Artificial water and waves

It is looking GREAT!  Looking forward to your next update...

I added my jungle flora and trees, first pass.

Thanks so much, know how to do it now; This is the baech assault frame show ocean and jungle areas.

Copy the "direct link" from photobucket.

Then when creating a new post click on the button like a film strip for insert media and paste that link.

Looking forward to your progress, thinking of doing a similar dio for an LST kit I have.

Your ship looks great. Yesm, we're thinking alike. I've uploaded my progress photos to Phto Bucket, but I don't know how to post them here. Ehat's the trick?

Runamok has the inside track. Don't try to create depth with thickness of water material. keep it flat and create the effect as he described it. Personally, I paint the bottom as previously suggested in shades, then a few coats of gel, then sculpt the waves, paint them white, future for the watery look and good to go.

Back in the RR days I tried stuff like Envirotex and resins and it's just not good at all. If you are doing a clear little pond with a tree stump sticking out of it in the forest and rocks on the bottom, fine, but it is a lot of work to control and not at all suitable for large areas. Can't wait to see your dio, and thanks for the figures tip too.

Here's a pic. The dio has a lot of problems, but I've always liked the effect. Because she's running in open sea, I used black as the base color.

Well Joe, you've picked a tough one for your first. Are you going as far as showing the German cliffside machine gun/mortar positions as well? My advise is research, research, research before starting. Stand on the shoulders of others who have come before you as I have done many times. I'll be glad to help all I can.

Chuck

Thanks again Chuck...Im using the Dragon landing craft for mine. Having never done a dio before...its been a learning experience for sure!

Also Joe, if you use Heller's Higgins landing craft, it has and extra sprue of German steel boat obstacles placed just off shore that were intended to rip the bottom out of the LCVP’s.

Chuck

Hi Chuck, thanks for the reply. Ill go check out the LHS tomorrow and you can post pics on here....but I don't know how as I've never done it....but please post em if ya can!!

One more thing Joe, I just noticed that you're doing Normandy. That said, I would use Woodland Scenics Fine Ballast for Normandy beach sand, but go on the Woodland Scenics website and consider their gray blend or gray fine ballast. Their fine ballast looks lage and course in the photos they show, but is actually very fine grained.

Chuck

Hi Joe,

I found two products that work- While I was in Michael's Craft Store recently, I found two different small bags of very fine grain sand that are perfect. One was pure while and the other a sort of wet sand or desert colored sand. The white sand I'll use for my ocean bottom and beach. The darker sand I'll use for the edge of the jungle. I also found that Woodland Scenics has a very fine sand, again desert sand color, called Buff Fine Ballast Bag. Their stock number B73.

I've completed making the jungle flora, hardwood and palm trees from scratch which turned out well (can I post a photo on this site?, if so I'll show you how they cames out). I'm just finishing up the Japanese machine gun log bunker. My diorama will end up being 9" by 16". I'm still researching the most risk free method of creating artificial water.

Best regards,

Chuck Evans

Hey Chucker, I'm doing a Normandy duo in 1/72. What did you come up with for scale looking sand? This ones been stumping me....

Many thanks in advance!

Joe

Tell me what you think of this approach:

1. The Higgins boat needs to be in shallow aqua water with its ramp dawn in about 6” of water. What if I painted the shallow sea floor starting with the outer edge a darker aqua color and lighter as I approached the beach surf line eventually leaving the last several feet clear (all 1/72 scale)?.

2. Let that dry and seal everything the artificial water will come in contact with and then pour in the artificial water (I'm leaning towards Woodland Scenic 16oz Water Effects seeing it's water based and non-toxic. I have bad lungs) and let it set up. The deepest area of the water would be is about 1/4” to 3/8”.

3. I know how to create surface water effects plus gentle waves.

To me, this would be the lowest risk approach to having success the first time.

Please tell me what you think.

Best regards,

Chuck

Tell me what you think of this approach:

1. The Higgins boat needs to be in shallow aqua water with its ramp dawn in about 6" of water. What if I painted the shallow sea floor starting with the outer edge a darker aqua color and lighter as I approached the beach surf line eventually leaving the last several feet clear (all 1/72 scale)?.

2. Let that dry and seal everything the artificial water will come in contact with and then pour in the artificial water (I'm leaning towards Woodland Scenic 16oz Water Effects seeing it's water based and non-toxic. I have bad lungs) and let it set up. The deepest area of the water would be is about 1/4” to 3/8”.

3. I know how to create surface water effects plus gentle waves.

To me, this would be the lowest risk approach to having success the first time.

Please tell me what you think.

Best regards,

Chuck

Thanks so much. You obviously spent a fair amount of time with your response which is very appreciated. Do you have a photo of a similar diorama you have made using this technique?

Chuck

Try this, it's cheap and non permanent if you mess up.

Before you start, close your eyes and imagine what it would have been like to be there. What's wet.

Anyone fall, any equipment dropped in the water? 

1- Figure out the position of the boat on your base and mark it out.

2- Higgins boats don't draw much water, but loaded they do settle down a bit. If you put this in an old picture frame you have a nice looking wooden base to contain all your work.

3-Build the base of you water area with simple styro-foam.  You cut it close to the outline of your boat and snuggle it down on the base with some Elmers Glue. 

4-When the foam is secure, make a batch of paper mache out of cellu-clay.  Mix it all up and pack it around the boat, use a plastic knife to work it around the boat.  You can make waves with your fingers if you want but a lot of landing were near or in a lagoon whenever possible to avoid that stuff.

If you think your sand will fit in now is the time to put it into the display. It will show in the shallows and won't as the water drops off.

5-Rough up the water around the edges of the boat and a good navy coxsin will keep the motor running so make sure the area around the tail of the boat is all roughed up.

When the paper mache is dry paint it any color or combination of colors you want. When you have that done get some DeCoupage Paste from a local craft store.  Paint it over the water you painted.

When that's dry do some more painting and repeat the process again. If you do this two or three times you get a nice layered affect.  When you are all done, get a tube of Window Caulk Sealer, White, tint it with a little water based color of your choice if you want  and dry brush this along the edges of the boat, around the legs of your marines and everything else in the water.

Finally when you think this is all finished I have one more step for you to do  Paint the Marines legs bodies and such and the interior of the LCVP and ramp with a couple coats of Future Floor Wax.Treat the wax like water. If your LCVP is tilted the water will pool to one side.

When you are done. Everything that needs to be wet will look wet. You won't be bogged down with Resin and when you want to clean the diorama, (Do a good job and put it in a case), wipe it down with a damp Kleenex.

Good ideas, let me consider that.

Thank you,

Chuck

I believe you can also put food coloring in the resin to tint it? Start with more and darker, working toward less and more an aqua than blue as you approach the shore. Since you've got sloping ground, you'd be able to pour in layers, so the overall top layer could be clear.