do u think i can use regular old sand from the beach to represent the sands of normandy minus blood ? and also u couldn't find M18 hellcat on the beaches of normandy could you?

Some will tell you regular sand is out of scale for 1/35 but myself i cant tell any difference but you might sift it to get it as fine as possible. I cant answer youre hellcat question but if you get know response here ask in the armour forumn but some one should ansewer here.

Sift it thru a nylon stocking. I do that all the time over thin water and white glue and I like the way it turns out. Sometimes, I'll run it thru the stocking two or three times. The larger 'chunks' can be used elsewhere.... throw none of it away.

Actually, I scoop up a canister of sand and or dirt from just about every place I travel to. I even have a film canister of sand from Omaha Beach and I'm going to use that some day on a D-Day vignette. That one canister sifted will last a long time too.

(I like to sniff my sand collection from the Caribbean every once in awhile too.... especially at this time of year...