How do you do Water Effect Diorama Bases?

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

I want to do a diorama with say, a surface, some floating fish, and a monster or something on top riding the ocean. How does one do this? I want the water to be one to three inches high. I’ve seen a lot of cool ones in magazines and on google images over the year. Anyone know how?

[shingen 13941xp 0]

I havent ever built anything like that, but if I ever tried, I’d most probably go with technics similar to this:

And for deep ocean:

 

[khusrauParticipant 1169xp 0]

Generally speaking, use resin. There are a number of commercial products that will work, commonly a two part mix of resin plus hardener. So if you wanted to view from the side, get your models in place (using clear rods or similar), then create a box around the sides using a material that the resin wont stick to, glass is best, but plasticard should work too, mix your resin, and pour, making sure you don’t get bubbles.

A quick search of youtube should throw up a few results, railway modellers and hobbyists doing things like paperweights etc should get you some hits

[onlyonepinman 18060xp 1]

@mage if you want to make something like you are describing you will need to build up the water in layers and in order to get the depth required you may need to use resin. So pour a thin layer of water let it cure. Stick on your fish, pour another layer and let it cure and so on. Look at the videos shown in the post above.

If you are using deep water effects (i.e. Resin) remember that you will need to create a container around your diorama to contain the liquid resin while it cures. You will need to design that in such a way that it can also be removed when dry. It can be done, there is a video by a channel called plasmo where he builds a diorama with an abandoned tank stuck in a river.

[onlyonepinman 18060xp 0]

P. S. Don’t use woodland Scenics for deep water effects. Anything more than a couple of mm thick and it takes days to cure.

[lupa15 11253xp 1]

Here is the video referenced by @onlyonepinman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P5GSDNpExQ

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

@shingen

 

Thank you for the links

 

 

@khusrau

 

Okay, I will.

 

Generally speaking, use resin. There are a number of commercial products that will work, commonly a two part mix of resin plus hardener. So if you wanted to view from the side, get your models in place (using clear rods or similar), then create a box around the sides using a material that the resin wont stick to, glass is best, but plasticard should work too, mix your resin, and pour, making sure you don’t get bubbles.

A quick search of youtube should throw up a few results, railway modellers and hobbyists doing things like paperweights etc should get you some hits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@onlyonepinman

 

I have no experience doing anything like this so it’s a bit of an uphill thing for me. I heard about doing multiple thin layers. Ill check out the videos.

 

Not sure how I will tackle the ‘scaffolding’ container.

 

Duly noted with woodland scenics.

 

 

 

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

Thanks @lupa15

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 0]

Shameless Plug for the store but for beginners we have the following that might help 🙂

 

UV Activated Resins
https://store.ontabletop.com/product-category/painting-modelling/?filter_material-type=uv-resin

UV Torch (to Cure The Resin)

Ultraviolet Torch

Oval Deep Base Moulds (We have Circular Ones Arriving this week)
https://store.ontabletop.com/product-category/painting-modelling/?filter_tool-type=moulds

 

[mageParticipant 20596xp 1]

@warzan

 

More to add to my watch list, thankin’ you 🙂

[lupa15 11253xp 1]

@warzan Nice! I feel like Green Stuff world is fast becoming a go to place for the crazy sprucing up of miniatures.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 0]

@lupa15 Indeed, I’m thinking about theming the bases of my ‘ghost’ army around an underground sewers (with water effect over a stone effect etc using the bits above)

I’m just trying to work out the steps in my mind lol

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

Poo ghosts? Maybe do one, learn from inevitable mistakes and then make a more efficient step by step process with the learning curve.

[Anonymous 0xp 0]

Greenstuff World Youtube channel has quite a few videos of their UV resin stuff being used in various ways.

[mageParticipant 20596xp 0]

@robert

 

Thanks. It will give me something to watch this evening.

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