How best to model Wet sand in the surf?

Hello,

I've only ever done "regular" sand, but the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this thread was: just paint the wet sand slightly darker than the dry, and maybe varnish it too.

Greetings all;

Here is a bit of fun on the subject of modeling sand and surf.

http://www.hfmodeling.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=1601

ww2modeler wrote:

Well, I'm on the other side of the Gulf in FLorida.

There are worse places to be <g>. 

I didn't see any kits of a Mike Boat.

Yeah, I think the only one is the LCM-3; there may be a hull kit from that outfit that makes PBR & Swift & such like hulls.

Might not be so bad, could set the grounded LCM in '43 with a bolted-tranny-cover M4 for the load.  Might be an excuse to finish my 'udt boat'-to LCP(R) conversion, too. 

Well, I'm on the other side of the Gulf in FLorida.

heres a Mine Clearing Excersize in the Gulf:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/gomex.htm

Also, the USMC reserve does alot of exersizes on the beach.

I didn't see any kits of a Mike Boat.

David

Thanks, but I'm in a pretty good way for LC plans.  I used to operate an LCP(L) command boat, and I've even cobbled up a set of model-builder plans for one.  Just never had a reason to start one.

I'm pretty well off in reference material, too, from my time in Amphib, and Beach Logistics.

Shoot, you're talking me into two dios now <g>

Hmm, wonder if there's a 6 or 8 Mike boat kit out there?  I know there's an LCM-3 kit.  May have to go plumb my local "knowledge base" to see if they ever ran and exercises off the Gulf coast.  Hmm, maybe over to Sandy point over by Port A . . .

Lesse, nice stout sand bar; plex or acrylic for the sea surface, Bubba and Buedreaux in a punt fishin' for flounder or striper--with a center-channel marker mockingly in the "depths" between the bars . . .

A whiel ago I researched scratchbuilding a landing craft and found some plans for it. If you were interested, I could try to find them.

That would make a good dio, a LCI grounded with some fisherman fishing on their Boston WHaler and a couple of mad GIs in the water holding there arms up shouting some "colorful language" at the boatswain while maybe a Gis trying to get untangled from a fishing line.

Definately make an interesting diorama. A while ago I saw an exersize on the beach, they had two radio antennaes set up and about 20 reservists (USMC) crouching down with a couple of Humvee.

David

Yeah, I'm still debating actual military mission vice exercise. 

Landing exercise makes for a good excuse to have some Army types among the grouping, too.  Could be cool, different radios and RTOs, ah, "coordinating," yes, that's it, coordinating.

Exercise means having only a "bad landing" for, say an LCVP; rather than a full broach, which was my first thought.  Hmm, might be an excuse to build n LCP(L)--which we were not 'sposed to ground on the beach (but my, didn't the sand strainers get full a time or two . . . )

BTW, always dreaded that some Flag would decide that Aransas, or Crystal Beach, or Surfside would make a nice "public spectacle" of the might & ability of Our Forces.  But, that would be a completely different dio <g>  Mike boat mired, hard, on a sand bar a mile offshore, with many embarassed hands (hmm, couple dudes in a johnboat fishing in the "shade" would be just about right . . .)

75-85 would put you in Grenada, if it was a military scene. Also, Dragon has their 29th Infantry Division set which would look nice if you put an opsticle in there and scratchbuilt the ramp of a LCA or one of the other LCs. I think with footprints, they would be shallow unless there was a person there becausethe water would gradually fill it in. As you see in this picture, the bubbles in the water could be created by taking the plaster, and raise the point where you want the bubbles and then poke holes in it because thats sort of what it looks like.

David

ww2modeler wrote:

Just my thought, hope this helps.

Does. Might be the ticket, plaster, it would 'flow' better.

'Cause what I'm really thinking about is the way things in the surf line get that 'bubble' of wet sand around their edges as the surf tries to steal whatever it is back to Davy Jones.

I'm torn on where or not to have those "eruptions" that forced footprints in the wet/below surfline "get."  I'll have to experiment, I think--I'd hate for them to be accurate, yet look like an "uh-oh."

Of course, so far, this is more an excuse to go browse for available figures, to then decide what era to do it in <g>.  I'm leaning towards '75-85 or so right now, if only for the clutter (and the junk in the spares box <g>) .

I'm looking at this picture. Notice how the water breaks and drifts another couple of feet on momentum and then deposits its debris at the end of its point. You can also seee the color difference. The sand the water got on is a mostly solid color while the other sand is a mixture of different colors. The different colored sand could probobly be achived by sprinklling different colored sand s on the base. Now, to the point: The wet surf texture could probobly be created by taking plaster mixed with sand, applying it to the area and taking a popsicle stick and smoothing it up from the water until you get to the area where you want the stop point and then stop and it will leave a little edge and then back down with the popsicle stick until it looks smooth. Just my thought, hope this helps.

David