When looking for answers on how to make snow for models and dioramas, we are bound to come across two solutions: snow from soda and ready-made pastes that imitate snow. Both are correct solutions, but both have significant limitations and drawbacks. Let’s start with paste.
Ready-made pastes imitating snow
On the market, you will find many ready-made products imitating snow based on prepared paste in jars. They differ, depending on the manufacturer, of course, in the ingredients used according to the idea of a particular manufacturer and, therefore, in grain size, often in the shade and final effect, making them unsuitable for complementing each other on a single diorama. Snow from ready-made paste in a jar thus has one major drawback: monotony. Prepared paste of one type will give us one kind of snow, usually fluffy and drenching, sometimes flowing. Some companies have several varieties of snow within their range, so one can assume they are compatible. Still, they require the purchase of several different jars. Either way, we have limited control over the intensity and texture of the snow we lay down, and, as you know, snow is laid down differently on a warmed-up tank and differently on frozen branches. Quite differently already, the snow looks on the side of the road, on the road itself, and differently on the field next to it, undisturbed by anything.
Snow from soda and white glue
The other, probably more popular solution in the modeling community is to make snow from ordinary baking soda mixed or glued on diluted Vicol glue. The popularity of soda is most justified; this powder looks as fantastic as snow, especially on a 1:35 scale, and is basically unbeatable. There is also no denying that it is an ingredient in many of the previously mentioned ready-made pastes. The disadvantage of this solution is the glue itself used by modelers. Unfortunately, wood glues tend to be yellow over time and have a very strong surface tension. Thus, they force you to mix them firmly with soda or accept that soda-dusted wood glue will insufficiently penetrate the soda. This, remaining in its dry form, will also absorb all moisture from the air over time, turning gray or yellow and losing its natural luster. Hence, the dioramas visible on the competition tables, especially those not completely fresh, present either an unnatural snow crust or a dry appearance, dull, powdery snow. However, this is not the fault of the soda snow per se, but the improper impregnation of the soda. Understanding this crucial step can lead to….
The best “solution” for snow
Therefore, in my endeavor to develop a snow product for our brand’s portfolio, I conducted extensive tests on various concepts. It became clear that the most cost-effective and universally applicable option would be to introduce a baking soda solution. The soda, available in almost every part of the world and at an incredibly low cost, can be conveniently purchased from the nearest grocery store.
The solution called simply ” Solution for snow from soda” (from solution = solution, but also solution (of a problem)), is an excellent quality medium containing a synthetic resin at a perfectly preserved density and surface tension for said soda. Stabilizing additives, primers, and UV filters will take care of the soda’s snow-white appearance for years to come, not to mention that the solution’s subtle blue tint gives it a tone of cool white, further emphasizing the sparkle and shine of the individual soda particles.
The Solution offers unique benefits that ready-made strips can’t match. It’s thin enough to absorb the soda well, yet concentrated enough to accurately apply it to the surface of a diorama or vehicle. You can lay down thin and thicker layers, spread the soda to make loose, powdery snow, and create whole mounds and subtle fluff. The effect will depend on the amount/proportion of soda to the Solution, or if you choose to mix the two ingredients before application. A very thick mixture with a large amount of soda will create lumps on roadsides, while a thin one will spread the snow on the diorama, giving the effect of an unmolested, compacted snow. Even in this scenario, we can still sprinkle soda through a strainer to give a fluffy appearance instead of compacted. In very sparse mixtures, a Solution with a pinch of soda will serve for a barely visible, frosty frost. The Solution’s versatility and control, combined in a single design, allow you to achieve what is impossible with a ready-made strip.
Diversity = Realism
In nature, even in a single frame of a selected scene for a diorama, snow is present in at least two to three states of aggregation mentioned above. Of course, after several minutes, once the snow has properly “settled,” you can boldly imprint all sorts of traces of wheels, boots, or tank tracks.
For more details, please see the product card.
The tank from the photos, along with the subtle snow effects when made by Soda and Solution, was created by Rafał “Buber” Kubić.