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While I figure out how to spruce up the rather sparse cockpit of the Bronco I'm working on I figured I would forge ahead with an experimental idea I've had since around Christmas. The idea came out of the diorama discussion we were having recently. I've been fond of the idea of placing aircraft of display bases but my only other attempt was a terrible mess. So I went online to see what exactly is on offer for the 1/72nd scale aircraft modeller. There are quite a few accessories out there from refuelling sets, lots of aircraft carrier based equipment, boarding ladders and figures but when it came down to the actual bases I wasn't finding much. What I did find was usually beautifully cast in resin and started out at about $8 with prices climbing sharply from there. I was quite tempted to order a base from the U.S but then I had a thought; if I spent a little more money I could gather the materials to make dozens of my own bases. That is exactly what I'm going to try to do with the following materials:  This is a set of four coasters from Dunnes, as you can see, and they cost about €2. They're made of corkboard but that isn't really important because what I'm going to try and do can be made from a spare tile, wood, glass or basically anything with a flat surface.  36 inches of Kneadatite Green Putty ordered from eBay for about €9, including postage and packaging I should add. I'd also like to thank Steve for showing it to us, it's much better value than anything you'd buy from Games Workshop.  Last but not least a round pen and a steel ruler. My idea is to take some of the putty, roll it together and then using the pen I'll spread it out over the coaster. I'll use the ruler to impress groves into the putty to replicate concrete slabs. Once it's all dry I'll airbrush it with several shades of grey and weather it to, hopefully, simulating the look of concrete. I've already checked and the coaster will fit a 1/72nd scale aircraft kit nicely although I've only checked a few smaller aircraft such as a P-51D Mustang and an A-37B Dragonfly. I'm still not sure yet how a larger jet, like an F-15 Eagle, would look yet.
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This is going to be good Sean! Will follow this with interest...
On the bench:1/72 Airfix Gazelle conversion 1/72 Revell F-16A 1/72 Revell Ec-135 Completed BuildsIn the pipeline1/72 Revell F-14D Tomcat diorama
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I'm afraid it won't be good, not at all. I just spent the last while trying to work it but no matter what I tried I couldn't roll the putty out level, it all came out rather lumpy and refused to roll flat. Also, no matter how much water I used the putty remained very sticky and hard to work with.
All in all I made a big mess. I could try again working in small sections but I'm not confident it would work. I'm considering trying out wall or ceiling spackle as I've seen an armour modeller put it to good use before.
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I must admit, my first thought was 'fair play!' but my second thought was 'will he be able to get the putty flat?'. Maybe, maybe, putting the putty between two coasters and putting a lot of pressure on it might help? You could maybe put one coaster down, then some putty ( flattened as much as you can ), then maybe some plastic or something that will peel off the putty easily, and then the second coaster? And then put the whole lot under a very heavy weight and let gravity do its job? Either way, don't give up on it, it's great that you're even trying new things! J.
On the bench -
Revell 1:72 F-16B
Completed builds
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Coming attractions -
Eduard 1:48 Bf 110 G-4
Academy 1:72 F-22a Raptor
Tamiya 1:35 T-55a
Moebius 1:128 Seaview
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I might approach everything from a different angle. I've been thinking about getting thick card from the local Arts & Hobby store, I'll cut out a square and use it as a guide for cutting more and then attach them to the coaster using PVA glue. It seems like a simpler solution to using large amounts of putty.
Anyone have any thoughts?
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what about sandpaper sprayed to desired colour..it would give it that textured look maybe
Barry Evans
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You know I tried that once although I tried hand painting it which was pretty dumb as the brush was ruined the process. I might try again using the airbrush as it would replicate asphalt pretty well but I'd still like to try and replicate concrete slabs as it seems most airbases used concrete over asphalt.
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Get a plaster of Paris, build some sort of railing/box from cardboard, mix it, add some white/PVA glue for strength pour it in, done in a few minutes. You can sand it flat, you can use white/PVA glue to glue it on the coaster, you can scribe it...
But no matter what you do, try to enjoy it, it's all a big experiment.
Filip
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This a variation on Filip's technique. Get a picture frame with the opening the size of the base you want. Mix up some plaster or polyfilla and pour on top of the glass in the frame up to the level of the frame. Then use a straight edge to skim off the excess. Let it dry and then using the staright edge and a knife etch in your details.
OR
Just buy some plastic card and do as you were going to do do with the card from the art shop- the problem using cardboard is that it might warp.
Pat McGrath
work to become not to acquire
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Some great suggestions from Filip and Pat. Here's one I came across from ARC - it looks complicated but I really like the way he burnishes the sandpaper into the damp plaster, to give it texture. Must give it a try myself! http://www.arcair.com/tnt1/101-200/tnt131-Tarmac-Gosselin/00.shtmWhatever you do Sean, enjoy it! All the best, Dermot
On the bench:1/72 Airfix Gazelle conversion 1/72 Revell F-16A 1/72 Revell Ec-135 Completed BuildsIn the pipeline1/72 Revell F-14D Tomcat diorama
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dermo245 wrote:Some great suggestions from Filip and Pat. Here's one I came across from ARC - it looks complicated but I really like the way he burnishes the sandpaper into the damp plaster, to give it texture. Must give it a try myself! http://www.arcair.com/tnt1/101-200/tnt131-Tarmac-Gosselin/00.shtmWhatever you do Sean, enjoy it! All the best, Dermot Great link Dermot thanks
Pat McGrath work to become not to acquire
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Did you use the pen to roll out the putty? If so have you tried some thing else to roll it out. I would recommend using something like a wine bottle with wet putty between two pieces of cling film.
You can drink the contents before you start to help steady your hand!
James
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hi sean i made a base many years ago for a AFV i was doing using the Plaster/ PollyFilla idea and it worked really well for humps and bumps and pouring static grass onto so as Pat said if you have it wet enough and pour in frame using it as a mould you should have no problem except Temp is the deciding factor. do not do any in the hot summer (that we dont get any more) or in real cold or damp weather as will affect final results of curing.
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 This is the end result of experiment two which, as you can see, wasn't terribly successful but also not a complete disaster. I like this method and it just needs to be tweaked a bit to get right. It started by gluing cardstock to the coaster and then gluing sandpaper to it. If anything I'm finding this an excellent opportunity to practice with the airbrush. I'll go through some of the mistakes on this base.  # 1: After a session with the airbrush I noticed some of the sandpaper had lifted and so I took up some Citadel Badab Black to touch up the area. It resulted in this grey patches that I couldn't quite get rid of. I was going to try and blend them in a little to make them appear as oil stains. # 2: The template I used for the white stripe was rushed and not very well thought out which resulted in the visible over spray. I won't make that mistake again. # 3: A heavy pass with the airbrush left this area wet and the sandpaper just fell apart. It's very finicky to work with but I've been thinking up a plan to work around that. # 4: After it was obvious I couldn't use this base I carved this line in with my craft knife parallel to the white stripe as a, sort of, reminder not to rush. You'll notice that the white stripe and '# 5' are not in line with each other which, I believe, would've made the base look odd. # 5: I didn't place any sandpaper in this area as I was planning to add some ground work for effect. Onwards to experiment two-point-five: Some work needs to done to the coaster first. The coaster has a picture on top of it, covering this is a thin plastic film which the PVA glue doesn't adhere to very well. It's best to remove it and what I did was work my knife underneath it to pull off as much as I could. Then I took an emery board and roughed up the surface of the coaster.  Thin PVA glue was spread out over the coaster and an A5 sheet of textured cardstock was placed down on top of it. I immediately made sure the the card was flat to the coaster to avoid air bubbles or bumps forming. Then I placed some weight on the coaster and left it to dry for quite a while; my PVA seems to take ages. By the way, there's no significance to the cardstock being textured it was just readily available from the local Arts & Hobby store. But when gluing the cardstock to the coaster I used the smooth side rather than the textured side to ensure a perfect join.  After the PVA glue has completely dried I cut off the excess card stock with a knife. An Emery board comes out and the sides of the cardstock are sanded back in-line with the coaster. This is especially useful in giving the cardstock the same curve as the coaster corners. Sanding should be down gently to avoid pulling the cardstock from the coaster as PVA isn't especially strong. The next steps will involve attaching the sandpaper so I'll have some more pics in a day or so.
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All very interesting Sean....but are you having fun yet? 
Cheers Sean
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Fun, what's that then?  I am having fun, especially with the airbrush.
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Take your time airbrushing mate, Sounds like the sand paper went to shite because it was too damp. Let your paint dry between sessions, you don't always have to complete a finish in just one sitting. ..& make sure your paint is a milky texture & not like running water Hope this helps 
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 I've attached the sandpaper using the same method as the cardstock above, sliced off the excess and sanded down the edges. Again it has to all be done gently, especially with the sandpaper. Earlier I gave the sandpaper three coats of future, the new formula, to seal it in. The granules on the sandpaper come off easily but the future helps to hold them down. It'll hopefully go a little ways to protecting the paper from moisture as well, as such I sprayed it along the four edges of the coaster where the cardstock and sandpaper would be a little frayed from the sanding. I'll let it dry overnight and give it a lick of paint tomorrow. I'm also trying out a method for concrete, it's shaping up well. :)
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Use 'wet and dry' sandpaper. It usualy have grey or black grains and you can soak it in the bucket full of water without any problems.
Nice work and great fun, I'd say.
Filip
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Hi Sean, very interesting work but it does seem you may be a little heavy handed with the amount moisture you're applying to your surfaces be that in the form of paint from the airbrush, white glue and Future. I know you say that you've applied pressure to removed air bubbles but from the photos I can see wrinkles on the surface which usually suggests the paper has got too wet. I have a couple of products to recommend to you that I have used for bases and for artwork at college. Both of which will be available to you at your local art shop. First up is Spray Mount which is essentially spray glue. Pricey but a good product. Spray it on the back of the card/sand paper, not too close, and not heavy but covering the entire area. Make sure you spray outside as it stinks and leaves the surrounding floor or workspace very sticky. It'll dry pretty quick but will give you enough time to lift and reposition if you're not happy about it. Even when it dries it comes off nicely.  The next is a Fixative spray which is used to prevent the loss of fine particles on pastel, charcoal or graphite drawings but will do the trick for the sandpaper. Spray at a distance and build up the layers so as not to cause any wrinkles. You'll also see Fixative for sealing in ink-jet prints and they also might do the job but I'd stick with the ones designed for drawings. Check the brand and make sure you opt for the matt finish. A cheap alternative for cash strapped artists is to use hair spray. I haven't used it myself but I know artists who do and it works. It also makes their artwork smell nice... if you like the smell of hair spray that is which I kinda do as it brings me back to certain places. Ahhh!  HTH Vinny
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."-Albert Einstein
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