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how would you suggest making debris

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  • Member since
    June 2006
how would you suggest making debris
Posted by Tankluver on Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:16 AM

Hi all I am building a diorama. I have a hetzer hidden in an ambush position inside of a house with a 234 pakwagen on the main street shooting down the road. The houses corner is blown out; What is the best way to make debris? I had the idea of taking putty and making clumps and then adding noticeable parts into that, would this work? 

  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Adelaide, South Australia
Posted by somenewguy on Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:50 AM

When you say debris do you mean the rubble caused by the houses' corner being taken out? Get some plaster of Paris, pour it into an empty ice-cream container (but make sure that the depth is no deeper than the thickness of your houses walls), allow it to cure for 24 hours and smash it up with a hammer. Make sure you have both largish rock-like bits and lots of small bits halfway to powder, and everything in between.

Make sure to add other bits and pieces that would've been damaged by the artillery into the rubble, like eves, window sills, photos/frames roof sections!? Not sure what you mean with using the putty. That might work also. Do a dry run with it, but not on your good diorama base.

HTHWink

At the end of the day one's work may be completed but one's education never!
  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Central Florida
Posted by plasticjunkie on Monday, February 14, 2011 8:36 PM

Kitty litter makes good rubble too.

 GIFMaker.org_jy_Ayj_O

 

 

Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Edmonton, Alberta
Posted by Griffin on Monday, February 14, 2011 10:13 PM

You could also cut up pieces of sprue and paint/weather appropriately. I used to do this for Warhammer 40K.

  • Member since
    October 2009
  • From: SURREY ,B.C.
Posted by krow113 on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 12:09 AM

Try to use a number of different materials ,avoiding a 'planned' look.

Thank you ,Krow113

  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: Mebane, NC
Posted by CripesAMighty on Monday, June 6, 2011 7:30 PM

I've used the cheap clay flower pots. Just break it, throw some pieces in a ziploc bag and then smash into smaller pieces with a hammer. Mix with some kitty litter and you've got great looking debris. Maybe add some wood pieces to replicate beams and framing...

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Allentown, PA
Posted by BaBill212 on Monday, June 6, 2011 7:44 PM

All excellent suggestions,, and I have used a number of them.

One of the easiest is Cripes method. I would add one more ingredient - - once you have a nice smashed stash,,  blend a little water and pastel or pigment coloring and mix it all up while still in the bag. The color should reflect the surrounding scene (i.e., building or ground). Once you have the rubble colored you can pour out onto some newspaper for drying,,,  and,,, apply where needed.

Best of luck with it

Enjoy the ride!

 

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Washington, DC
Adding to CripesAMighty’s suggestion about making debris from clay pots
Posted by TomZ2 on Monday, June 6, 2011 11:21 PM

Just beyond my field of vision as I type this is a wall made of used brick. The sales propaganda claimed “used brick gives a wall character that is difficult to achieve with new materials.” Does that give you any hints?

I call it “micro-color”. Do anything you can to avoid the monochrome.

If you want to “gussy up your “brick rubble”, paint your clay pot first (several layers of different hues, your remaining wall color last) then pulverize it in a bag.

Occasional factual, grammatical, or spelling variations are inherent to this thesis and should not be considered as defects, as they enhance the individuality and character of this document.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 1:19 AM

I just had a thought...  now, slap me if I'm being stupid.

Use the icecream tub idea, right, use something like celluclay or something like that, make the basic form of your house or whatever it is you need rubble for.  Mark off the spots where the damage is on the outside, drill alittle hole... and go old school.  Put a small fire cracker, something very small, and blow a hole (with the lid on) there you go, all your rubbel inside the ice cream container, and it looks like it was blown appart from a shell cause it was

 

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Washington, DC
Adding to Smeagol the Vile’s Suggestion About Firecrackers
Posted by TomZ2 on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 1:54 PM

smeagol the vile

I just had a thought...  now, slap me if I'm being stupid.

Watch Mythbusters much, Smeagol? Your bomb-in-an-ice-cream-tub idea might have some validity, but if one were to decide to blow up some proto-rubble, one should opt for black powder (which one can measure precisely) vice firecrackers (which are illegal in the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — check local ordinances). Darn! It’s been too many years since I last blew something up (deliberately).

Tags: firecrackers

Occasional factual, grammatical, or spelling variations are inherent to this thesis and should not be considered as defects, as they enhance the individuality and character of this document.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 5:36 PM

Ah well, I was never one for blowing things up, it was just an idea, if black powder works better, by all means.  I would actually like to see something try this.  I attempted something simliar with celluclay to make cracks in and broken sidewalks by getting thin bits of celluclay meant for the sidewalk, cut it into the uniform blocks, then throwing it against a tile floor, it didn't work as well as I would have liked.

 

  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Washington, DC
Posted by TomZ2 on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 7:15 PM

smeagol the vile

…then throwing it against a tile floor, it didn’t work as well as I would have liked.

I’m not knocking your idea. It might even work. (The blast tattoos should be ferocious!) I wish I had a nickle for every experiment… (I’d have a lot more nickles.) My latest screw-up: attempting to sculpt some 1:144 Jerry cans in Milliput. (I would’ve done better using the result as rubble.)

Thomas Alva Edison

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

Occasional factual, grammatical, or spelling variations are inherent to this thesis and should not be considered as defects, as they enhance the individuality and character of this document.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 7:40 PM

oh I know your not knocking it, I hope someone tries it, actually, to see if it works.

 

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