So I made a base for this Russian tank I made. I give myself a C. Some things like the depth of the “snow” were not what I wanted. I wanted deeper for the tank to sit in but that was going to turn into a bloody mess. Also I might use a different compound for the snow next time. Molding paste is not easy to smooth out (at least for me). . .
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Good effort. I’m sure you learned a lot that you can apply to your next effort which will be even better. 
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It’s a good start. I think you use the same compound for the base but then use something like Woodland Scenics Snow for the top layer.
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You might still be able to add something. I’ve never used microballs but perhaps it might be worth a try. Good effort, I bave never tried a winter scene. My hat is off to you.
Lakota
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yeah microballoons is on my list of things to get.
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Looks good to me. 
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As a person from Siberia whose street only yesterday warmed up to -10C and everything around is in snowdrifts, I will say that your snow was not a success at all. Try baking soda and PVA glue: spread the glue, sprinkle with soda. You shake off the excess, then repeat. PVA can be diluted very thinly with water and sprayed with a spray bottle.
PS Your tower turned out very well. And everything is around the tank. The one without snow. I would make the tarpaulin roll less green myself. And the belts are either darker (leather) or even khaki (canvas). Your wooden box looks rusty. The spare tracks are very good though.
PSS If, after preliminary tests, you sprinkle your snow with baking soda, which will give it a “crumbly” appearance, then everything will be corrected. Before doing this, smooth out the sharp edges a little. It seems so to me. My heart is bleeding.
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That’s an excellent first effort. I think it looks fine. That could go on a contest table.
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The tank looks like it went through a serious ice storm which I like the effect. I’m freezing looking at it.
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Great effort for a dio. Looks nice. somethings could get tweaked like a few people mentioned, but you should be very happy with it … it certainly has the look of Russian plains in winter …
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Keith,
Snow effects are tricky and take some time to perfect… the base that you have can be salvaged with some additional woodland scenics cement and woodland scenic snow. Apply the snow in layers with the scenic cement until you get the desired depths
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Looks good. I really like the barbed wire.
I’m about to start playing with XPS foam. I wonder if you could (well, before you started), make the base of the snow with a sheet of foam, and then add snow (like JS1961 says, with Woodland Scenics snow).???
The tank itself looks really good. The paint/scratches/wear, and the snow on the tank.
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With this “baking soda” technique, do you seal the baking soda surface with anything?
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No. But some people recommend adding white acrylic paint to compensate for the yellowish (over time) color of the PVA. I tried to use high-quality glue. Unfortunately, I cannot show the current state of the diorama - it was left in a children’s club at its previous place of residence.
I can select materials (but in Russian) on this topic and send links.
PS I remembered! These trees were made to my order last summer. The technology for making snow is the same. Nothing has changed in six months.
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Model making includes a learning process as well as the performance of the construction processes. We all learn by doing, and sometimes we learn what works, and sometimes we learn what doesn’t, and many times we learn what might work better the next time if only we do this or that just a bit differently. Many experienced modelers will actually build with the express idea of testing this or that material or technique with the intention of using the results on some other future build.
We all started at the start, and we all have created results that were not what we hoped. In fact, I’d submit that no matter how long any of us have been making models, those who stick with it are forever reaching for their “perfect” vision. That is, no matter how good someone else might think our work is, the vast majority of us are never really satisfied ourselves. Striving to create results that match what we see in our mind’s eye, our “vision” for the build, is what keeps the hobby, the craft, the art interesting and engaging.
FWIW (and that’s not very much, really), I’d say that your results are commendable. Your intention is quite clear to me, and I can easily imagine what I think was your own vision for the diorama. That’s a real measure of success that you should take some real satisfaction from.
As a specific suggestion, I would submit that perhaps in the future, you consider that the top, most visible layer of the groundwork (think of it as the “ground cover”) really only needs to provide the observable texture, color and specular characteristics of the surface that you’re modeling. That is, the depth and contours of the snow can be modeled using other materials and techniques more suitable for creating SHAPES and then the final layer to create the illusion of snow can be added to the top of that contoured shape.
Build the terrain and groundwork shapes, then add the final colors and textures which only need to be as thick as the viewer can see through them. That is, the model “snow” on a deep, snow-covered surface really only needs to be a single layer of crystal-like texture. Don’t try to build snow drifts and humps and other SHAPES using the material that you’re using to provide the thin, final layer of the crystalline, sparkly snow SURFACE. It can be done - making the entire snow groundwork from the same “snow” material - but it’s much easier and usually more effective to break the work into stages of basic forms, contours and shapes that are textured by the ground cover material. (This construction concept applies to grass and vegetation, sand and small rocks or stone, mud, snow or any combination of ground cover textures.)
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Very well said. Thank you.
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Keep on modeling!
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The more I look at it, the more I like it.
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Russians have a saying: “Стерпится - слюбится” (Marry first and love will follow)
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White Marble Dust. Available at any good Art supply store. Never yellows. I make a base like you have, smooth everything out, then dust it with white primer followed by a dusting of the Marble Dust.
You just have to be careful when using as (like any small particles) inhaling can create health issues.
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