Other methods are available!

Hi All

I hope people find this helpful but if anything isn't clear please ask away.



First up the basic structure. I thought long and hard about the camber of the roads but in then end decides to do them flat. The reason is partly ease but also looking at large vehicles they sit level on their suspension and to me a model leaning over doesn't look right.

The kerbstones are cut individually from 80thou square microstrip, the paving slabs are scribed onto plastic sheet. Don't forget things like dropped kerbs.



When ready spray everything with plasticote suede paint. This gives a texture to the surface. When dry spray everything black and then a light dusting of grey primer - you are aiming for a tarmac look to the paint - dont worry about the pavements for the moment.



Using thinned enamels block in the pavements - you can see how some of the pavement is tarmac.



When dry paint the road with neat thinners and then paint 'wear' onto the road. I use browns and blacks for the area where wheels go or not. Pay attention to how dust collects where vehicles dont go such as arround the pavements. Use the paint neat and using a large flat brush blend it into the wet thinners. You will see I have picked out some paving slabs with a lighter grey - For darker slabs the fastest way is to use grey markers.



Road markings are added using paint markers - I cut templates to help me keep them neat.

These will need a little more weathering to tone them down a little. Once dry spray everything with matt varnish

Its worth considering when your road is set as the time of the year affects the colouring - for example in the winter the roads look much whiter due to salt being spread on the road. In the autumn there are leaves in the guttering etc etc

Remember due to health and safety people are not asked to lift as large slabs as they were, modern paving slabs are much smaller than they were 20 years ago.

Not all roads are tarmac though

This is how I did concrete



First up paint the area to be concrete with PVA glue - allow it to dry for a bit. When it is dry enough to hold a shape use a nit comb (I had to buy one specially - honest!) to draw lines through the surface.



When set use the plasticote suede paint to give the texture - I needed my concrete browny grey but if you need it grey-grey overspray with primer. Once dry cut in panels with a scalpel and then weather as before. The black tar was added with a fineliner.

Finally, you need iron work! For this I did an etch based on photographs of real ironwork in the area - This is coloured with gun blue before gluing to the surface



A few picture of the finished roads including an extreme close up which is ©Tim Maddocks and reproduced here with permission





Finally - the lines are done using paint markers

HTH

Jim

Sorry, Jim. Your're only allowed to post photos of models here……..:shock::shock::shock:

Seriously, the roads and pavements look brilliant. :doublethumb

I'd like to know a little more about plasticote suede paint and the paint markers though. What are the sources and brands you use, please? They're very efffective.

Perry

Hi Perry

I use several textured paints these days.  The finest is Plastikote suede and is similar to blowing ground white pepper across wet paint.  Ideal for cast concretes or tarmac.  You can get it from B&Q



Next in the roughness stakes is Games workshop roughcoat.  This one is good for rough concretes with larger agrigate.  I am not sure if you can still get it TBH.





Finally a newish one is Rustolem from Homebase - This one is very textured, Like a scale pebbledash.

The markers are Pentel Chalk markers available from WH smiths.

HTH

Jim

Thanks for the tutorial Jim, yet another cracker for the Index. Love it.

That must have taken a lot of research. Thank you Jim .Excellent tutorial.:thumbs

Great how to Jim, well done.

That textured paint is particularly useful. I wonder if Wayne Williams knew about it when he was building his silo… shhh! :thumbs

:shock:    :shock:     :shock:    :shock:    :shock:     :shock:

Jim: Thanks for the details.

Bob: Any chance you could index the actual paint products, please? The textured paints look really useful.

Perry

Each of the above mentioned paints has it's source in the post so I could Index this page under 'Textured Paints And their Suppliers. Is that what you mean Perry.

Yes, thanks, Bob. :thumbs

Perry