Hey all,

I am currently working on a sea diorama for my IJN Musashi using styrofoam as the base material. I am finding that I do not like working with it cause it makes too much of a mess. So the question I pose to those willing to respond is what material do you use for your seas diorama bases? If you do use styrofoam, what process do you use to reduce the mess?

thanks for your input.

Dave

Hello David,

The white styrofoam, if that is what you are using, is very
messy to work with.

My personnal preference is the blue insulation board. It is
not granular like the white or green foam. It cuts and carves
very well and can be sanded.

Once I carve the basic wave formation, I cover it with a
small amount of plaster to remove any jagged edges and
smooth out the overall appearence of the waves.

Next the ship is positioned in place and marked with pencil.

I sometimes need to trim a little so that the ship "sits" in
the water base and not on top of it.

Next I add more plaster or painters chalking and set the ship
in place. While it is drying, form any water breaks close to the ship, with a coffee stick.

Once dry, paint as necessary and coat with glossy medium.

Works very well for me...

Cheers,
Joe

Joe,

thanks for the reply. So your response brings more questions. Do they sell the blue insalation board in block or do you buy them in sheets? If in sheets do you stack the sheets in order to get the required height? What do you use to secure the sheets together?

Also can you tell me the brand name of the insulation boards that you use?

thanks again, I may try this method on my next project.

Dave

Hi David,

It is DOW that manufactures this product.

Blue board Insulation
Commonly referred to as “blueboard” for its light blue color, STYROFOAM™Brand Insulation products.

Found at any home improvement center, comes in 2'x8' or 4'x8' sheets and in a variety of thickness. Glues with PVA or any non solvent based glue.

Cheers,
Joe

thanks Joe, I will definately use this method for the next project.

Dave

Dave,
Best Glue to use for Blue Insulation Board is "Liquid Nails" which comes in a tube, or in a calk gun cartridge (for big jobs I prefer the cartridge). I recommend it because it's less messy then PVA, and has an instant tac-- but it's flexible for about an hour.You can get it at Home Depot, Lowes or Ace Hardware. I used to use it when I was into model railroading to create large layouts, including mountains. If you want to try an alternative, you can buy sheets of green Styrofoam at Hobby Lobby for crafting, its more expensive, but its also messy (don't confuse it with florist foam-- that's way too soft, and will deteriorate over time). Problem with the large-pore Styrofoams is PVA will run through the foam if you use too much-- Liquid Nails is much better for all foams.
VR, Russ

Russ,

thanks for the input. I also apprecaite the comments about the Florist Green Foan, was looking at it as a possible alternative. Did not realize that it deteriorated over time.

thanks again

Dave

AS long as the ship's draft is not too deep, ie: water-lined, or cut just below the water line, I use Celluclay (a papier-mache product for making ground cover for dios). Celluclay in applications more than 1/4" deep takes a long time to dry and can have the tendency to crack. The addition of white glue to the mix will help things a lot. Also, Celluclay can be tinted with cheapo acrylic colors when mixing. After shaping waves, wake, etc. paint appropriate colours, and apply several layers of gloss acrylic paste. This dries clear, gives an illusion of depth (to a certain extent), and gives a glossy, sort of watery, look to the surface.

Ask 'sargentx' (Chris Flodberg) how he does his water. He has excellent results!

Biggles,

Thanks for the advice. I will try that with my first water line.

Joe, went and bought two sheets of blue insulation foam today, just couldn't wait for the next project. So far so good, definitely a big leap from Styrofoam. In mess and cutting ability.

Russ, went with your suggestion of liquid nails.

Thanks again for all the advice.