blacktop?

[outlaw035]

hi everyone....been awhile since i have built a diorama...im working on a diorama of my local cody's roadhouse....looking for suggestions on how to do the blacktop with out going crazy...thanks

[charlie8575]

Another way might be to use N-scale ballast, sprinkled out in the outline you want to follow. Then, using a mixture of white glue and water (50-50,) spray down the ballast. Some people also like to put a thin layer of glue on the base for extra adhesion.

Allow it to dry THOROUGHLY. Then, using Floquil or Polly S Engine Black or Grimy Black, paint the simulated Macadam. Follow this with washes of flat black, and shades of gray to suggest used hot-top, or, if you want to model used hot-top, use Polly S Concrete with a little black added in, followed by washes of various shades of gray, black and white, and if, you'd like, some squiggles of black to suggest patches where cracks occurred.

Charlie Larkin

[GTMust]

Grey sandpaper is the easy way to go for me. Here's a couple of examples:

180 grit (no weathering done on this one

80 grit (lightly weathered)

It's so simple to apply. I use LePage's carpenter's glue spread thinly on the base and then use some telephone directories to hold it in place for a few hours until it dries. You can stain or weather it to suit your needs with thinned out acrylic washes, sand the surface in the direction of travel for a worn look, or add tire tracks in heavy travelled sections.... whatever you dream up!

[MikeMc]

Another way might be to use N-scale ballast, sprinkled out in the outline you want to follow. Then, using a mixture of white glue and water (50-50,) spray down the ballast. Some people also like to put a thin layer of glue on the base for extra adhesion.

Allow it to dry THOROUGHLY. Then, using Floquil or Polly S Engine Black or Grimy Black, paint the simulated Macadam. Follow this with washes of flat black, and shades of gray to suggest used hot-top, or, if you want to model used hot-top, use Polly S Concrete with a little black added in, followed by washes of various shades of gray, black and white, and if, you'd like, some squiggles of black to suggest patches where cracks occurred.

Charlie Larkin

You can also mix up a slurry of hydrocal and put the n scale cinder ballast into it...I would precolor the hydrocal with some black acrylic in the water, then mix the hydrocal up. If you use a 3" wide brush you can "paint"it on...as long as it is thin it will self level....I used a similar tech on the swamp werkes...

[DanielG]

Heavy card base on foam, fine black ballast glued on and various over-sprays of blues and greys until I got the effect (old and worn and degraded by weather) that I wanted.

Made for 40K battlefield terrain and is 1 foot by 2 foot.

[MikeMc]

Heavy card base on foam, fine black ballast glued on and various over-sprays of blues and greys until I got the effect (old and worn and degraded by weather) that I wanted.

Made for 40K battlefield terrain and is 1 foot by 2 foot.

That looks Great!!