A couple of custom tips

[pickelhaube]

The helpful hints post looks like it died on the vine.

Here are a couple.

I was leafing through a Fine Scale Modeler magazine and I saw a tip on barbed wire.

Cut strips on a mosquito screen. Kind of like a railroad cut in half length wise.The screen squares could be a little small for our beloved 1/18 scale . But if you get some nail clippers and cut every other barb it should be fine.

Get 2 strands and twist them together just like real barbed wire. Making sure the barbs are lined up.

Second tip ( this is mine ) use zip locks to make geared tooth surfaces. Something like the gears on a turret ring or gears in a hand crank.

[Jnewboy]

Maybe you could help me, I am at a loss on how to make diamond plate for the base of a flak truck, its used in industrial settings to make surfaces less slippery but I do not know how to recreate it in 1/18 or 1/16. Help Pickel Help!

[ram04]

Try this place, do a search for diamond plate, seems they have different scales.

www.oakridgehobbies.com/...

[Jnewboy]

Try this place, do a search for diamond plate, seems they have different scales.

http://www.oakridgehobbies.com/...

Awesome! Thanks brother!

[ram04]

No problem , I was at the local hobby shop last week and they had it there, but for the life of me I can't remember the brand , I even picked it up thinking what I could use it for

[kduck]

Too bad the FSM tip database doesn't go way back. I contributed a tip back around 1989 that was published. I've since refined it a little but basically it is a super cheap way to make cobblestone or brick road, sidewalk and wall surfaces. You take a piece of thick card like what you find on the back of a legal pad or spiral notebook. You cut it to whatever size and shape you want and then draw your design on it with a pencil, either freehand or using a ruler, compass etc. After you draw the design you take a ballpoint pen (or whatever you might find that's suitable) and go over your design pressing down hard enough to indent the design in the card. To be honest that part can make your fingers a bit sore and crampy but IMO it's worth it. After that paint it and you're done. Painting your surface doesn't take a lot of skill either. You can just paint the whole thing a single color and then give it a wash of whatever color you want and get pretty good results. This also works for many different scales. I originally used it in 1:35 scale and I've used it down to 1:48 scale and all the way up to 1:6 scale.

I use this technique combined with small painted wooden bases to create single figure display bases for 1:6 figures. The base pictured below is a simple one I made in just a few hours (not counting the drying time for the spray paint). Change the size of the design and it could just as easily work for 1:18 figures. The best part is that it was super cheap. The blank 4"X4" wood base can be found at Michael's arts and crafts stores for $0.50 each. Hobby Lobby carries them also but they're just a little more expensive. They can also be found in other shapes and sizes for the same price or a little more. A can of Color Place gloss black spray paint can be found at Wal Mart for about $1. You can probably find a piece of thick card and a ballpoint pen somewhere around the house. I'm assuming that you already have paints but if not check the craft section at WM. The have some decent brushes and paints there for very low prices.

[PanzerArm]

No problem , I was at the local hobby shop last week and they had it there, but for the life of me I can't remember the brand , I even picked it up thinking what I could use it for

Was it Plastruct?

[grockwood]

Wow nice job on the display kduck. Thanks for the tip.