Materials:
I made a jig from styrene with the same measurements as the top of the humvee.
I used dried baby wipes (Wet Ones). I found the fabric was stronger and more elastic than a very fragile facial tissue. Rub petroleum jelly all over the jig to keep the “canvas” from sticking to it. Drape the tissue over the jig and clip the ends underneath. Brush (in my case I used a plastic spoon) on the water/glue mixture to the “canvas” and let it dry for a couple of hours. Make sure to smooth out the fibers while brushing on the glue. Once dry, carefully remove from the jig and trim to fit the humvee.
I first tried the technique on facial tissue w/c I first coated with a mixture of water and silicone sealant to make it stronger (read about it on armorama). Like I said, facial tissue is very fragile so I had a hard time smoothing it out w/c left the “canvas” with some wrinkles, but it didn’t turn out so bad. I weighed it down a little with skewers/BBQ sticks to give it form.
Test fitting. Pictured is an Academy Humvee with a few added details made of styrene and wire. Before anyone comments on the models accuracy issues especially on the interiors, I ALREADY KNOW. It’s the only one I can afford to sacrifice for this experiment. ;D
Baby wipes:
Facial tissue: It looks ok but most pics I’ve seen of M1038s have the canvas pulled taut and therefore have little or no wrinkles at all (see bottom).
Reference pictures:
I haven’t tried painting it yet so I don’t know how it may turn out.
