MATG WWII Sandbags from FIMO

[Ragnar65]

Hi guys,

I´d like to build some "3-D" light improved positions from sandbags. These wil be made from FIMO. Do you have any suggestions, with size the sandbags should be in 1/285? I think of 3x2mm...

Ragnar65

[TAMMY]

The scalòe size should be smaller: 0,9x1,8x0,5 mm.
A standard US sandbag was 14"x26 1/2". It was 3/4 filled for a size of 10"x19"x4 3/4" and an average weight of 60 pounds (the actual weighy depended on the type of earth and its humidity)

The weight was the reason for its relatively small size

[Ragnar65]

UUhhh, that´s very very small! I´m not sure how to manage that...

[Donald M. Scheef]

I think that it's do-able. Roll out a layer of FIMO or your favorite modeling clay about 0.5 mm thick. Then use a dull knife (I would suggest a table knife) to cut rectangles about 1mm by 2 mm. (I don't think that a 10% difference would be significant). Using a dull knife should crimp down the edges to simulate the ends of the bags. If necessary, roll the lumps to round-down the sides. It's fiddly work, but you can produce a relatively large number in one batch.

Don S.

[Ragnar65]

I think that it's do-able. Roll out a layer of FIMO or your favorite modeling clay about 0.5 mm thick. Then use a dull knife (I would suggest a table knife) to cut rectangles about 1mm by 2 mm. (I don't think that a 10% difference would be significant). Using a dull knife should crimp down the edges to simulate the ends of the bags. If necessary, roll the lumps to round-down the sides. It's fiddly work, but you can produce a relatively large number in one batch.

Don S.

Sounds relatively easy... I´ll give it a try and will report...

[Mauser]

I have tried a simliar technique as described by Donald, except I don't actually cut the sand bags into individual pieces.

I roll it out thin strips and press with a dull edge without cutting all the way through. Then just stack the strips into your desired shape/height. At this point you can press down gently to give the impression of stacked sandbags and bake. Don't press too hard or you will make them too flat.
I like this because you don't have to worry about getting the individual bags to stack evenly without any gaps and they are easier to handle.

[Mk 1]

I have used the technique Donald describes. But my material choice helps me in the process.


I use a product called Mexican Clay. This is an earthen clay rather than a plasticine modelling compound like FIMO. It has two key characteristics: first, it is self-hardening at room temperature, so I don't need to bake it; second, it shrinks as it dries.

I bought a brick several years ago. Thought I could use it for many things, but alas the shrinking makes it rather hard to work with for 3D modelling, particularly if you want to make something flat (like terrain pieces). But it turned out to be perfect for sandbags, as you will see. The one brick I bought for ~$5 will last me the rest of my life, I am sure.


I keep a small cup of water on hand to dip my finger tip, to keep the clay moist while I work it. As described by Donald, I roll it out into small strips, trying to get them to less than 1mm thick.


I then use a knife to cut the strips into segments about 1mm long. At this point they look more like barrels than sandbags. But that's OK.

Then, as Donald suggests I "role" my fingertip back and forth over the cut segments. This helps to flatten and their edges, turning them into sandbags.


Once they are shaped, I stop working them (and stop moistening the clay). They dry at room temperature in just a couple of hours. At that point they are like terra cotta. I suppose I could crush them if I tried, but they are really fairly robust. Not flexible, clearly breakable, but not particularly crumbly.

The sizes I mentioned are my goals, but alas it is hard to get things to be that small. So they often wind up being larger than I'd like.

But here the Mexican Clay gives me an advantage. Because they shrink as they dry. So not very good for making structures or landscapes. But great for sandbags.

Using this technique it is possible to make many dozens (or even hundreds) of sandbags in one sitting. They last just about forever. If you don't use them all now, just put them into a container. They'll still be usable in a year or two. Or three.


I have used them to make a variety of gun emplacements. They can be glued in place with regular white glue. They paint up very well. As an example here is a Soviet quad-Maxim AA emplacement.

Now that I have done it once, I am sure I could make the sandbags even smaller. But I still have many dozens left to use up first.

Hope that helps.

[RedLeif]

I just bought them in pewter from a popular US mfr. They are less customizable than what you've don Donald. And Impressive results Mk1. Thank you for sharing the material ideas and techniques.

RedLeif