Beach diorama

Modeling Subjects Dioramas
1

Hi guys

i have a question for you guys who have built beach Dioramas, what products did you use for sand? I find searching the site here difficult on my iPad. I want to put together a little 1/35 scale Normandy diorama with some figures and beach obstacles. Thanks for any help you can offer and send me in the right direction

thanks

Jeremy

2

Hey JerB;

In response to your inquiry; a fellow modeler friend of mine did a small vignette of the Normandy beach area. For his groundwork/sand he used Epoxy wood filler. According to him it gives you time to sculpt or move the epoxy around to your desired look but once it dries, it dries hard to sand or shape. This is how it initially looked. Good luck.

3

I use sand blasting sand to represent sand on dioramas. I usually make a slurry of sand , white glue and water. Trowel it on the base and contour.

Carl

4

I do the same as dpty_dawg_ca, but use fine playground sand, chinchilla sand, or even backing powder. You just want something to give a fine sand texture.

5

It’s not just you iPad–this site is flat difficult to search.

Diorama scale matters here. As does the nature of the “beach.”

At 1/72 and smaller, you can use just smooth plaster for most beach sand.

the beaches at Normandy are a fine shingle, a rocky “sand.” At 1/35, using “sanded grout” as a top layer probably does the texture best.

Grout mix can render “sand” nicely.

But, not all “beach sand” is the same. It can e cobbles up to 12" (30cm) in size, ir fine as talcum powder, and from pur white to pure black in color.

Experimenting at smaller scale is well worth the effort.

6

Ditto, on any platform.

Much better results using Google (or probably any other search engine) and simply adding ‘finescale’ to the tags/parameters.

7

certainly

better

Bill

8

thanks guys, yeah it’s just going to be a small scene with a few soldiers behind some obstacles. I’m also trying to figure out what I want to use for water.

9
10

JerB how did you comeout with your “sand” issue? I am cuoriuos Because I want to do a beach dio also.

11

Hi Jeremy:

Hera at the Train Museum, we use Aquarium Sand, “Fine” to do that. Then mix it in a slurry-More sand than White Glue (Aleen’s,“Tacky Glue-Gold Bottle”) Make sure you can spread it with a small putty knife or as our Marilyn prefers, A butter knife, For smoother sand use a putty knife and make sure you spread it finer at the waters edges. It will flow also because of the mushiness from the white glue.You can always go back afterwards with 180Grit sandpaper, then 320 grit paper to work the edges.