Is the base really hard to do for a waterline kit? I know there are some sites out there that talk about "how" to do one, but I am curious if generally people find this process easy or difficult to undertake.

Thanks,
Jim

Jim,
I have only done one, but I generally found it no harder than any other project I've tried. I used Sculptamold and it worked fine.

Scott Sullivan

Scott,
This will show you how little I know, what is Sculptamold? Is it like a plaster mix that they use to make mountains on model railroad layouts?

Ron C.
Ashtabula, Oh

I am alos about to start, by that I mean in a month or so, my first waterline kit...1/700 Admiral Scheer. I have a question about the base...I remember an article in an old Hobby Japan that shows them using a sheet of plastic that looked to be 1/8" thick or so and molded to look like water and allready blue. Since I cannot read Japanese, I have no idea if the part was scratch build or bought. If I can find the issue, I will post a pick. But what I want to know is, does such a product exist? Buy a sheet of ocean, cut a shape for the ship, add waves and mount.


:-)

I'm currently working on my first waterline too. There's a good article on making water on www.modelwarships.com.

(Ain't figured out the posdting a link thingie yet, sorry)

Here's a link to an article I did on building a sea base for waterline ships. It's easy to do and doesn't require specialised materials.
Building a sea base

I find doing water to be a relatively simple step in waterline ships, generally due to the difficulty I have in laying down decent P.E. I love ships, the're just so time consuming...

My technique is taken from an old Verlinden magazine, just add white glue to a batch of fine sand, mix together with water, till you get a runny oatmeal feel, and after you've glued the waterline ship to the base carefully add the glue/sand on the base using a fine tool. I use the Tamiya paint stir stick to apply the mixture, take your time around the hull and keep adding layers to simulate the waves. Let dry for a night and begin to paint the sand with tube oils, mix greens with blues and a touch of yellow, add white to the wave crests. In a week or so, hand paint a coat of gloss, I use an enamil gloss for this, again, take care around the hull of the ship.

I'll attach a series of photos, if they don't appear, just click on the my photos icon below...

Frank






EDIT by Skipper: Fixed the img url's

I've also seen aluminum foil used sprayed over with blue and then shaded. Bt the celluclay / sculptamold is the most popular. When I use the stuf, I sort of predye it a bit. Never done a ship dio (used a medium brown for earth and a grey to simulate piled rubble for a building), but I'ld use a medium acrylic blue and add to the mix then lay it on. Shape it to show ship during movement or at rest. After it dries then over spray with differnt shades of blue, then do the white caps, foam behind the moving ship,wake. ETC

Hi all

Late as usual, but I was sick - so I guess I have an excuse!
The main challenge in making water in 1/700 for a waterline dio is making it convincing - because you don't want it completely flat nor tsunali wave like! You have to achieve a medium wave factor and also very important the colours used...
So I can say that it's a scale problem that is the main challenge here...

Here are some examples from Armorama member and a friend Filipe Ramires (Adml_Filip)












Skipper

Why don't you check my articles out here on armorama?

"Bulls eye" Mike

(I should have remembered it too - sorry)
http://www.armorama.co.uk//features/42

Skipper

Oh, nice models Rui!!!!
I'll have a few more detailed photos of T-9 (the first photo) so that you can put them online.
Too all: about water/sea making!
I've been on this for sometime and I developed my own techniques (most certainly that someone out there haves a better one) and I will gladly share them.
First of all what kind of sea do you want to do? Calm, medium, heavy seas? For calm seas I use a plastic card or card at all to do the base; then I give a large ammount of maskol (yes, MASKOL) in a thin coat (old brush is good for that); since the maskol takes time to dry I use a small round part (the other end of the brush for instance) to push up the maskol giving it the image of small waves; after it is dry either a thin coat of liquid putty or a good primary colour over the maskol; then paint at your will (normally from a darker colour to a lighter one); whites; glue the ship to the water and then a thin transparent gloss coat on the final. You can use many other materials if you want. This has been my tactic for years and works fine to me. If you want heavy seas or a solid waves I would advise some sort of Milliput or something similar. Usually, depending on the size of the base it doesn't take more then a couple of days to do it and it is quite a challenge but worth it!
Good luck.

Fil

Yes please Filipe!
That and the others that I have asked

Skipper

Hey guys...my personal favorite for water is clear silcone caulk. I spread it out using a piece of cardboard. You can get smooth and rough seas. Just paint the base the water color first and then apply the silicone. Before it sets, press your ship into it. It secures the ship and make great water. Two for one deal! Picked up this tip from a Shep Paine book.

Kenny