Material recommendations for a winter scene

Not sure if this helps, but I cam across this site;

http://www.coastmans.com/

For snow on vehicles I use hairspray ( semi gloss ) and artificial snow. Woodland Scenic

I took 1/ 4 of the snow , mixed it with glue , spread flat. dried and then broken so I have chunks of snow and ice. Some of these are tinted blue and green with wash.( Oil)

I mask off an area ( example wheel ) spray hair spray and dump on the artificial snow..wait..lightly tap off excess and viola a light puffy snow ball. Held together by hairspray and static electricity. 

For packed on stuff I use white puddy, wash it light blue/ green( oil paint ) add chunks of artificial snow or any debris and then top with layers of artificial snow. Adding rocks, grass, mud stains, twig as I go.

For tank dusting ( or wind accumalation ) I use a  custom Solveset mix in airbrush with a fan.

The only problem with this is that you can't spray sealer on any of  it. So It would be last step stuff like road dusting. Sealer will turn it grey and icy. You can't even touch due to oils on your fingers. Shouldn't be touching anyway...extremely delicate step in a build is snow.

The reason I say paint the packed stuff with a light blue wash and then top. The blue/green gives it depth and shine and the snow doesn't get lost in the shadows and just looking like white mud or something. You won't even really see the blue or green...it will be just a glow.

This method is great for snow banks.

And keep it semi glossy ( hence the hairspray..not to mention it's long working time, it bubbles creating texture and general stickiness ) snow is wet and shiny.

I was also able to puff up the artificial snow even more by putting it into a paint mixer.

Good luck and happy snowing. Show pics. I wish I could but I don't have snow ones here

What would be a good substance to use, to replicate snow packed up on the underside or in the wheels of a Sherman tank?

Are you in the US? If so Hobby Lobby has a very large selection of dried floral items that are perfect for such a dio. 

milwaukeejohn

THANKS for the link to Diodump.  There are several products that look fantastic.

 

You will like DioDump. I ordered their 1/35 "North African Ruin" for my current project, and its quality is excellent. They recommended the resin version rather than the plaster, as it was more likely to survive overseas shipping. Prices are VERY reasonable, about $15 for the resin ruin, and with standard postage, the total was about $25. Took just two weeks to arrive from the Netherlands to the U.S.

THANKS for the link to Diodump.  There are several products that look fantastic.

No worries and let me know what you think of those trees.

Yeah, I've seen those kits. I might order one or two together with the pine branches. They have a tutorial video on how to make actual trees out of them and the end result looks stunning.

Thanks again for the link!

Ye, 35th. They do some nice fir tree kits as well, planning on getting a couple of those as they don't seem to easy to build myself. Nice company to deal with.

Is that Panzerwerfer in 1/35 scale? Those branches seem to be pretty much the perfect size.

I used some of those pine branches on my Panzerwerfer.

Tom: Thanks for the link. They really do have some nice stuff. I already spotted some tall grass I can use for this scene.

Bish: Those pine branches look very good. I'm definitely going to order a pack or two. Their "field weed" also looks gorgeous. Thanks!

Here is that link i promised but completly forgot about. They are called Scenic factory and i have got some nice stuff from there.

http://www.thescenicfactory.com/category_s/1940.htm

check out www.scenicexpress.com . They specialize in scenery materials for model railroads and have really good stuff. They have lots of choices for trees, both "kit" and premade, all kinds of ground cover materials and pretty much everything else. I've used their stuff a lot on the "monster in the basement", and recommend them highly.

Tom

Hogfan: Thanks, that company's products look like they're worth a try.

Bish: I don't mind ordering things overseas, so I'm definitely interested in that link. Good looking conifer branches seem to be pretty hard to find...

Keav: That snow looks really nice. I'm definitely going to check this stuff out.

Microbaloons are nice for modeling snow

Clemens, when i was looking for conifer branches a couple of years back, the only success was in the US, i could not find anything in the UK or Europe. I can't recall the name of it, i'll post the link tonight.

As far as the snow effects, a UK based company called Precision Ice and Snow has a good selection.

SS,

Check out this site: Here

I have not purchased from them yet, so, I don't know how their customer service is. But, they have a lot of cool offerings, including snow. Big plus, they are your side of the pond too. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply.

Not using edible things is a good point. I suppose those materials would also change their look after a while, which isn't really somehting I want to happen either.

I think I should clarify that I don't live in the US, so store recommendations won't be of much use to me unfortunately.

I'm more interested in brand or products you guys have had experience with so I can shop around for those locally and online.

Try searching around at "Michael's" or "Joanne's" or places like that. Closer to Christmas there may be cheap ornaments at CVS that you can butcher.

One rule of my own- never use anything edible on a diorama like herbs or spices. Mice and rats will kill you.