Sea dioramas

[McColm]

Hi Guys,
This has probably cropped up before and will again, but what are the best or what do use to create a water/sea diorama?
Are resin products expensive or is there a cheaper method?
I usually build in 1/72 scale and will be needing to refer to this topic as I intend to build float planes and flying boats/sea plans.

Many thanks,
Steven

[Captain Canada]

I think it depends on what kind of water you are looking for. If it's tropical, you'll want a clear resin. If it;s the North Atlantic, you could get away with papier mache or drywall mud, painted to resemble the darkness that is the cold deep.

[sandiego89]

Steven, I use caulk.  Much cheaper than resin.  A base for a 1/72 aircraft will likely use less than 2 tubes, each about about $5 US.  Base can be any piece of scrap wood, I like shelving material.  Regular househould, paintable caulk available at any hardware store. Clear is better than white caulk, as clear gives a hint of transparancy like real water.

Make sure to buy paintable caulk!  Some can not be painted.    

Goes on like icing on a cake.  Cut the tip off the tube, and squirt it on your surface, use a putty knife or scrap piece of plastic to mold waves, etc.  You will need to experiment a bit to get patterns you like.  You have plenty of time before it gets too tacky.

Let dry.  Most paintable caulk goes on white but then clears.  Then just spray paint over it with a navy blue- cheap rattle can variety.  Then brush on some white to show spray/foam.

I am away from my home computer right now, so can't post my how to photos directly, but these links show my method.    

Take a look at my SeaVictor to see how it looks in near 1/72 scale. I sculpted a wake to show a slow taxi.  I cut a hole so the hull lays lower in the water

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35740.30.html

I use it on ship dioramas as well.

Here is a thread showing my technique on page 3.  CONVAIR Sea Darts with thier tender submarine. How to lay it down, spread it out, sculpt, makes waves:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34962.30.html

Page 2 of this thread shows it on another ship diorama thread, Sea Masters on a tender.

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,36697.15.html

edit added some photos:

[Dizzyfugu]

Steven, I use caulk.  Much cheaper than resin.

Second that, clear caulk/silicon is great for stirred water, and you can even dry-brush crests for additional effects. Clear resin is only good if you a) have a still surface and/or b) you want a clear view onto the ground - can make sense in a beach scenario, or for a lake/pond. Some people also have good success with "opaque" water, totally sculpted from putty/plaster and painted (commonly used for small scale ships), and a friend of mine did a scene using sea foil from the railroad modelling supply - he "bent" it into shallow waves, with a crashed Spitfires half sunk in a wave valley. One of the very few applications of this stuff that I found actually convincing.

Clear caulk over a clear carrier board (acrylic glass, 2-3mm in strength, can also be bent with heat) should be a good way to go, IMHO.

[Mossie]

Guys at my local model shop use DAS modelling clay, it works out relatively cheap, about £2 for a 500g pack.  I've bought some, but not used it so far.

Here's an excellent diorama with a step by step guide of how to go about it:
http://worldwartwozone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27529-mk7c41-late-model-the-last-patrol-diorama-1944-45/

[McColm]

Thanks Guys,
I'll read up on each suggestion as the night shift gets less busier.

[ChernayaAkula]

Regarding the caulk method: are there any problems with shrinkage over time?

[sandiego89]

Regarding the caulk method: are there any problems with shrinkage over time?

None.  I have not had any shrinkage or cracking with my caulk sea scapes. I have done about 5 bases with this method, with the oldest being about 3 years old. Still a bit rubbery to the touch.  Kept in a garage that never gets blistering hot or below freezing.

If it did crack, it would be easy to fix with new caulk and a re-paint. you can even repaint if you want a differnt color sea- not all oceans are the same.

One more thing about the caulk.  Wait a day (two is better) before handling.  You can't resist wanting to poke it to see how it has hardened, but if you rush it it will leave a perfect impression of your fingerprints!

I'm sold on it.  Cheap, fun, water cleanup and pretty easy- practice on some scrap. May not be award winning resin quality, but likely plenty good enough for most hobbyists.    

I just pulled a few of mine out to check- no shrinkage!  A bit dusty

tough to tell in this photo, but each blue is a bit different.  All done with cheap rattle call dark blue, navy etc.  A few delicate passes of green on one.  

Left to right, 1/700 scale with a WHIF MAJESCTIC, 1/350 scale base (submarine removed, wake was for a Sea Dart taking off), 1/72 base with a WHIF Attacker on floats (base built for a Sea Victor)  

 

lots of dust sorry. Note color difference.



Wakes



Larger wakes under 1/72 Suez Attacker (you can see cut out for larger seaplane), dry brushed white caps white to suggest spray.  Still rubbery to the touch, no crack or shrinkage. Sorry poor camera focus,