I’m building a model of the P-38 Lightning “Glacier Girl” and trying to find the best way to display this model. I’m wanting to know if anyone may have an idea of how to make a realistic looking block of jagged ice? I believe this kit woulds look"cool" displayed this way. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome!
Hi skipper74134.
Depends on how thick you want the ice, but you could use Candle or Parrafin Wax. If you want to gloss it up a little, just cover it with pure white glue.
Hope this helps.
Jurgen.
You could also display it on a thick piece of clear acrylic with the bottom painted white so it is translucent like thick ice.
Perhaps a styrofoam block found I think at floral supply store, carve yer glacier then place your model into it.
I just had a brilliant idea…why don’t you make or purchase an acrylic/glass display box…now heres the good bit…cover the bottom/base to look like ice and then do the same with the top/roof of the case. You could make stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites from the floor. Make the hanging stalactites longer and more slender than the rising stalagmites. Leave all the sides clear. Glacier Girl would look like she was in an ice cave.
The hard part will be making effective looking ice.
I am having visions of it now. It could be quite spectacular!
Boomer
I took a book out from my local library about 10 years ago that was written by one of the guys who recovered Glacier Girl. The book described the various attempts to retrieve the aircraft, with all the highlights and pitfalls involved in the operation. Best part was that it was full of coloured photos of the recovery process. I can’t recall the name of the book but undoubtedly, the same photos have been published elsewhere by now and may even be available on the internet.
As I recall, after the aircraft was located, the recovery was achieved by sinking a shaft through the glacier using hot water and/or steam to melt the ice, with the resultant water being pumped out. When the aircraft was reached, the same technique was used to hollow out a cave around the airframe that was spacious enough to dismantle it, then send the components up the shaft to the surface. The walls of the shaft and cave were not jagged at all - they were very smooth ice. Try holding a cube of ice under a thin stream of hot water and you’ll see the result.
That’s the background; as for making the ice, I can’t help because I’ve never tried to replicate ice. The suggestion of hollowing out a chunk of styrofoam sounds like the best method to me though. Perhaps you can paint it white (a tinge of blue?) then build up a few coats of clear gloss artists’ medium. Remember to only use water-based paints though, as any solvent based product will eat away the sytrofoam. I can’t remember the photos in enough detail to confirm if any ice ‘stalactites’ existed in the cavern, but it’s quite feasible thet there would be a few.
Hope these thoughts help. Should be a good looking diorama; it will certainly be different!!!