehicles and equipment. German Military Unit Insignia Vol. 1 begins our separate series devoted to German divisional emblems.

If you find the article useful, please like, comment and share it with other military history and scale modelling enthusiasts. Your support helps us bring this research to a wider community.

Hello friends,🎉 THEY’RE HERE!Today, the complete print run of 1,986 copies of Chernobyl 1986: Machines That Fought the I...
21/08/2026

Hello friends,

🎉 THEY’RE HERE!

Today, the complete print run of 1,986 copies of Chernobyl 1986: Machines That Fought the Invisible arrived safely at our warehouse!

And we couldn’t be happier with the result. The printing house did an excellent job — the books look exactly as we planned, from the print quality and colours to the binding and finishing.

After months of research, artwork, writing, design and production, seeing all 1,986 individually numbered copies together in our warehouse is a very special moment for us.

📦 And shipping has already begun!

Our first priority is fulfilling all rewards for our Kickstarter backers. We have already processed all Early Bird rewards, and tomorrow we will continue packing and shipping the next batches.

As soon as the Kickstarter rewards are dispatched, we will immediately begin fulfilling pre-orders placed through our website.

There is a lot of work ahead — every order has to be checked, prepared, carefully packed and dispatched — so we ask everyone who is waiting for their book for just a little more patience. Your copy is coming!

❤️ Most importantly, we want to thank everyone who supported Chernobyl 1986 from the very beginning — our Kickstarter backers, our pre-order customers, everyone who followed the project, shared our posts, commented, encouraged us and helped spread the word.

You helped turn this project from an idea into a real book. Thank you!

And now that the books are physically here, Chernobyl 1986 is officially in stock and available to order.

👉 https://not-toys.com/product/chernobyl-1986-machines-that-fought-the-invisible-numbered-edition/

The edition is strictly limited to 1,986 individually numbered copies and will not be reprinted in this format.

If you’d like to help us celebrate this milestone, please share this post, leave a comment or simply give it a like. Every bit of support helps more people discover our work.

Thank you for being part of this journey! ❤️

Igor Donchik & Deniss Ignatjev

🕵️ How Do You Identify an Unknown Historical Photograph?Hello, friends!An unidentified vehicle. An unfamiliar aircraft. ...
19/08/2026

🕵️ How Do You Identify an Unknown Historical Photograph?

Hello, friends!

An unidentified vehicle. An unfamiliar aircraft. A ship with no name visible. A Soviet machine photographed somewhere in the 1980s. A fascinating archival image saved years ago as 34532324.jpg — with absolutely no information attached to it. :)

Many historians, modellers and collectors know this problem very well.

In our new article, we decided to share some of the methods we use in our own everyday archive research:

🔎 how Google Lens can uncover unexpected leads
🤖 how we use AI to analyse historical photographs — and why you should never trust it blindly
👥 when Facebook, Reddit and specialist communities can help
📁 why we use digiKam to organise our growing photo archive
✏️ why a meaningful filename can save you hours of work later
❓ and, perhaps most importantly, why “Unknown” is sometimes the most accurate and professional answer

We also reveal a little about ID Files, our new series of illustrated reference monographs. The first volume is already about 95% complete, and we will announce it very soon.

And one question for you: would you be interested in a separate article showing how we organise our historical photo archive in digiKam — folders, tags, flags and our research workflow?

Read the full article below. 👇
https://not-toys.com/scale-models/modeling-guides/how-to-research-historical-photographs/

👍 If you find the article useful, please like, comment and share this post. Every interaction helps us reach more people interested in historical research — and we always enjoy reading your thoughts, experiences and discoveries.

18/08/2026

The wait is over. The books are ready!
We have just received the news we have been waiting for — Chernobyl 1986: Machines That Fought the Invisible is fully printed.

The books are now going through the final production stage and being packed at the printing house. If everything goes according to plan, they will arrive at our warehouse on August 21, and we will begin shipping orders shortly afterwards.

After months of research, hundreds of original illustrations, writing, design and production, it is an incredible feeling to finally see the finished books coming off the line.

And there are only a few days left to take advantage of the pre-order price:

€59 instead of €69 — save 14%.

Once shipping begins, the regular price of €69 will apply.

Chernobyl 1986: Machines That Fought the Invisible is a 128-page hardcover illustrated book dedicated to the machines and people involved in the response to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Thank you to everyone who has already ordered the book and supported this project. You helped make it a reality.

The books are ready. Shipping begins soon.

👉 Pre-order your copy at not-TOYS.com:
https://not-toys.com/product/chernobyl-1986-machines-that-fought-the-invisible-numbered-edition/

🟡 Is there really one “correct” Dunkelgelb?Our recent article about why German tanks were painted Dunkelgelb in 1943 spa...
18/08/2026

🟡 Is there really one “correct” Dunkelgelb?

Our recent article about why German tanks were painted Dunkelgelb in 1943 sparked a much bigger discussion than we expected — 2,855 reactions and 49 comments, with readers sharing original paint samples, wartime photographs, colour references and decades of collecting and modelling experience.

And one question kept coming back:

🎨 If Dunkelgelb was a standardised colour, why does it look so different from one vehicle, photograph or surviving object to another?

That discussion became the starting point for our new article:

👉 What Is Dunkelgelb? RAL 7028 Explained

This time, instead of asking why Dunkelgelb was introduced, we look at the much more difficult question of what the “correct” Dunkelgelb actually was — and whether it is even reasonable to expect one universal appearance.

🔎 We examine RAL 7028, wartime production variation, original surviving paint, operational wear, photography, modern displays and even differences in human colour perception. We also look at several fascinating references shared by readers during the discussion of our previous article.

Special thanks to Robert Meier, Piotr Perykasza, Nosaj Cellawa, Matthew Feiden, Jason Sloate, Michael Pucciarelli, Phil Yates, Dan Egan and Chris Davis, whose comments, photographs and observations became part of this follow-up article.

🙏 And a sincere thank you to everyone who joined the discussion. We read your comments, we learn from them, and sometimes — as in this case — they lead directly to the next piece of research.

Our conclusion?

🟨 There was a standard Dunkelgelb. But there was no single universal way that Dunkelgelb appeared on every vehicle, at every factory, in every photograph and throughout its operational life.

📖 Read the full article below:
https://not-toys.com/scale-models/modeling-guides/what-is-dunkelgelb/

🔥 Dunkelgelb Seems to Be a Hot Topic!Our recent article, “Why Were Tanks Painted Dunkelgelb in 1943?”, has quickly becom...
16/08/2026

🔥 Dunkelgelb Seems to Be a Hot Topic!

Our recent article, “Why Were Tanks Painted Dunkelgelb in 1943?”, has quickly become one of the most popular articles on our website. The number of readers, comments and discussions shows just how much interest there still is in German camouflage, its colours and the history behind them.

So we thought — why not take this interest a little further?

For a limited time, we're offering 30% OFF Panzer Camouflage Vol. 1, the first book in our series dedicated to Wehrmacht divisions, camouflage patterns, tactical markings and individual vehicle profiles.

📖 180 detailed vehicle profiles
🎨 128 pages of hand-drawn artwork and camouflage references
🏷️ 30% OFF with coupon code PANZER30

Enter PANZER30 at checkout to receive the discount:
https://not-toys.com/product/panzer-camouflage-vol-1-wermacht-divisions-camouflage-book/

⏳ Offer valid until August 31.

If the Dunkelgelb article caught your interest, Panzer Camouflage Vol. 1 is a great way to continue exploring the subject in much greater detail.

Hello friends! 👋Why were German tanks painted Dunkelgelb — and what did this colour actually look like?It is often reduc...
11/08/2026

Hello friends! 👋
Why were German tanks painted Dunkelgelb — and what did this colour actually look like?

It is often reduced to the familiar idea of “German yellow.” But the reality was far more complicated.

🎨 Dunkelgelb was a system, not simply a colour.

Introduced in 1943, it became the base for a flexible camouflage system that could be adapted with Olivgrün and Rotbraun to local battlefield conditions. And this flexibility is one reason why German vehicles from the same period can look so remarkably different.

In our new article, we explore:

🟡 Why Dunkelgelb replaced Dunkelgrau
📜 The 1943 camouflage regulations
🌿 How camouflage was applied in the field
🏭 Factory vs. field-applied schemes
📷 Why photographs cannot give us a single “correct” Dunkelgelb
🔎 What all this means for historians and scale modellers

A Panther or Tiger may appear almost sand-coloured in one photograph and brownish khaki in another. So which one is correct?

The answer is more interesting than a single RAL colour chip.

Read the full article on the not-TOYS blog:
👉 https://not-toys.com/featured-projects/panzer-camouflage/why-were-tanks-painted-dunkelgelb/

And if you enjoy this kind of historical research, a like, comment or share helps us reach more modellers, collectors and military history enthusiasts. Thank you! 🙏

10/08/2026

☢️ K-431: The Soviet Nuclear Submarine Disaster Before Chernobyl + Interactive Map

On 10 August 1985, less than nine months before Chernobyl, a nuclear accident occurred at a secret Soviet naval facility in Chazhma Bay near Vladivostok.

During a routine reactor refuelling operation aboard the nuclear submarine K-431, a series of safety violations led to an uncontrolled power excursion and a violent thermal explosion. Men working around the reactor were killed, a fire broke out, and radioactive contamination spread across the shipyard, nearby vessels, the shoreline and the waters of Chazhma Bay.

For years, the disaster remained largely hidden behind the secrecy surrounding the Soviet nuclear fleet.

In our new article, we reconstruct the story of K-431 — the submarine, the refuelling operation, the mistakes that led to the explosion, the men who fought the radioactive fire, the contamination that followed, and the long fate of the damaged vessel.

🗺️ We have also created a detailed interactive map of the accident site, based on the surviving historical diagram. You can explore Pier No. 2 and identify K-431, the contaminated submarine K-42, floating docks, support vessels, workshops and other facilities located around the epicentre of the accident.

It is a remarkable glimpse into a Soviet nuclear disaster that remained largely unknown to the outside world — just eight months and sixteen days before Chernobyl.

👉 Read the full article and explore the interactive map:
https://not-toys.com/history/cold-war/k-431-the-soviet-nuclear-submarine-disaster-before-chernobyl/

If you find this kind of archival research interesting, share the article, leave a comment and tell us what you think.

🐆 How to Paint Three-Tone Panther Camouflage AccuratelyPainting a Panther in Dunkelgelb, Olivgrün and Rotbraun sounds si...
09/08/2026

🐆 How to Paint Three-Tone Panther Camouflage Accurately

Painting a Panther in Dunkelgelb, Olivgrün and Rotbraun sounds simple.

But which pattern should you use?

The three-tone camouflage seen on wartime Panthers was never a single universal scheme. Patterns changed with production periods, manufacturers and application methods. Some were applied in the field, others at the factory. Repairs, replacement parts and operational wear could alter them even further.

In our new article, we look at three-tone Panther camouflage from a modeller’s perspective — from identifying the vehicle and its production period to interpreting wartime photographs, choosing colours, reproducing patterns and applying weathering without losing the logic of the original camouflage.

And there is one rule worth remembering:

Don’t start with the paint guide. Start with the photograph.

The more we know about the individual vehicle, the more convincing our model can become.

Read the full article on not-TOYS.com:
👉 https://not-toys.com/scale-models/modeling-guides/paint-three-tone-panther-camouflage/

💬 What approach do you use when researching camouflage for your models? Do you try to reproduce a specific photographed vehicle, or prefer to work from a historically plausible scheme?

👍 If you found the article useful, please like, share and comment. Your discussions, observations and reference material often help us discover details that might otherwise be missed — and can contribute to future artwork, books and IDA Archive projects.

📷 A wartime photograph is more than just an image. It is a historical document waiting to be read.A vehicle, a uniform o...
07/08/2026

📷 A wartime photograph is more than just an image. It is a historical document waiting to be read.

A vehicle, a uniform or a tactical marking may catch your eye first, but the real clues are often hidden elsewhere—in the background, in the landscape, in the sequence of photographs, or even on the reverse side of the original print.

Our latest article explores how historians and researchers analyse wartime photographs without jumping to conclusions. Learn why captions can be misleading, how production details help narrow down dates, why black-and-white images rarely prove camouflage colours, and how comparing multiple sources leads to far more reliable conclusions.

Whether you're a scale modeler, military historian, collector, or simply fascinated by historical research, these methods can completely change the way you look at archival photographs.

📖 Read the full article:
👉 https://not-toys.com/scale-models/modeling-guides/how-to-analyse-wartime-photographs/

If you find articles like this valuable, a like, comment or share helps more historians, modelers and collectors discover our work.

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