Im trying to come up a way to replicate the smooth black spall liner found in the Buffalo A1 that has the wrinkles at the top and in the corners.I have the Wings and Wheels reference book, which has great photos, but I’m not sure the best method to do this. Would tissue paper be my best bet? Thank you everyone.

Austin,
I have the same problem with the Panda Hobby Maxxpro kit that I am reviewing right now. I am about to post an update here shortly with pictures of what I did, but in short, I used Milliput to simulate the liner.

Hi Austin, I have the Buffalo MPCV WWP book too and have just taken a look. As Pete says I think rolled Milliput is probably your best bet but there's a skill to that. As an alternative, thick aluminium foil (from Pie Cartons) is another more straightforward option - there's an excellent article on how to use this readily available material in this month's Military Modelling magazine (Vol 48 No.2 2018)

Pete,
I’m very impressed with your work so far. I may have to borrow a few techniques and ideas from you. I’ve never played with Milliput yet, but it looks like I may have something to keep me busy this weekend. I’m guessing it’s similar to a 2 part epoxy? Did you put it directly on the styrene or shape it first then place it? Thanks again.

I think I’m going to give the milliput a shot, at least in the areas that will be visible, and if things start going downhill, I’ll probably switch to the aluminum pans (picked some up today just in case). I’m down here in the middle of nowhere right now but I’ll see if I can order that magazine issue tonight. Thank you as well for your help.

In my research I've found many types of spall liner in the Buffalo. Sometimes it is a foam liner, almost like construction foam. I have photos where it was installed with two sided tape. I also have photos of actual insulation foam installed as a final layer in Maxx Pros. Pete's Maxx Pro build is very nice, but the liner may not represent what you'd find in most Buffalos.
The below photos show two types of liner commonly found in the Buffalo - the black side panels, and the grey quilted roof panels. The quilted type can also appear on the sides, and in either grey or black.





The quilted liner is very easy to replicate:
Find quilted tissue or paper towel, wet it with a solution of water and white glue, and let dry. Then simply glue to thin pieces of foam. Rewetting the tissue will help it settle onto the foam quite nicely, and you can shape it with small wrinkles if you like.

You may want my Buffalo walk around, which contains 546 photos of ALL Buffalos that can be found in kit form, and were used in designing the kits going back to the original Vajra resin version. at $16 it's a steal - arrives the same day you pay, no tax, no postage, no pages to fall out, and far more photos than any publication available.
Same can be said for RG-31 and RG-33 series (just added over 200 photos to that one) Maxx Pro, Stryker and Cougar walk arounds.

Maxx Pro photo added for reference:

Yes, Milliput is a two part epoxy putty. You can use any other brand. Some guys even use an automotive two part epoxy putty. I stuck it directly to the plastic and used my finger dipped in water to smooth it out. Once almost dry, I took my X-Acto and addded details and such.

As far as Roberts CD's, definitely a must and way cheaper than the reference books. No word, just tons of shots with the modeler in mind.

If I may suggest an alternative to Milliput for this application, Kneadatite.

It's another 2-part epoxy putty, sold in a ribbon of yellow and blue joined strips. You cut an equal length of both, mix until evenly green and then roll out between two sheets of plastic.

I suggest this over Milliput because it is less tacky than Milliput. The low tack eases the removal of the sheet from between the two sheets of plastic, which usually requires that the plastic be dusted with talc or something similar otherwise the epoxy putty sticks and is hard to remove as a sheet.

Also, the working time of the Milliput is a shorter than the Kneadatite and the Kneadatite retains a certain flexibility even when cured that is useful in things like soft goods, figures and liners.

You can also get better results by letting the putty (of any kind) set up a bit before trying to remove it from the reasonably heavy plastic sheets (and polyethylene sheets are better than styrene or cling film sheets). Its a pretty fine point where the thin sheet of putty releases from the plastic and yet is still flexible and tacky enough to actually form what you want to make. This is where the longer working time of the Kneadatite really comes in handy. The Milliput can kick over and go too hard too fast, not allowing you the time to do what you need.

The key thing with this is that, like everything else, its a skill that takes some practice and adjusting what anyone tells you to how _you_ work best. You'll probably bugger up the first few attempts, but it does result on good sheet goods and is a great way to make realistically draped tarps and bedrolls in addition to spall liners.

HTH

Paul