Model Builder International Pilot Issue Model Builder International Pilot Issue | Page 21

make sure that the height was just right for the
foot to rest on the floor. Wooden planking for the
bed was made from cutting balsa wood strips.
Making Rubble
I made debris by mixing plaster with a bottle of
acrylic paint. I used tan and tried to use a color of
paint that closely matched the colors used in the
rest of the build. I mixed the plaster according to
the instructions on the label then added the paint
to the mixture. I poured the mixed plaster into a
large flat container with an overall thickness of
about ¼”. I simply used a Tupperware container
lid. Once I poured the mixture, I set a couple
pieces of mesh wire, found at the hardware store’s
gardening section, about half way into the plaster
to act as rebar. Prior to placing the mesh wire into
the plaster, it can be painted a rust color if desired.
Once the plaster dried overnight, I pulled it out of
the lid and began to break it up for rubble. Sections
with the wire mesh should stay together fairly
well, but if not, don’t worry - you’re making rubble.
Some pieces were crushed up to make varioussized chunks while others were ground up into a
fine powder to be used as a pigment later on. I
find this method for making rubble to be very cost
effective and you’ll end up with plenty left over for
future projects. Each piece of rubble was first laid
out on the base to ensure good coverage and then
individually attached using a dot of white glue.
Painting Army Combat Uniform
Besides the aforementioned spray paint I used for
priming the base, everything was painted using
Model Master and Vallejo acrylics. The ACU pattern
was patiently painted over an extended period of
time and probably doubled the total build time. The
color scheme of the ACU is composed of a gray
(officially named Urban gray 501), tan (Desert sand
500) and sage green (Foliage green 502). While I
believe that there is a paint company out there that
makes these shades for the ACU pattern, I prefer
to mix my own.
The figures were first primed with acrylic gray
primer and then given an overall coat of deck tan
for the base color. The next color, which was the
mid-tone gray, was applied with a fine 00 brush
using a mostly horizontal pattern. Starting with
the mid-tone, I began applying the pattern very

carefully, only painting one body part at a time; the
left arm, then the right, then the left leg, etc. Trying
to do more in one sitting would cause me to get
lazy and then the paint scheme could get sloppy.
The third and final color, foliage green, was applied
using the same 00 brush. This will be the dark-tone
in the pattern. Care was taken not to cover too
much of the tan or gray colors. At first, it will look
like the dark-tone is overpowering the others, but
don’t worry, it will be toned down soon enough.
Again, the same method of painting one part at a
time was used to keep the pattern from becoming
sloppy.
Once all three colors were down, it was time
to work in reverse. Using the sharpened end of a
toothpick, I began to apply small spots of the midtone gray color on top of the tan and foliage green.
Again, I worked very slowly and methodically to
ensure that the pattern remained crisp. At this point,
I also began to regularly take a “step back” from
the project to look at things from a distance. Once
the gray color was finished, the same thing was
done with the tan base color. You should be able
to see a balance between the tan and the foliage
green by this point in the process. The mid-tone
gray will be more-or-less hidden in the background,
but will help blend and tie the colors together.
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