i have not figured out the best way to make the tires look like they are in the ground.no matter what it seems you have to mold the terrain making material some but be able to remove the vehicle to put or paint the terrain under the vehicle before the final placement. then you can "build up a bit on the outside of the tires before adding more ground cover. i have molded ruts with modeling clay, chiseled out ruts in plaster and liquidtex. my next thought is chisel the ruts into the wood BEFORE placing any ground material until i am satisfied with the sunkenness, than add the material followed by the covering.
if this sounds confusing it’s because i am confused about this and just can’t seem to wrap my head around it. thanks.
If using modeling clay, while it is still pliable, place the model you are using onto it and gently press it down until you get the desired sunken effect. Then remove and detail the clay accordingly. This will leave you with perfect ruts that look natural and form exactly around the tire. If doing rut tracks, do the same but across the whole area. You could also take just one of the wheels and roll it across the clay while applying force to acheive the desired effect.
This worked for me recently…building a diorama…took some old tires connected with an axel made from a paper clip…coated the base with “Durhams Water Putty”…let it set a bit…then ran the wheels over it to make ruts…dries hard…need to do some pre-planning to get the ruts where the finished vehicle will be located…vary the pressure to vary the depth…can re-coat with putty where you goof…
For styrene or resin tires, I sometimes sand or file flat area on bottom. For vinyl tires I use a touch to a sanding disk on a dremel. I have also pushed styrene tires against a heated piece of metal, which bulges and flattens the bottom of the tire to show tire against a hard surface.
Wayne, I’ve been having the same problem. I’ve been building a lot of armor lately, and had mixed results getting them into the groundwork. On my next one I think I’ll take a router and dig channels into the wood, as you suggested.