Does any one know how to make a realistic ho scale road?
Thank you for any help on this subject.
It depends on what type of road you want. For a plain dirt road like I am making, just make the basic shape from whatever material you have lying around (I used cardboard), then paint it brown.
Now the hard part:
Get some real dirt. Spread it in a box lid or something and let it dry in the sun for a few days (I think). Then shift it through a window screen or something to get out large twig, bugs, pebles, ect. Then, glue it to the road. Next paint the dirt with the same brown color as before. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the result.
I think the process is the same for a gravel road but with grey ballast instead of dirt and grey paint for the second coat versus using brown again.
Those are the only types of roads on my layout. Maybe someone else can tell you how to do paved roads.
sfb
I use Durhams Water Putty for most of my roads. This was suggested by Bob Grech, who is a far better modeler than I will ever be. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery:
This is a hardware store product. It is sold as a powder, and it mixes up into a light tan color. I mix it to a kind of “cream” consistency, and then pour and spread it. I use a 1-inch foam brush, again a suggestion from Bob, which I keep clean with a cup of water as I go. By smoothing the mixture as it sets, about a half-hour, you can get a very nice surface.
After it hardens, you can sand down high spots. I dries very hard and durable, but it will still take paint well. I use a water-wash of cheap craft gray acrylic paint.
For urban areas, I lay it flat and thin, and then put styrene sidewalks down around the roads:
I put the lines on with a white gel pen.
Mr. Beasely … I like your work. Roads look real.
I use ordinary cardboard like from a cereal box. I prepare a surface that will slope upward if the road goes into a backdrop. I cut the cardboard road forcing perspective.by making it wider in the foreground and narrower in the background. I use construction adhesive to hold it down. I use a think application of the adhesive where needed to smooth bumps and crevices in the subsurface. Later, after the adhesive is solid, I paint the road surface with concrete color household latex. After the paint is dry, I draw lines to represent seams and cracks using a black ball-point pen. I weather with washes of acrylic paint. If I want a gravel shoulder, I use fine ballast for it.
In this photo, you can see I painted a matching road in the backdrop. WIth a little effort, the seam will not be very noticeable. If you look carefully, you may see the road near the backdrop does slope upward.
Ballast (even the fine stuff) is too coarse to use as a gravel road. Sand is much better.
Personally, I use hydrocal which I smooth with one of those fake credit cards you get in the mail. To make realistic dirt roads, I add some puddles / potholes and wheel ruts in the road, then cover it with a thin layer of ground foam to give it a “loose” look.