Greenstuffing sand channels

[Novista]

Alright all.
Basically i'd like to get on with casting my own bits, nobody supplies what i'm after atm and eventually one day i'd like to get on to producing terrain. Baby steps to begin though.

After seeing somebodys sig, i think it's warhounds "i can do that" i realised i'd found somewhere i fancied mooching about, about a year ago when i took the step to converting some bits, i had that same epiphany, that yes, i can reproduce stuff, scratchdbuilding, greenstuffing, and if you can't do it somebody most probably has and there's pics on the net.

So i'd like to greenstuff a sand channel for some 15mm vehicles, namely some zvezda Opel Blitzs 1/100 scale and if i can get that down i'll try casting some. I've got some Battlefront caste shorter ones but i need them to be longer.

Any tips appreciated, i hope that waffle makes sense, cheers.

si.

[Munkey Joe]

im assuming your looking at something like these....



Im new to 15mm models (im doing late war Russians BTW) but I would think your best bet would be to lengthen the already made model (splice 2 together) for your length and then cast from there.

If you uninterested in that idea look to stryene and lastly to green stuff. I think your resulyts would be better in that order because the original looks like it was styrene.

As far as casting thats the easy part. a GS push mold or even Resin pressure cast will give you your desired results. Here is MadCowCrazies videos on how to make a better GS pushmold using instant mold and it works GREAT. Im using this method for my Red Scorpion shoulderpads

[Novista]

Cheers for the heads up MJ, splicing two together and cutting down had crossed my mind (thought it might be cheeky though, plus i'm willing to learn). Please excuse my ignorance the styrene you're refering to, is it plasticard? Didn't realise you could use greenstuff to cast with, i need to make about twenty of them, cheers for the link. I'll digest it later.

P.S. I've got a pair of those Rolls Royces.

[mangozac]

"Styrene" (or more accurately High Impact PolyStyrene, or HIPS) is the proper name for "plasticard"

I second the suggestion to use styrene to create a new piece - while splicing might work it would be difficult to the the alignment perfect. I'm picturing three strips of styrene, probably 0.75mm thickness. Drill the holes in them, then glue together at the required angles.

Pressmoulding with instant mould and greenstuff would indeed probably work quite well for something so simple. Unless you're keen to start learning how to do silicone moulds and resin casting

[paulson games]

A while back I picked up a punch and die set from micromark, which works incredibly well for making rivets and also punching holes in styrene.

http://www.micromark.com/micro-punch-set,8603.html

These would make for a pretty simple project, just time consuming as you'd need to punch each hole individually. You could eaily build the tracks to whatever length you need. You may need to layer more than one piece of styryene to get the right thickness.

I've used my die set to make tons of rivets and do cut outs for laser barrels or sensors etc.

[mangozac]

[Novista]

Cheers guys, i see it was your sig mangozac.
Making them out of styrene, sounds good, i can drill the holes with my pin vice and i think i've got some card that size, if not i'll source some, the only prob i can envisage is getting the strength of the joins at that size, to put up with the pressure i'm going to exert on the instant mold. Or am i worrying too much, if it breaks i can always use another method. I'm going to order some instant mold tomorrow and pop down the lego shop today.

[mangozac]

What glue do you use? I'd probably be inclined to use a good gap filling super glue as opposed to styrene cement. The styrene cement will struggle to maintain the bond with such a small surface area. The super glue should provide plenty of strength for the instant-moulding forces.

[Novista]

Just a cheap poundshop (not sure if they've got dollarstore in oz?) superglue, can you point me towards a filler one?

Edit. Aha, i just popped over to antenocitti's to take a look at there molded styrene, i need some for the beds of the blitzs thought i can always get some more .75mm card as well. And they have different types of a product called fillaglu

Medium (MV) - Viscosity 1000 CPS
Approximate setting time - 5-10 seconds (Depends on materials)

High (HV) - Viscosity 2500 CPS
Approximate setting time - 10-20 seconds (Depends on materials)

Which would make the most sense? I actually bought some instaset from GF9 last week, so setting time shouldn't be a problem.

[Arkangel]

I use 'ZAp-a-Gap' with 'Zip Kicker'. Both can be bought in the UK from any where like the chain store 'Model Zone' if you cvant find an indepenadant. Try steam train/hobby/model shops etc I've used Zap-a-Gap since I put on to it by friend and it lasts.
I've just replaced a medium sized bottle I've had for a couple of years and I have A LOT of FW/GW stuff that's put together with it.
Plus using the Zip Kicker accelerant makes filling gaps and just general putting stuff together so much quicker and easier. Using the accelerant makes putting kits like the Storm Eagle or any kit that's half plastic half resin soooo much easier. Just add pins

Rubber bands, or sitting there holding it together while you watch a whole episode of GOT or whatever are a thing of the past

[mangozac]

Yeah we have "$2" shops here

I like a high viscosity (thick) super glue. There are times when a thinner one would be better though, as it will "wick" into place more. Antenocitis only sell quality stuff so I'd be happy to try theirs. I have no idea how the viscosities translate so maybe just go for the medium?

[Lane]

[Novista]

Cheers for all the advice guys, i've got a local modelzone so i might have a look in there depending on how i go about ordering, i'm not sure if antenocittis do free p&p over £10, and i need to get that planked card, so sourcing from one place will probably be my cheapest bet.

@ lane, being the uninitiated that i am what is "form" apart from previous convictions? Not that i've ever tried heating card, how would i?
Also i think the size/dimensions of the piece i'm making will make it difficult, but obviously i have no experience.
cheers.

[Arkangel]

Model zone also sell all the Ever green plasticard/styrene too buddy so all the flat/thin/angled stuff you'd need plus your glue all under one roof. And price wise I've found them very competitive. You'll also find a large range of Woodland Scenic products on sale in there to for all your fake snow/water effect and plaster rock mould making needs

[mangozac]

A form as suggested is a piece giving the profile of the finished part, as done in vacuum forming (see ). So in this case it would be a .

Personally I wouldn't be too keen on doing it that way. I just can't see the result having sharp enough corners. Also, drilling would be slightly harder on a part that's already formed to shape (rather than on flat pieces of styrene). I imagine a heat gun would be used to heat the styrene?

There you go it sounds like you can get the styrene from Model Zone then. Evergreen brand is relatively expensive (at least here in Oz), but unless you're on a super tight budget it's not going to break the bank