I’m just finishing up Tamiya’s Pibber and would like to do a diorama of it on patrol going down a muddy river. I would like to know what is the best way to do the water and coloring for it. I was thinking of using AK’s water effect.
Jim I’m no use never having tried water effects. I remember seeing something in a FSM issue some time back worth a search or reposting in the Ships forum. Your title caught my eye I always picture a brown water river and a hot humid environment when I hear Robbie Robinson’s Somewhere down the crazy river. Would like to see your diarama when you start on it.
Look at Luke Towan’s Boulder Creek Railroad series on YOUTUBE
https://youtu.be/HEG3d0cMuv4?list=PLS3jZx0JPZNqy125zvV_mVP87iRD1WtKj
He has a very good example of modeling a muddy river. He uses a pourable clear resin which he has muddied up with pigment. Advice – go slow and pour your resin in thin lifts. Resin sets up with an exothermic reaction. The heat generated may warp styene if poured too thick.
The Water Effects are thin, so you’ll not get much depth out of them.
However, you don’t need much depth of vision in a muddy river, either.
The Tamiya PBR has been set into a number of smooth plaster bases, which were then painted a suitable brown, and given clear coatings atop that plaster. Like Gloss Gel Medium, even clear silicone (I prefer the former to the latter).
The Water Effects ca go over the top of the clear coats politiely. And, at slow speed, the bow wave and hull ripples out to be clear, not brown.
At speed, you have a bit more work, and Luke Towan is a good go by for getting curled surf techniques from., and you’ll need that for the amount of water a PBR moves at speed. That’s a situation where I might be inclined to use clear resin for the base, as the water jets can “clean” the brown out of the color of the water pretty thoroughly.
When you do create your ripples/ bow wave etc. try really to work from photos. the actual patterns can be much different than one would imagine.
Bill
Hi,
Just to add to what GMorrison noted, in shallow water the wake of a ship will be a bit different than in deep water, so it’s probably best to look at a lot of photos first.
Pat
Enhancing what my compadres said, research, research, research. Which in this case means lots and lots of pictures of what you are trying to do and what it’s supposed to look like. That old addage; a picture is worth a thousand words, is so true. Then, experiment with the different techniques mentioned, Then, and only then, make it happen.
Oh, and good luck.