Had an idea for a new scene utilizing a Sherman and 2.5ton 6x6 truck. I envision the scene on thick snow with the vehicle tracks visible in the snow.

Can anyone suggest a good way to portray deepish snow in a diorama? Anyone done this before? Far too complicated?

Lucas Freeman
Brunswick, Maine

Doppler, I never tried to simmulate snow before, but I too soon will. After looking in several places, the best stuff I came across is this from HO scale modelers. If you are near a hobby store that carries a line of trains, they should have this stuff.
I hope this helps.
Alot of cool stuff comes from our neighbors garage.

Soft Flake Snow
In response to popular demand, Woodland Scenics has developed a realistic, easy-to-use snow product that can turn any layout into a winter wonderland. Available only in Woodland Scenics new 32 vol. oz. Shakers, Soft Flake Snow can be applied as a light dusting or built up in windswept drifts. Because of its versatile composition, modelers can bond Soft Flake to their layout with either Scenic Cement or Flex Paste. Soft Flake is so easy to use that it can be added to a new layout or sifted onto layouts that are already landscaped. Its fine consistency allows modelers to create incredible winter scenes with just a few shakes. Whether a modeler wants a light covering or heavy drifts, Soft Flake will give them the detail and realism they expect from Woodland Scenics.

Hi Doppler!
If you don´t want to spend a lot of bucks to model shops for a handful of snow, try this:
food soda sprinkled over a celluclay-base, that is still a little wet. or you can airbrush any surface with highly diluted white glue an sprinkle the food soda (natiumbicarbonate, available in every drugstore or supermarket) onto this. you can see the effect on my homepage http://www.panzermodellbau.com
greetings from Austria!

Again hi!
I have forgotten, to tell you, that for visiting the winter-diorama, where I have tried this technique is to find under "Diorama"-"Kirowograd 1944". as preview one picture:

You can always googalize it with a German to English translation. Try this link

Nice work on the snow dio!

Jim

Lucas,
I've used something called snow-tex made by Decoart (available at any craft store). It can be thinned with water and tinted with acrylic paint. The colour straight out of the bottle is bright white and it has not yellowed 3 years (so far). It has a thick consistency almost like cake frosting.

JC Hayes

Viking-
Wow. Superb dioramas and models. Very impressive.

To all:
Thank you all for great suggestions. This is a great start. I had figured that someone must have tried it before. Thank you again.

Lucas Freeman

Try using baking soda......

Hi,

I did not do a winter scene yet, but I have one planned out on my workbench.

I to am going for the soda approach but with a little twist (I tested it on a little plate and it looks fine to me)

Last x-miss my wife bought a huge bag of "snow", it contains a flaky material which has a nice glistering sheen to it. The flakes are to big as they are, but I have put a handful in a food processor and let it cut it in to a fine powder. I mixed it with soda and sprinkled it on the base (with was covered with diluted PVA glue).

After it dried the snow had a nice sparkling effect to it.

(:-)

LOL, Ronny, is it OK if I come over to Limburg to cut up my snowflakes in your wife's food processor ? I'm dead if it try that in our kitchen ! :-) :-) :-)

A lot of the guys that have made snow dios that I have read about is by using a product called microballoons. It is something aircraft builder use and is very light and from the results I have seen, very believable. I have lots of articles as well about baking soda and some negatives about this turning yellow over time. I havent tried snow yet so have no experience to talk from!

Hey GF always welcome

To be honest, I had to buy my wife a new food processor and I slept a couple of day's on the coach.

But hey, everything for the hobby #:-)

Not only does baking soda turn yellow over time....it also attracts little fellows called weevles or weebles....all I know is my snow diorama I did with the German 1/2track with the quad 20mm gun on it ended up moving all by itself!!!
Since then I use only microballoons for any kind of snow affect.....for snow drifts...build up the area with celluclay or whatever you use and then while still wet sprinkle on the microballoons......there you have it....pure white snow with no fear of squaters moving in!!!
Is this guy for shooting the weevles?

Another great material for snow is talcum powder (or baby powder, whatever you call it). Just brush some thinned white glue on groundwork, then pour the powder. The size of the particles is even smaller than baking soda. For thick snow I´d first use white wall putty to make thick snow layer and then add talcum powder/baking soda.

Toni

For snow, I use Alum. I got a bottle of it at my pharmacy. It is convincing enough for me. For deep snow, build up a base with celluclay, then sprinkle this stuff over it.

Patrick

I heard about Microbaloons, too... Most of the "big gurus" talk about it and use it exclusively. I have seen Baloon snow and it really does look convincing.




My "baking soda snow" turned yellow; I don't know if it is because of the agent I sealed the snow with or the soda itself. Toni did a lot of snow vignettes and I'm sure he could be of more help here..

Mario M.

to the talcum powder story from Envar

I used it several times but I don`t use it with this white glue/water mixture

what I do is:
I take the talcum powder. I sprinkle it on my dio, tank or whatever you think needs it
If you have done that you take a can of hair fixature/hairstyling spray and just spray it over the talcum powder
if you spray almost the half amount of your talcum powder will be flying around in your room (thats the only negative thing) but after doing that a couple of times(depends on how much snow you want) you really got snow that gives you a cold feeling.
If done this a couple of years ago on an old tiger and it`s still looks white
the only thing that you have to do is getting your vacuumcleaner or else fight out a battle with your wife

Greetz Robert "FAUST" Blokker

ROFL is all I can say.

Hey GF always welcome

To be honest, I had to buy my wife a new food processor and I slept a couple of day's on the coach.

But hey, everything for the hobby .
Even more ROFL. On the couch LOL. The ole lady says what are you laughing about over their

Anyone here used the Woodland Scenics snow? I just picked up a bottle today, and there's a lot in there! That'll serve me well for about two dozen dios...

YodaMan

I've got the same question as Yodaman. Could someone comment on the Woodland Scenics "soft flake snow" I bought it today and want to make sure its perfectly alright to use before using it. Does anyone know what its made from?

Thanks
Leader

Doppler,

snow tracks are reletively easy...
I make snow tracks by this method:
get some sand with a bit of water and put some PVA glue (similer to Wood glue)
and put it on the bace...before its dry you can indent tracks, explosions ect.
one you have your wanted indents and the gule is dry you can either a) paint the sand white (with a brush or spray can) for snow (you may need to shade it) if you paint it your indents will be deeper OR b) you can get Santa snow (snow in an aerosole can) and sprey that on and wait till it drys.
The Santa snow is good if you want something to look like it has been there for a while.

Cris

Looks like microballons to me (:-)

You are correct....Woodland Scenics and another diorama company aimed at 1/35 scale guys both brought out small containers of scale "snow".....each one of these small containers cost about as much if not more than the huge container I got from the plastics store......so if you can....but it at the plastics store....unles you have more money than you know what to do with....if this is the case e mail me for my address and you can send me a cheque too!!!! #:-)

Question dioman, what colour are the squater's? hehe...

Viking, your winter dio looks excellent! Your placement of the snow on the vehicleis very good too. And, is that (maybe) clear (varnish?) I see on the right hull side simulating melting snow run-off? Great stuff viking.

Snow. All of these suggestions are great. I especially like to use hair spray (cheaper the better) to both seal and simulate the 'sparkle' normally associated with new fallen snow (believe me, I live in Colorado, so I get to see snow in all it's inherent forms (:-) ) Never tried this 'microballons' stuff, wonder how much it costs? Compared to the Woodlands Scenic stuff? And how big a bag of each?

Tread.