VMS Hull Tex Anti-Slip Texture

So far, every Vantage Modelling Supplies product which I have tried has really impressed me and that's no small achievement. "Hull Tex" Anti-Slip Texture is one of its older products, but I don't see many reviews or opinions of it, so let's find out if it's as easy and effective as advertised.

• Hull Tex Scattered Type
• £7.72 (when reviewed)
• From snmstuff.co.uk
• VMS Instructions

DIY options

Some kind of sand or grit texture crops up on quite a few modern AFVs, but it's probably most associated with IDF vehicles.* There are several do-it-yourself methods of replicating it, two of which are explained in Vallejo's IDF Colors book, but none really appeals to me.

The most common method involves shaking finely sieved sand over a glue or varnish, not unlike this VMS product. I would probably use model railway sand as it's widely available on the web, but it would need some experiments to find the right medium and get a good result. The Vallejo book recommends Chinchilla sand, though I assume not any which has been previously occupied by a Chinchilla…

However, I am not against the principle of using a ready-made product if it conveniently solves a problem. There may be a value argument against this if you can readily source the materials for less cost per build, but that's a calculation for each modeller to make. I doubt if I will use this product more than once or twice, so for me the comparison is moot.

The VMS option

This can get a little bit confusing. There are actually three versions of this product — called Standard, Scattered, and Air — and some sources don't communicate the key differences very well.

Standard is intended for uniform texture and uses a glue which reacts with plastic, so you need to apply it with extra care. Scattered uses a glue which can be scraped off with a sharp curved scalpel blade or removed with a solvent such as VMS Clean Slate. And finally, Air is intended for application by airbrush for the most uniform factory finish.

As I would be using this on a Takom Merkava Mk.I Hybrid — and in any case would rather avoid an irreversible mistake — I chose the Scattered option. The glue is brushed on, and as I don't have any cheap brushes, I bought a value pack of Winsor & Newton student brushes in case they couldn't be cleaned properly.

This stuff is a bit of a marvel. It's easy to apply and it stays put without overflowing, and yet it levels well. The fine nozzle made short work of dispensing very small quantities onto the brush or directly onto the kit. I completed one or two panels at a time. The sand bottle has the same nozzle and I soon got the knack of sprinkling and squirting it over the glue for a reasonably light and even coat. Once my first application was completed and cured, I found it quite simple to apply touch-ups even in small spots; and any over-application could be scraped off with a curved blade or seam scraper.

All in all, this product proved to be good value because it gave a very effective result and made a daunting task far more straightforward than I had expected. Although this version is supposed to be used for random finishes, it can be applied uniformly enough that I would recommend it over the Standard type with its permanent glue. 

I was surprised to find that an entire Merkava needed hardly any glue; but perhaps inevitably a little more sand because of spillage. I retrieved any which missed the kit entirely and landed in my plastic tray, but I opted to discard most of the shaken off loose excess in case it had brought any glue with it (as some clumps clearly had). I was left with enough sand to fully cover at least three more IDF tanks, should I ever need to.

* [Quite interesting side-note: During my research into Merkavas, I read that the texture on IDF tanks is primarily intended to reduce visibility from the air by scattering light.]