Here’s a few more pics (and a more organized website) of the Abrams OIF. I’m in the process of building a diorama for the tank.
I’m looking for a few opinions on the color of the diorama. I used model railroad “ballast” for the sand and glued it in place with Elmers school glue. I sprayed it with a combination of Model Master Acryl “Dark Earth” and Sand. The color of the diorama changes a little depending on how you look at it. I think I’m going to add a bit of black “watered down” acrylic paint do darken it down a bit.
Very nice M1Fan. I started the Tamiya M1A2 recently and have two more waiting in the wings. Instead of using sand and glue for the anti-slip, have you seen a product called Cast-A-Coat by www.smallshopeu.com ? Great stuff. Check out the M1 build in Tamiya Model Magazine April/May 2004.
I used Mr.Surfacer 500 for the anti-slip on my Abrams. It worked well; however, I couldn’t spray it through my airbrush (I didn’t have enough pressure at the time). I painted it on with a brush, waited for it the become a bit tacky, and then “dabbed” the surface of the Mr. Surfacer with a stiff brush to get the same effect. It worked fairly well.
Your project looks abitious. I spent a lot of time on the M1’s during my tenure with Uncle Sam. Since you are only asking for opinions on the diorama, I wish you good luck on your project.
The sand looks good m1a1fan. Go easy on the black. From the pictures it doesn’t look like it needs to be darkened. It might look different in person to you though.