Hi all,

I want to sandbag my Sherman. But, buying all the sandbags would be very very very expensive.

Any ideas on how to make light weight sandbags myself?

Martin

Buy a metre of lightweight cotton and get some kind soul with a sowing machine to make them up and fill with sand, if sand is too heavy try lightweight foam.

Well...

There are the resin ones from Shaun in the UK... http://www.hammerhelm.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

And the ones at Build-a-Rama in the US... http://www.Build-A-Rama.com

And at Axel Modelbau Shop... http://www.axels-modellbau-shop.de/katalog/

A way to 'cheat is to hide most 'em! Use wood-plank sides (popsicle sticks) , and only fill the top edge with bags. For the glacis, put the shelf across the nose between the fenders, stack some ration boxes, a roadwheel, and some spare tracks there (and any other stowage like a few duffel bags or packs), and you don't need many bags there at all...

Or can really DIY by getting some cotton (or a scrap of denim from an old pair of jeans) and using wads of air-dry modelling putty, using the cotton to 'texture' the surface. Stack in place on the hull, let dry, and then paint. Your wife may be able to show you how to make cheap 'play-doh' with water, flour and a few things, and when sealed right, is as good as modelling clay.

I bought a plaster-cast 'nose' set for my Sherman, and it was not well designed at all (was NOT Shauns) It was two partial side-pieces and a glacis piece that were supposed to fit together, and didn't come remotely close.

I can send pics if you want it cheap...

WhiteWolf

Hehe sorry, not married yet.......18 years old and a bit young for that

Anyway buying the sandbags is a bit too expensive....about 20 euros for 10 sandbags.....I'd rather try to make them myself first.

So I am looking for a way to make not too heavy sandbags (otherwise I could make 'em out of clay and bandage/cotton).

Martin

Quite simple actually...

Since 1/16 sandbags are small enough that you won't see the grain in the fabric, pick up some Sculply clay at your local art store, fashion them into sandbags, and apply them to your tank. Once you're happy with the results, carefully remove them and bake them. Once they've hardened, sand, paint, and weather accordingly, and attach them to the model.

I've done this with 1/35 sandbags, and it's worked quite well.

Jeff

How about Tea bags? (++) (++) (++) (++)

Hey Martin!

I've tried those pre-made sandbags and they're not all what you would expect. They don't lay like what a real sandbag would look like and each bag isn't made the same way. For the money envolved there's alot of work yet left to do.

I guess when you compare them to the real photos you kinda expect the same. If I do another project with sandbags I'll make my own.


Jeff

Isn't this way too heavy? I mean the tank still has got to be able to move





LOL please explain :-)

Guys...

If you're going to make a comment about a supplier's product, please have the courage to say who you bought it from. I only omitted the name of my seller as it was an eBay purchase, and the seller is a private operation and not posting his items any more.

Martin:

If you google homemade playdough you'll get loads of Do-It-Yourself recipies, with varying measurements. Some require cooking, some don't. Here are a few no-cook ones I googled up:

4.0 cups flour, 0.25 cup salt, 1.5 cups water, 1 tsp oil.
Mix together flour & salt. Mix water & oil. Gradually stir the water & oil mix into the flour mix. Knead the mix as you add the liquid. Add more water if too stiff, more flour if sticky.

1.5 cups flour, 0.75 cup salt, 0.75 cup water. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Knead into a ball. Add more flour if dough is sticky, or water if it’s crumbly and dry.

Why the second uses more salt and less flour, I don't know... perhaps to make it last longer. If you're going to dry it, thats not really a factor unless you don't use all the mix.

This site has a few recipies, cook and no-cook: http://www.creativekidsathome.com/activities/activity_8.html

Note: These can be baked or left to air-dry but may take a few days to air-dry. Make sure to use a sealer on them before you paint, as the porous surface will soak up paints.

Also, if you're applying it in place to a hull to shape, I'd advise using an unpainted hull with general fittings in place, and brushed with oil. If you've already painted it, dusted with flour should avoid having the bags stick to the model.

The Build-a-Rama ones are rather good, but according to references online, are too large.

I may give making my own a shot... as flour, salt and cooking oil are fairly cheap.

Jeff:

I'm not sure 1/16 is small enough to loose the texturing... you'll loose some of the texture when you paint 'em besides. Desides, the faint texture looks good. Teabags are too coarsely woven, and WAY too big (even buigger than the BaR ones.

WhiteWolf

I believe it has nothing to do with courage and more to do about respect. I was merely stating an opinion about actually having used them. It wasn't about one manufacturer, but those 'type' of sandbags.


Jeff

Hi

I found a web site that sales 1/16 sand bags
The part # zuh 11 sales for $19.00 there are 8 bags
They sale all 1/16 stuff
Here is the site www.etoarmor.com

Hope this helps

I guess I'm not clear on what I'm trying to achieve with this thread. Let me quote myself (from my first post in this thread)




So, I do not want to buy sandbags, I want to make them myself.

Martin

Martin, I understand where you're coming from on this one. Take a look in a toy or craft store for one of those packs of SELF-HARDENING (air-drying) modelling clay. It only costs a few €uros.

Start with uniform rectangles (more or less to size) and flatten them into a rough, 'sandbag' shape. To make them easier to work with, use a brush with plenty of water and start applying them to the vehicle (while they are still damp) they are easy to position . Run a knife blade along the middlle to form seams. To texture/roughen the surface, use an old toothbrush and gently 'stipple the surface until it begins to roughen. Leave them overnight but beforehand add any ropes you might want to tie them on with. Once everything is dry, seal them with varnish and leave to set...

It takes a lot of trial and error, but it's quick and VERY effective...Jim

Ok but what I'm affraid of with clay is that they may be too heavy. After all it's for a radio controlled model which still needs to be able to climb a hill

Maybe there is also light weight clay (or is yours light weight already?)

Thanks,
Martin

When it dries, it becomes very light..Jim

Hey Martin;

I don't think the clay will weight more than a battery pack. Some guys pull the stock speaker housing out to make more room for an aditional battery, then just glue in a raw speaker under the engine deck.

If you can find someone with a sewing machine, sew some bag patterns, cut them out and invert them ... fill with a light sand or fine salt, but loosely so that the bag can conform to how you want it stacked. Glue them in using rubber cement, this way if you change your mind later it will rub right off the paint and not damage it. Use fabric glue for where the bags make contact.

I would find a fabric that isn't very stiff and of course weather/paint it how you want it to look.

The clay might be the better approach if your comfortable working with it but I woudn't worry about it being too heavy. If your using the stock motors and gearbox, the Sherman needs to be slowed down just a little anyway!

Well, it's getting late! Later!


Jeff

Well I've got a pack of moddeling paste.....weights quite a lot. Is there a diffence in moddeling paste and clay?

Thanks for all the help and patience

Martin