The PT Boat Forum
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi

ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi?cid=101&fct=showf

ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboard.cgi?fct=gotoforum&cid=101&fid=102

ť Topic: STANS DIORAMA WATER DETAILS
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=1870

Some of you gys had E-Mailed me to find out how Stan does his water on the projects he does for me. If you have seen the PT-108/Submarine project you know he is doing something right. Here goes:

The first thing I do is seal the entire base board with sealer, after which I trace the outlines of the ships or whatever on the board in their proper place. I then cover the board with a layer of Joint Compound. I pucker the compound with a flat piece of wood to indicate small or large wave action. You can also get wave direction as well. Practice makes perfect so they say. I also stay away from the outlines of the boat about 1/16 of an inch. This is so you can attach the boat or Ship. I then paint the water, whatever color I choose, as in the 108 project, using Midnight Blue, Christmas green, and white. I use acrylic paint, which is easy to paint and dries fast. It's best to wait until the compound has dried completely.

I then glue the boats or ships in place and fill in around the boats again using joint compound, creating the kind of splashes you want around the hulls. It is easy to shape the compound if it is a bit dry and easy to make it look like it is running off the items by thinning it with water. After everything is dry again, I paint the unpainted joint compound to fit the conditions. Wave action, white caps, or smooth seas. The location of the ships at sea determines the color of the water, which I think you all know. If I am happy with what I see I first let the person who I am building the model for see it before I put the gloss on.

After it is dry I put put a 50/50 craft gloss mix on my brush. Use a soft brush. The product tends to soften the paint which helps to blend some of the colors. You can pour the product on and it will even out, but I think this procedure should only be used with a calm Sea effect. When it dries your done, unless you see a flaw. You can paint over the gloss and regloss without a problem. I hope this helps you guys, as Frank had requested my way of doing water................

Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Jul 4, 2010 - 6:12am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am

Thanks Stan. You have certainly developed a great technique and advanced the level of nautical model makink. I appreciated the details. Bwst of luck onm future models.

Posted By: BobPic | Posted on: Jul 4, 2010 - 7:00am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Hi Frank and Stan.

Thanks for the tutorial. It is very similar to what I already use and do. It is a nice simple method of making rough water. Plus, this method has the great advantage of *NOT* creating lots of toxic fumes like the epoxy or polyester resin methods do.

Cheers from Peter

"Give me a faster PT boat for I'd like to get out of harm's way!"

Posted By: PeterTareBuilder | Posted on: Jul 4, 2010 - 7:49am
Total Posts: 494 | Joined: Jun 24, 2008 - 5:59pm