How to build

[dahut]

I have a solid base piece of teak and want a cheap and basic way to do a tarmac display base for 1/72 aircraft. Something along the lines of a cardboard tarmac impressed with details is what Im after.

Ive heard of this and have never really looked into it. As I understand it, you take the paper board from the back of a notepad and impress/score it with a burnisher to create the surface details.

How do you finish it?

What are some of the subtleties of this technique I should know?

[OzH]

I have a solid base piece of teak and want a cheap and basic way to do a tarmac display base for 1/72 aircraft. Something along the lines of a cardboard tarmac impressed with details is what Im after.

Ive heard of this and have never really looked into it. As I understand it, you take the paper board from the back of a notepad and impress/score it with a burnisher to create the surface details.

How do you finish it?

What are some of the subtleties of this technique I should know?

If you just want plane tarmat you could try some fine grade wet and dry, easy to weather using pastals and a bit of oil

If you do, only use minimal amount of glue.

Worked for me

[periklis_sale]

.........or use double sided tape to tape it down. Also in Hobbycraft i found paint in a tube to write and paint on glasses. The top of the tub is like a cone so you have control of the flow and also it is thick to create a 3d effect....fantastic to creat the tar between the concrete blocks!!!!!

see my latest photos of the A-7 to see the base!

[united4ever]

Try this http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/TnT_...splay_Bases.htm . Good website by the way

[Leigh]

I do this frequently, cardboard from a kit box top is great you want the thin grey kind. Glue it down with watered white glue bung a book on top leave overnight. Burnish tarmac lines with a knitting needle, back of scissors, punch etc and a ruler. Then I freehand in the line with a with some thinned black/dark grey paint. Add stains by letting drops of dirty thinners, thin wash etc come off a brush from various heights. Then either random sweeps with various spray cans, greys, white even blues sometimes and/or just rub in different coloured chalk powders with your finger. Easy peasy real Blue Peter stuff. That's how I did the tarmac on my my photo base that you see here

[Ponti]

How do you finish it?

What are some of the subtleties of this technique I should know?

Great question.

I do this frequently, cardboard from a kit box top is great you want the thin grey kind. Glue it down with watered white glue bung a book on top leave overnight. Burnish tarmac lines with a knitting needle, back of scissors, punch etc and a ruler. Then I freehand in the line with a with some thinned black/dark grey paint. Add stains by letting drops of dirty thinners, thin wash etc come off a brush from various heights. Then either random sweeps with various spray cans, greys, white even blues sometimes and/or just rub in different coloured chalk powders with your finger. Easy peasy real Blue Peter stuff. That's how I did the tarmac on my my photo base that you see here

Brilliant answer

[MikeC]

I do this frequently, cardboard from a kit box top is great you want the thin grey kind. Glue it down with watered white glue bung a book on top leave overnight. Burnish tarmac lines with a knitting needle, back of scissors, punch etc and a ruler. Then I freehand in the line with a with some thinned black/dark grey paint. Add stains by letting drops of dirty thinners, thin wash etc come off a brush from various heights. Then either random sweeps with various spray cans, greys, white even blues sometimes and/or just rub in different coloured chalk powders with your finger. Easy peasy real Blue Peter stuff. That's how I did the tarmac on my my photo base that you see here

Great work, excellent representation, but of concrete ...

Nice take on the Bucc as well.

Edited May 13, 2008 by MikeC

[Leigh]

Great work, excellent representation, but of concrete ...

Yes sir you are correct, my mistake.

But getting back to tarmac and continuing in the Blue Peter mode, here's one I built the other day for my KV-1. Started with a photo frame filled with a thin mixture of Durhams water putty. This is a wonder product we have out here in the States, just a water based plaster/concrete you mix up. Dries rock hard, but depending on how much water you use you can get a long window to work with it, and you can sculpt it if you catch it before it cures fully, very useful. Just slapped some thinned Ceramcoat paint all over to cover up the Durhams natural yellow colour.

Ceramcoat is an Acrylic paint they sell here in craft stores and comes in about 200 colours. Very akin to poster paints you used at school and I believe was developed as a ceramics glaze. Very useful stuff and dirt cheap. Thin it with water and it's great for these kinds of washes, I know a guy who uses it to weather his armour.

Anyway slapped a whole bunch on thick and wet, in various colours.

Then just took a small wet square of a kitchen sponge, smeared and dabbed, repeat if neccessary till you're happy, the ceramcoat dries in about fifteen minutes. don't see any reason why this method wouldn't work on a cardboard type base described earlier. Depending on the colours you use you can replicate any kind of surface I've used the same method for concrete, earth and sand too.

[TommiN]

That looks good Leigh

[AnonymousDFB1]

very informative thread, thanks