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MRVP Contributing Editor Gerry Leone continues working to give his asphalt street section even more visual interest. In this video, you’ll see Gerry’s techniques for drybrushing highlights, painting lane markings, adding pavement cracks and patches, and finally, blending the various effects using multiple shades of weathering powders.
Great videos on modeling asphalt streets Gerry but how do you decant painters touch gray tape into the lid of a can? (7:20 minutes in)
Great “street” videos, Gerry. Technique #13 is spot on what I’ve been looking for. Thanks!
Do you leave the street as is or dull coat it or with another fixative?
Gerry…guess I was tardy for class when you did Part 1 so…what grit of sand paper did you use???
Hi again, everyone. Some comments on comments:
William — You’re not being a nitpicker, especially since you work in the business. Having spent my career in advertising I was always miffed at people calling them “ads on TV” rather than “commercials on TV.” But our points are well-taken, thanks.
Charles — You simply use a ruler on either the inside or outside curve.
Dan — The street doesn’t have a “gauge.” It does have a “scale,” though, and it’s HO. As I mentioned in Part One, the width is 24 scale feet, with lanes being 12 scale feet each, which is fairly typical for a rural area.
Patrick — Same technique for parking lots! And it absolutely can be used for N scale, although the aggregate (stones) will really be out of scale. That said, I had several people mention to me at the NMRA convention that they’d used the technique in N scale and it looked great.
Not to be a nitpicker but I have always been miffed at the use of the words “asphalt” and “tar” as the product that we use to pave roads. The product is actually a mix of products stone and asphalt that make an aggregate mix of “bituminous concrete”. I also want to point out that manhole covers do not generally align symmetrically down the middle of the street, it depends on how and where catch basins are placed.
I enjoy your approach greatly and look forward to your monthly installments.
Great idea for streets. How do you make curves keeping them the same width as the streight roads?
What gauge is that Street? It seems much larger than HO.
Gerry,
Can you use this same technique for parking lots? Would you use the same grit sand paper for N scale or does this technique only work for HO.
Gerry,
As a complete novice I find your relaxed, competent, and practical training both helpful as well as reassuring. Thanks much!
Hey, thanks, everyone, for the wonderful comments (and for watching in the first place)!
A few comments back to ya’ll:
David – My sidewalks are .080″ styrene. I described how I make them in the March 2013 issue of Model Railroader (as well as another way to make streets).
Francis — I’ll have to try that variety!
Robert — I experimented with stippling but didn’t like the result because the “dots” from the brush were too large and the street started looking like it had polka dots.
Jack — Just send your little, tiny dollars for the little, tiny newspaper directly to me! 🙂
John — But Mr. DiVinci always spoke very highly of you!
Excellent info!
Gerry, I think you’ve given me my solution for my newest street. Thanks for the inspiration.
Great stuff! I really like this!! Next question…how did you do your sidewalks!? They really looked nice as well!
Gerry – great videos on how to model asphalt streets. I used plaster that had sand mixed into the soupy plaster mix. Wood Scenics gray and black colors were added to the plaster mix. This provided the roadway base from which additional scenery details could be added to the roadway base and along side the roadway. A little dry brushing helped to accent the sand mixed into the roadway base.
A slight crown in the roadway was added to wet plaster mix.
Thanks.
Couple of thoughts; could you also use stippling to get the “white gravel” effect? And, how about pot holes? Think a blob (very small) of gloss black to represent fresh tar might do.
The cross cracks may come from the fact that the asphalt was laid over a concrete street. The center one certainly comes from how the asphalt is laid.
Great technique – thanks for sharing. Question: where can I get a subscription to the tiny newspaper in your diorama? Those are the kind of details that really make a scene pop!
Sour cream and onion Pringles caps also work well.
Frank Sele
Thanks Mr. Leone. Always entertaining and informative!
Hello Gerry,
interesting method. But how do you make curved roads with these method?
Thank you
Markus
Nice techniques Gerry… these are tips I’m going to implement very soon. Thanks!
Gerry is always teaching me something new. Look forward to all his videos.
Hi Gerry,
I’ve always found streets the hardest thing to make look realistic, but yours look great. Another nice cheap solution. Question – a few have asked this in the last video: Can it be done using the same technique in N Scale, and if so, what grit would you use?
Very nice effect with the sand paper!!
Gerry, nicely done .. But remember, I was the one who fired Michaelangelo and said just spray the ceiling white.