Miniature Polymer Clay Tank

I have always thought that Military Technology was super cool and I have recently started making vehicles and other little things out of polymer clay. I came up with this design because it's easy and fun to make. I am in the process of making a small army of tiny tanks and it's pretty fun to make them.

In the beginning, when I first began to make stuff out of polymer clay, I was pretty horrible at since I didn't have the right tools and mindset. I think that when making polymer clay, You should always look at reference images to help get the shape and details just right.

In this instructable I will be showing you how to make a mini polymer clay tank and tips to help you along the way.

To make the tank you will need:

• Green Sculpey Polymer Clay
• Black Sculpey Polymer Clay
• Brown Sculpey Polymer Clay
• Clay Shaping and Molding tools
• An oven (preferably a toaster oven)
• Parchment Paper

Below are links for the tools.

Wire ($4)

https://www.michaels.com/premium-sculpting-and-arm...

Shaping Tools ($6)

https://www.michaels.com/clay-shaper-set-0-by-craf...

Normal Tools ($18)

https://www.michaels.com/artminds-clay-tool-set/10...

Clay ($20)

https://www.sculpey.com/sculpey-iii/104-sculpey-ii... (Any Polymer clay is fine but this is the good stuff)

Make sure to get the shaping tools because they make your life so much easier!

Also, you can probably find the sculpey for less money on amazon.

Ok, Now that you have your supplies, we can start making the tank. Take out the Green clay and make a rectangle about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Then, cut it into 2 pieces along the middle.

Now set the pieces aside and grab the black clay. Once you have the black clay, but the side into small, thin strips like this:

Now, Cut them both in half down the middle and make even smaller strips. In the next step, you can see how to put them on using the photo.

Now that you have your treads and hull (body), your going to take 2 of the treads that you cut and cut them in half again. Then arrange them like the photo above.

Now, bake the hull with the attached treads like in the photo at 275° for around 11-12 minutes. Make sure to let it cool for 7-10 minutes or the pan/clay could burn you. Now that you've put the hull together, we can start making the turret of the tank. Use parchment paper under your clay so it doesn't stick.

Now that we have built the hull of our tank, we are going to construct the turret of the tank. This is where your going to need the wire. Cut a piece of wire about an inch long. Set that aside and make a small square from your green clay that is 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch and cut 2 corners in the front the photo.

Now stick the wire in the front of the little square where you just cut the corners. Next, take some green clay and shape it like a bread slice. Place your tank's "head" on the piece you just cut and then place it on the hull. When it looks to be the right dimensions/satisfies you take it off the hull and cook it at 275° for around 8-9 minutes. Remember to cook with parchment paper on your pan or your tank will stick.

Since you have built most of your tank now, you can add some little details to make it look realistic.

Some ideas are:

• hatches/doors
• battle markings
• bags/ammuntion

Basically anything you want to add, You can add it. It's your tank!