Rolled steel

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Apologies if this has been asked before but the forum search results for ‘rolled steel’ weren’t very useful – does anyone have a good trick for simulating rolled steel plates e.g. for a Panther or King Tiger hull? I was thinking of perhaps using a very thin layer of milliput and texturing with a sponge or something. Tamiya, Meng and Takom kits have some really nice textures on newer toolings but I’m doing a 1993(?) tooling of Tamiya’s King Tiger and everything is glass smooth. Thanks!

2

Hi, in reply to your post a guy posted on finescale a good article for creating cast texture. All you have to do is lightly go over the surface. You can use Mr.Surfacer, lightly stippled over the surface to get a light texture, it wouldn’t be as thick as miliput.

http://paulbudzik.com/tools-techniques/Cast%20Texture/creating-cast-texture.html

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/136139.aspx

http://armorama.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=187454

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/114495.aspx

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/13/t/83542.aspx

http://armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=187454

http://www.davesmodelworkshop.com/2016/09/video-tutorial-how-to-make-cast-metal.html

https://www.track-link.com/forums/modelling_construction/18088/flat

https://www.reddit.com/r/modelmakers/comments/44o0in/using_mrsurfacer_500_to_create_cast_texture_on/

https://imgur.com/a/Bwzhl

http://www.swannysmodels.com/Surfacer.htm

3

Rolled steel on German WWII tanks is pretty smooth. For example, reference this photo from the Panzer Museum Munster (worth a visit!).

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/10/9b/cc/91/panther.jpg

Also, cast armor isn’t always rough, as in stippling with a solvent soaked brush. Many times, it’s surface is more scalloped, as if whittled like wood. For example, a Sherman turret might look like layered and chipped paint on top, smooth around the upper corners, then somewhat rough on the sides (stippled brush). One Sherman I saw had a huge area where the steel was ground down in one spot, perhaps from a flaw in the sand mold. It’s a good idea to go to tank museums and find vehicles on display in other places, look at photos on line, etc. There’s nothing like actually running your hand over the armor and remembering what you feel, whether it’s a rough Russian weld on a T-34 or the transition from cast to rolled plate on the front slopes of many US WWII tanks, it’s always worth getting a real ‘feel’ for armor.

Best!

Ron

4

Great - thanks for all the useful resources!