Paul,

Any updates? The dio was developing very nicely.

Tony

Tony, thanks for comments.

No updates as of yet, I've been doing some detailing on the turret of the tank, bed rolls, rucsacks, MRE boxes water boxes and trying to complete the EAPU I've built, plus I'm waiting for some decals for the tank so it's a bit slow going at the moment.

ok, I've been trying to get the colouring right for the canal, can't seem to master it....

Plus I seem to have come to a standstill and can't get going again on this dio! Think I've got too many ideas for other dios in my head, anyone else ever get this problem?

If there's any "experts" on getting the right colour for the canal water can you help!

This is the only thing that is holding this dio up now.

ok, my new airbrush kit arrived today..
just gotta get used to using it !!!
Also the pro-modeller washes have arrived just waiting for the decals from Accurate armour then I can try and put this baby to bed (so to speak).

I'll post photos as soon as possible.....

ok a few updated pics.....





any comments welcome....

This is looking awesome Paul.

I really love the way that the tank has blended into the scenery so well. It really does look totally bogged down in the river bed! This will look fantastic with the added water effects.

Paul its come on great! the dirt and mud looks very realistic!

Jon, Jaymes. Thanks for comments.

I've started to do the water, used Crystal resin it's gonna take more than the 300ml that I bought though......

thanks again for comments..

Just a quick update,

I've added another layer of resin for the water, it appears I may not have enough.... Is there any way to determine exactly how much I'll need?!


Thanks
Paul.

just off the top of my head you could cover the area with a plastic bag , then fill in the area with some playdough , or clay , or even sand to the desired height , then put that into a measuring cup . now that i think of it, sand would probably work best . or whatever you want .

I've heard of people sealing the area and pouring water in the space to be filled, then pouring this into another container or jug to determine the correct ammount in ml etc.

thanks for suggestions, went for the easiest really. Made sure that the resin was dry, then just poured water into it to the desired level I want....

It measured 1400ml!!!!!

Anyone got any suggestions on how to "pack" it out so I don't have to use that much gonna cost a fortune....

paul

You can buy clear plastic car, this might hellp when adding depth instead of resin, it may also help with the cost.

Great post indeed! Thanks.

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Martyn, thanks for suggestion gonna try the clear card.

Whilst I've been figuring out how to "fill the gap" I've noticed a small problem with the Abrams.



The red circle shows the issue, when the water is complete I've realised that the area within the circle will be visible!!
So what I'm gonna do is add some groundwork around this to eliminate the corner and it will hopefully appear as it the tracks have churned up some mud! (hopefully)

I think that if your water isnt cloudy the clear card base will not quite get you the result you want.
I would do a few things, go clear card and make cloudy water and do some card stock basic shapes to fix the red circle gap on the M1. Under cloudy water the shape of the tank will be fuzzy. I think lots of extra groundwork would make it look to solid.

Ok guys I need some help, I'm in need of some tow shackles for the front of my Abrams, but don't know where to find them.

If anyone can suggest an alternative/ instructions for scratchbuilding them, then I'll be extremely grateful.

Also, still working on some bits for the top of the Abrams will upload pictures ASAP.


Thanks
Paul

Another solution would be to back fill the river more ( with plaster) as you would probably not see that deep into the water if it is flowing fast. If the tracks had been in gear trying to drive out and kicking up all kinds of river bottom sand/mud and plant growth. That would leave enough to tint as you pour your layers yet hide the bottom. It really depends on the flow of your water.

According to this photo:



- I'd level the riverbed section to the water surface's height, probably by filling it with styrofoam and covering it with drywall compound;
- cut the tank to fit directly onto that plain section;
- paint the "water" with a greenish colour, give it a few coat of gloss varnish and use Acrylic Gel Medium to create some waving effect.

Like this:

http://missing-lynx.com/gallery/usa/ddaysherman_cheehongahn.html

http://missing-lynx.com/gallery/german/migpanthg.htm


I wouldn't use polyester resin in this case because the diorama is not prepared to receive such a large volume of it. It would most likely create something like this:


http://forum.modelismo-na.net/viewtopic.php?t=10473&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=totisso&start=45

ok managed to spend some time on the dio, have decided to fill the river bed up with carboard then cover with wall filler, then paint a greenish brown then add the Crystal Resin.
(phew)



I've also managed to add some more storage on the top of the turret, just need to add some ammo boxes, tarpaulin and the orange ID panel then I think that's it...

I know it's been a while since I updated this thread. But I took advantage of the nice weather today.

Did a little bit of work on the groundwork, I decided to 'fill in' the current canal area with some filler.



Also added some more items to the turrent of the M1,don't think you can tell from the picture. I've added a couple of bedrolls, ammo crates.

Thanks
Paul

Sorry Paul removed the above post 'cos I hadn't realised you had got this far.

I have seen some great water effects done using a plaster base as you have there which is then sanded smooth, painted a suitable colour and given three or four coats of gloss varnish. Iv'e not tried this method myself but from what I have seen it can look reaaly good. It is also a cheap way to get a good result.

As for your groundwork if you were to add some very fine gravel/sand this would give you a nice surface texture. I find it best to work in layers so as you add more to your dio your groundwork evolves with it until the end when you can blend everything together.

Hope this helps.

Ant

Ant, thanks for advice. I have got fine sand in the mix for the groundwork, but I am looking at making it look as realistic as I can.

This is the first time I've attempted a dio so I'm just a beginner and accept any advice that is given.

I have thought about doing the water with just plaster, but if you look at the previous photos the resin that I have used turned out very well. So I'm gonna use that once the plaster has dried is painted.

Paul.

hey guys - thought I'd update this thread...

I've had a bit of spare time and have managed to get some "water" poured.



you can probably just make out that the waterline is now level with the bustle rack base..

Will try to get better pictures tomorrow...