I am working on my first ww2 diarama, my diarama is taling place in north africa and I was wondering if I should aply sand to the painted surfaced of the turrain. Could anyone give me any advice on how I could make the tarrain look its best?
I have used "super glue" to attach abrasives to an impromptu grinder. The stuff doesn't add any bulk to the material so you'll keep the contours you started with.
This link might be more helpful since you sound like you want to make it yourself and not buy a pre-fabricated one: Tech Tips: Making Diorama Groundwork
[YOUTUBE]aEBKFLX6UqA[/YOUTUBE] try checking youtube for diorama vids, which allow you to follow modellers tips..
I do have some regular sand at hand right now, but the color of the sand is a bit darker then the desert camoflage of the Flak gun and the Kublewagen. Is this good enough, or should I be going for a sand that is a lighter color?
You could try painting a little sand a lighter color and then mix it in with the rest, which would lighten up the sand a little. Perhaps use the same color as what you used to paint the camo with. Put the sand in some sort of container you can shake, then add a small drop of paint (maybe water it down a little) then shake it all around - will coat the sand that way without making a mess. Blow-dry or air-dry I imagine, then mix with the untouched sand. I suggest experiementing first.
If you need multi-colored "sand" simply buy some artist's chalks and mix whatever sand you are using (I would recommend 200 grit or finer sandblasting silica for scale) with it and a binder like hair spray or, flat varnish to adhere it to the sand particles.
Buying a modeling sand is going to be a last resort for me. When it comes to painting the sand, wont it become stiff or get stuck in clumps?
Always keep "scale perspective" in mind. Sand, from a distance, does not look like grainy sand. Your diorama (1/35 scale?) has scale perspective. I will look as if one is actually standing 20 or 30 feet from the subject if it were 1/1 scale. Look at sand from 20 feet away, and thats what the sand on your diorama should look like. Brown talcum powder. If it's much bigger than that, they would be the equivalent of pebbles or small rocks. According to me, one time IPMS National judge.
I took some regular sand and ran it through a sifter, and now I have sand that is a bit finer. Tomarow I am going to a local hobby shop and am going to see what they have.
