Water: Harbour Dock

[DougRichards]

I am trying to do a diorama of an occupied WW2 harbour dock using the Italeri dock modules (in this case one of the 'long dock' and one of the dock with stairs. Creation will be about 60cm long, Dock is about 20cm deep and the 'water' will be about 10cm from the edge of the model to the edge of the dock.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for simulating water or the water / dock interface?

 

[Ssnake]

Yak_v has presented many submarine builds here, and elsewhere. This report contains a short section about it.

[DougRichards]

thank you. but did not assist

[Ssnake]

?

[Stuart Galbraith]

Ive read that glass varnished and painted on one side works well as a representation of water, though mainly for Rivers. I doubt it would do any good for a dock.

 

Clear resin would probably be the best solution I think. Preferably slow setting so you can stipple it to create wave effects. EIther that or modelling putty painted green, and then gloss varnished, as seems to have been done here.

 

Ive not done any of this, but ive been to a few model railway shows and docks seem to be very popular.

[TonyE]

Take a look at the water textures available from Vallejo Colours:

 

[Stuart Galbraith]

Thats brilliant.

[DougRichards]

Nice ideas, and I have started getting to work on some of them.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Show us what you eventually come up with Doug. Particularly if its Commonwealth.

[DougRichards]

Show us what you eventually come up with Doug. Particularly if its Commonwealth.

 

Unfortunately as German forces get most of the love these days in modeling circles, it will be a German occupied dock (but I am thinking of placing allied frog persons in the water nearby.....)

[Stuart Galbraith]

Well there was an insanely large HMS Hood Model from Trumpetter that flirted with. But frankly Id need an extension on the house to build it, so probably not.

 

Sounds like a plan to me. Cockleshell heroes also might be a nice alternative, if anyone actually makes any in that scale.

[DougRichards]

Well there was an insanely large HMS Hood Model from Trumpetter that flirted with. But frankly Id need an extension on the house to build it, so probably not. Sounds like a plan to me. Cockleshell heroes also might be a nice alternative, if anyone actually makes any in that scale.

Well DML does a modern SBS kit with a kayak, but that is as far as it goes.

 

And this is 1/35 so a Hood would have to be scratched built and probably take up half the street

[Stuart Galbraith]

It was 1-200, but you are still getting on for a size you could comfortably convert into a Canoe.

 

https://freetimehobbies.com/1-200-trumpeter-hms-hood-battlecruiser-model-kit/

[RETAC21]

 

Well there was an insanely large HMS Hood Model from Trumpetter that flirted with. But frankly Id need an extension on the house to build it, so probably not. Sounds like a plan to me. Cockleshell heroes also might be a nice alternative, if anyone actually makes any in that scale.

Well DML does a modern SBS kit with a kayak, but that is as far as it goes.

 

And this is 1/35 so a Hood would have to be scratched built and probably take up half the street

 

 

If you want to do Hood, don't wimp it, go 1/16!

[Stuart Galbraith]

Already been done.

 

 

Alright, less hood than Graf Spee. But still impressive.

[rmgill]

You could do a nice HMS Cambletown diorama.


As to the specific question, harbor waters tend to be brackish and dark, I don't think you want anything much other than a layer of paint and some built up acrylic lacquer for the water effect. Something with a slow set time. Check your wood finishing stores for a polyurethane clear as a first test/step. There's lots of nice water based clear finishes now that can build up with time. There's some good single brush type things that will work too, very thick.

Don't forget the usual harbor trash and other critters that tend to show up or hang about harbors. Water birds, the odd cat, etc.

Edited March 7, 2018 by rmgill

[DougRichards]

I live in a coastal city and spent a fair amount of my youth in one of my school's rowing crews, on a river that no one at that time cared much about in terms of pollution and other rubbish. More recently, ten or so years ago, I returned to rowing briefly on the same river. The water was cleaner and looked much nicer, but was still impermeable to vision except for the top 15cm or so. Even sparkling 'clear' water where I snorkel is not so clear when looking from above. It does not take too much colouration to give the impression of depth, as no one can really see depth usually from above.

 

I am using a gloss but not uniform green base and pouring in 2mm layers an acrylic fake water that takes water based paint as a dye, so the water will be greyish over a green base. The basic idea was a defended port dock: with a PaK 38 behind concrete, and a 3.7cm FLaK gun. A searchlight tower with the AFV Club searchlight mounted and an assortment of other bits and pieces, with a 8cm mortar for illumination purposes.

 

An unmanned Sturmboot will be tied up at the 'stairs' section, as a runabout / patrol boat for the garrison.

Edited March 8, 2018 by DougRichards

[Stuart Galbraith]

What scale is the Sturmboot? Is this the airfix 1-72 one?

 

I remember building their MTB and their RAF Rescue Launches as a kid. They were pretty good kits for their time.

[DougRichards]

What scale is the Sturmboot? Is this the airfix 1-72 one?

 

I remember building their MTB and their RAF Rescue Launches as a kid. They were pretty good kits for their time.

 

Dragon 1/35

 

 

http://fhsw.wikia.com/wiki/Sturmboot

 

quote:

 

The Leichtes Sturmboot 39 was essentially a small, high-powered assault craft used for river and small waterway crossings and assaults. They were also employed on security and anti-partisan patrols along river ways in occupied territories. Leichtes Sturmboot were very fast, able to achieve about 30mph with the use of an outboard motor extended from the rear of the craft. They were without much protection or firepower though, aside from the possibility of an attached MG at the bow of the vessel and the weapons of the men inside. Leichtes Sturmboot 39 were transported into battle by most German construction and assault engineer units and were used to spearhead river and small waterway assaults, usually in conjunction with an attempt to form a bridgehead for the construction of a bridge. The craft could carry 6 men or about a half-ton of weight.

Hundreds of Leichtes Sturmboot 39 were built and used during WWII, and they did not carry specific number or letter identification markings, making a record of individual vessels nearly impossible to compile.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Ah sorry, my mistake. I was getting it mixed up with the E boat (schnellboote).

[DougRichards]

Those Airfix kits were good for their day. The newer Italeri 1/35 kits are something else again.

[Stuart Galbraith]

I was looking at the Tamiya PBR for a while. That looked a nice kit.

[DougRichards]

I was looking at the Tamiya PBR for a while. That looked a nice kit.

 

It is a nice kit actually, I built it abut 20 years ago. Of course now it is available with a stick on 'torpedo' motor, as is the LVT7 or whatever it is called this days (AAAV-7 ?). It would have been nice if Tamiya had produced a motorised track rolling version, perfect for 1/35 scale assaults on a village pond.

 

I have the old Matchbox 1/72 Flower Class half built in my workroom, on the top of some shelving. I last tried any work on that about 10 years ago and I am not happy with the way that my poor skills failed to put it together properly. I would dispose of it except it was a gift from my wife back in 1994, and she won't let me get rid of it. I know that a number of modellers have successfully motorised and radio controlled the kit, but that was not going to happen for me.

[DougRichards]

First water pour: too blue and bright, I will correct that with grey tinting of the next pour, and possible airbrushing of the finished surface in parts