Guest Tutorial: "Thatched Roof" by Michael Lundstedt September 26, 2016 11:16
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Introduction by Colin I have seen a number of modellers use "teddy bear fur" for thatching however results I have seen have been "mixed". The majority look like teddy bear fur even after combing out with PVA and painting. I have not tried that method but have been informed it is slow and very messy. I saw a picture posted by Micheal Lundstedt from Umea, Sweden on Facebook. The picture was of a thatched Charlie Foxtrot Model. I had to make contact and ask him how he achieved the excellent result. The following tutorial has been put together by Micheal, showing how easy it is to get a superb outcome...once you know how! Guest Tutorial: Creating a thatched roof for your 28mm by Micheal Lundstedt. When a received my Charlie Foxtrot Eastern Front buildings I decided that I wanted to add some extra flavour to them, namely thatched roofs. This tutorial will show you how I made these. |
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Material In order to do this, you will need the following: A towel. I got a pack of small towels from the local supermarket for 2,5€. (£2.20)This pack will last forever. You want a towel with some structure as this will create the illusion of thatch. Glue I use standard wood glue (PVA). I believe I just about 1/3 of a bottle. Paint I just black spray primer and then a mix of citadel and Vallejo paints. This is all down to personal taste, however the primer is pretty important unless you really have some spare time to kill. |
Making the roof
The first step is to cut the towel in strips, approximately 2cm wide. When you do this, you have to be careful about which way the small loops want to fall. Using a finger it’s easy to notice which way is easier. These loops should be pointing downwards (-ish) when you glue them to your roof.
Once you’ve cut a bunch of strips you can start applying glue to the roof. I use a bit of water to make the glue flow easier. Don’t forget to apply glue to the sides of the roof as well. Start from the bottom. You don’t have to worry unduly about the length of the strips at this point, but do make sure you press them down the edges of the roof as well.
When the first strip is in place it’s time for the second. Add more glue, and this time add some glue on top of the first strip as well. If you don’t water down the glue at this point it’s really difficult. You don’t have to be too careful though, as we will cover the entire roof in glue later on. Place the second strip in such way that it overlaps the first one by about 5mm.
Now, just keep on working your way up to the top of the roof. Once there, start from the bottom on the other side and repeat the procedure. Finally, add one strip that covers the top ridge of the roof and a little bit on both sides.
When this is finished, cut off the excess towel on the sides and then paint the entire roof with watered down glue. I make sure to paint the glue from the top downwards to make sure the loops are pointing in the right direction. After this is I leave the roof to dry completely.
Painting
Start by spray painting the entire building black. Once this is dry I used a chocolate brown paint to cover most of the black painting. I do this in a drybrushing way, without removing the excess paint from the brush. It will leave certain areas black, which is perfectly fine. Then I drybrush brighter and brighter tones, ending up with a light grey. This could of course be done in a myriad of ways, creating all sorts of end results. I like the darker, more worn look which I think fits the weathered look of the building.
Finished result:
Thanks Michael for an informative and well illustrated tutorial. This is certainly something I will try for myself. I am convinced that this is a better method than the teddy bear fur....that is unless other modellers want to mail in pics to change my mind.
Colin