Thanks Pat, that's the look I was aiming for!
Chas thanks, and yep Bunnings should stock it.
Thanks Roel. Mud certainly adds some interest to a diorama
Steve, I plan to fit out the Sherman with some sculpted figures, so expect this diorama to be finished as soon as 2019!
Andy, the resin is called (are you ready for this) 'Diggers' clear casting resin. Make sure you buy the catalyst with it, in a small brown bottle. I think it is a 1:100 ratio.
Cheers
Brad

Cheers Brad, now with a name like that it will be @#$%^&$ and put up resistance to everything I want it to do? hehe just kidding. I will keep an eye out for it next time I am down at Bunnings which shouldn't be too far away because as off tomorrow at lunch time I am done with uni for the year

Brad, this is excellent mate!
I'm hoping to acheive something similar with my current dio. but I doubt i'll manage anything quite this good! Still you have given me some good ideas mate, thanks for sharing this one.

Alan - that stuff looks just like pollyfilla, I use Homebase own brand wall filler for my dio bases and it works great.

Cheers,

James

Hi James

Yes, as I mentioned earlier I was under the impression Polyfilla, or a product like it is probably what we are talking about.

What's the working time with your (Homebase) stuff before it hardens, and have you tried, as Brad has done, to "dye" the mix with any colourant before laying it down ?

Alan

More of an update lads.
Gotten the muddy waters to a desirable level now. There are some solid drops of resin on some of the grass blades (as a result of the pouring) which need to be cut off yet...
I have added some longer clumps of drier grass randomly, and added some gloss to the mud-piles.











There will still be more work added to the ruts behind the M4, with the focus being on 'splashed' water.
Thanks for looking
Brad

Nice work Brad, keep the pics coming

Ryally

The little grass blades are great, very realistic. This is coming along well.

Are you going to use the toothbrush spatter method for the splashed water?

Hi brad,

Nice muddy work!! thanks for sharing !
ill be waiting for the finished project.

Gday Scott and thanks Marlon.
I'm in dilemma mode with the spatters. I need to show spatters on the tank where I think the toothbrush method would work well, but as for the displaced water from the tracks I may need to use resin again, and hopefully conjure up something sufficient... Maybe a Moses effect with the water jetting out in a fan-like appearance to each side of the ruts. If I can work on the base to an extent and then be able to match the mud on the tank to suit before placing it on the diorama permanently then I'd be happy.
Cheers
Brad

Wonderful job Bradley! Great groundwork and superbe thread to follow.

I must notice that you really love to play with mud.

Cheers
Claude

Do you mean you are going to model active water movement? Or water being activity splashed out of the way? I've got a couple ideas if that's what you're looking for.

Hey Scott
'Splashed out of the way' would be the most accurate definition... Wotcha Got?

The homebase wall filler I currently use (have used a couple of other cheap and cheerful brands in the past) has a good working time, you can extend it by making a mixture that has a higher water content, or vice versa. Generally I do the initial sculpting with it, let it dry for a while, then do the detail. There's plenty of time to work it anyway.
Yes I have also used paints to dye the plaster before using it. I usually use cheap (can you see a pattern emerging here!) artists acyrilics, though you have to over compensate as it'll always dry a much lighter shade than the colour you make it. Ususally i spray the un-coloured filler with Tamiya acrylics once dry, although pre-colouring can have its advantages, such as in a very muddy scene as Brad is doing here.

Hope that is of some use. The key is to experiment (and score the base before you lay down the filler, otherwise it can seperate itself and break off!) and get used to the properties of the stuff you're working with.

James

That is a great layout, it really captures the total image of a nasty muddy field. I like how you made the set of tracks for your tank and left the others as though they were used previously. Very nice.

Thanks for sharing.

Here are few ideas
- Pour resin over aluminum foil 'splashes'. Then peal the foil away when dry.
- Use Hot glue (biggest con is color)
- Make a 'pattern' out of clear styrene and apply resin splashes to it. Then 'mount' the whole thing.
- dropplettes of mud can be done by dipping fishing line in to a 'pot' of resin. As you pull the line out of the resin it creates a tear drop shape. Insert the other end into predrilled holes.


Any ideas strike your fancy? I can explain more....

Thanks Jim. A separate set of tracks automatically makes the viewer think that the lone tank featured is actually part of a larger action (Well hopfully it looks that way!)



Cor! I like this one Scott. May experiment further...

How much did your Resin cost you Brad? I picked up a Diggers 500ml jar from Bunnings, costing me $18! Was I ripped off?

You thought of multiple tanks based on tracks is 100% right.

Well the droplettes on fishing line is pretty much explained. If possible pre color the resin. Obviously, use differing lengths of line and sizes of drops. You can even put them coming of the back end of the tank.

hehe
Nope, that's about what I paid mate...

[/quote]

He Bradley,

excellent mud making you do, and also a comprehensive how to make mud you gave, I follow this thread with great pleasure!

Funny to see that the (picture of the) Sherman in the flood field posted by Cheyenne was an inspiration for Verlinden, as in The Verlinden Way vol II a built of the same tank is described.

greetings from a very wet (and muddy) Holland,

Jelger

Jelger thanks for your thoughts. I have seen this photo and similar and was wondering how brave I would be to have a completed Sherman relying on a successful pour of resin, as it could easily wreck many many hours of hard work if something were to go wrong! I didn't know of the Verlinden diorama though.
Brad

Yo Brad,

Love you're groundwork...this is very realistic!!! The real stuff, thanks for sharing this i really learn about it.
I should place more grass and some vegetation on the scene...but that's you're choice!
Great work...up to the next update.

greetz Nico

Thanks Nico. I was originally going to have a grassy scene with muddy channels, but thought a muddy scene with sparse grass would more convey the image I had in my minds eye...

A couple more photos. This one gives a good idea of the overall composition.



A couple of close-ups. (The colour's a little off in this one...)




Cheers
Brad

LOVE the overhead shot of the base. I have to agree with you - no more grass. A muddy field ripped up by armor is going to look just like you have it. In person you can see the grass that is there whole lot better.

Couple of questions:

1. What color acrylic did you use?

2. How may ounces in the acrylic tube?

3. And how much Agnews did you use?

Thanks

GLW