Speed boat

Matt;

You Can use that varnish as your finish .I don't know how enamel would react under it . Now Acrylic should do okay .Then just do as you know to do, lightly sand and polish,polish, polish !

TB, if I know this guy like I think I do......yeah, he stole the boat, all the while telling the girls it's his boat. The Policia are back there in pursuit, but he 's playing it off so well.....the girls haven't a clue.

Now that I know the story behind the photo backdrop and dio, I can barely make out the line between the two. Very sly photography and great match of colors for the water effect.

Matt

Matt;

Isn't that the guy the Policia are looking for stealing a boat ? Or is it the Caribinieri ?

Don asked about the backgroud pic: it's just stuck on the wall behind the dio. I printed it out on an A3 sheet, so I could move the image up or down till it looked "right" in terms of fitting in behind the boat, then just took a snap of it. However, I did deliberately build the frame around the dio so it was flush with the water, for a relatively seamless join between my fake water and the water of the background.

However, that said, I do love using Photoshop with models. I've done dozens of "Photoshopped" dioramas using my bought diecast car models, and I've done a couple with model planes I have built, as well.

T.B. , thanks for those tips. I guess I need to figure out how I'm going to approach the finish....considering it's the focal point of these boats.

I have a  virgin quart of Epiphanes varnish left over from my days of messin' around with wooden boats. The stuff can look great when done properly. I've been known to throw on at least 5 coats of the stuff with wet-sanding in between. If done right, the varnish looks smooth as glass and miles deep.

I guess I never considered using model paint (clears). That might work out well for the static model I have. The Typhoon might be set up to go full R.C. and so I wonder how the ModelMaster clears would hold up under use and "abuse". I'm still in the "how do I approach this?" phase, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. I haven't even figured out what the anti-fouling color will be for either of them.

The "wood" effects on the model above really look great....something I need to practice. My wife was amazed not only with the model and water effects, but also the use of the razors (which happen to fill our bathroom trash can, it seems).

Lothario better watch out. I'm thinking there's probably a jilted gentleman chasing him down in his Riva, trying to get that second girl back.

I think we need to see some more pictures....

Matt

Hey Ozzie

are you one of those guys that goes into a pool hall, claims he never played pool before and, after a bet is made, runs the table? Some "newbie",  I think we've been had! Great job, not just on the overall finish, but on "re-purposing" a mundane kit into something to be proud of. Bravo Zula....

Is the background a photo backdrop or is it photoshopped in? In either case it looks great. I am a big fan of that type of model photo, rather than the flat eBay type of model photo.

Thanks for those tips, Tankerbuilder. I just slapped on two coats of some kind of gloss varnish, but I'll come back to these tips later on. Sounds like you must get an amazing finish with your method.

And Mr Lothario, the driver of the speed boat, he's known to the Italian water police as a repeat offender.

Listen here young man!

Just consider yourself lucky. I mean making a wake like that. Any closer to shore and you would've been in a 5 mph.or NO WAKE Zone ! I like it,I like it . Zoom-Zoom , Splash,splash. Gees , you are making me feel the scene .That's great !

Matt;

   When you do start those boats ,here's a tip to help. Remember how glass smooth and glossy those old woodies were? You can get that by spraying very thin coats of Testor's Model Master - Clear, topcoat ( it's a regular enamel.) Then between coats lightly " Damp" sand the coats .You should have at least four coats when done.

    Then paint your waterline color. Let it dry and mask it off . Now buff the clear-coated areas with tooth-paste ( The old fashioned kind ) until you get a glass smooth surface, finish with jewelers rouge ( about 8000 grit I think it is ) then wax . I use carnauba wax , believe it or not .

   A beautiful finish for a beautiful boat,should be your mantra . It will certainly speak to whomever sees it . By " Damp " sanding I mean sanding with sandpaper just dampened with a few drops of water . Keep sanding detritus down with an ocassional wipe with a damp cloth and put a drop of water every eight or ten strokes and sand with very light pressure . If you got a good smooth coat when you sprayed it shouldn't need much .       T.B.

I was completely fooled by that first photo! I could have sworn I was looking at an old photo. Very well done! Woodies are near and dear to my heart.....helped restore a couple and owned a 1947 Higgins myself.

Brilliant use of the razors! I always marvel at the people that can look at everyday objects and see them for something else. You might say "newbie", but I'd say VERY talented beginner. The water effects are very convincing... something I'll have to try someday.

I have a Dumas kit of "Typhoon" and another of a triple cockpit barrelback that I'm itching to start....seeing this might just push me back to the bench. I get to combine two fun hobbies....woodworking and models.

Thanks for the inspiration....

Matt

Looks like Lothario has been friend-zoned!

Very nice job!  The boat's wake is fantastic!

Wonderful model!  When I was kid (this was in the 1940's) I had a ride in a Chris Craft that looked a lot like that.  It had a 300+ HP Chrysler inboard automobile engine and there was nothing on that lake that could beat it!  I don't know if it was stock like that, or if someone customized it.

OZMAC;

     I thought you were a beginner ! Boy , if you are ,I don't want to ruffle your feathers at a contest. You might beat me in whatever class and I am near retiring as a proffessional ! Darned good job ,and I like the way you handled the wood grain . Being that you scratched a lot . Do you mind a few pointers on this type of boat along with any fishing boat,which I grew up working on and crewing on Before I was old enough to vote ?

  Using the wood graining technique you used , if you had bought some Evergreen sheet of plastic with 1/16 or 1/8 inch grooves in .010 or .020  you could've had a planked deck with the black or white caulk lines between them . You can contact me off site and I'll clue you in on what I would do to the ones I built and sold or gave as gifts .You would be surprised what I used !  

Only if you would like of course .I think you have a great future as a very independant scratch and regular builder . You have the fire ! Keep it lit ,Please ?       T.B.                P.S. See! You gave me an idea with those Razors and I use them , Because I am to cheap to use the Gillette or Schick products !

I think it looks great!  The wood effect is very well done.