So, I've been seeing a lot of models around lately with snow. I spoke with a guy at my local
GW recently who made a deep, snowy themed board with a lot of powder using nothing but the
GW modeling snow. He apparently went through 10 little buckets of the stuff to do so
So, for those of you that don't know, there's a much more affordable and effective way to make deep powder for your minis/scenery. The end result will come out looking something like this:
So, here's what you're gonna need.
- Baking powder. This stuff is anywhere from $2 to $5 at the grocery store, and you'll get more than you need. DO NOT MISTAKE FOR BAKING SODA.
- Modeling snow. A tin of the
GW stuff will easily base two full
Apoc armies
GW brand costs about $8
- PVA glue, or Elmer's glue. For large scenery, I'd go with Elmer's since you wont need to sculpt it as much, and it's far cheaper.
GW brand is pictured, but is more expensive than most, and not by any means better.
- A sculpting tool of some sort, or even just a bent paperclip
- A surface to contain the mess
- And of course, your model/scenery
Let's begin.
About this much baking powder and glue will work for a small base. It may look like a lot of glue, but I still have half a tube after basing around 40 models.
Mix it up...
And now you have cauliflower
The consistancy should be a soft, gummy like feel. Like green stuff, if your hands or tools are wet, the snow won't stick to them, making sculpting easier. I didn't really want to do anything fancy, so I just put on on the base and wrapped some of it around the legs.
While the putty is still wet, you'll want to dip it into the modelling snow. If it already seems too dry for the snow to cling, let it dry completely and add a thin layer of PVA glue over the top of the putty, then drop it in. Don't forget to put glue anywhere else on the model that you might want it. My necrons look like their rising from the ground, so I put various amount of snow all over them (Minus areas that I imagine would melt the snow immediately).
And, voila!
Note that it's a bit hard to tell the difference between the putty, and the putty topped with modelling snow. It looks choppy without the snow on it (my camera couldn't do it justice), and when it dries, it looks a lot worse. The modelling snow is quite necessary.
I hope this tutorial helped!