so guys, I have decided to do some basework!
Im going for the look of a moor or highland, even a steppe, that has recently (last year or so) encountered heavy rain, that has washed out the sides of the bank, exposing a lot of stone and roots, moving onto a slightly silty bank that has encountered the same wash from a torrential storm.
Taken with a Phone. Sorry!




there will be some sort of water along the bottom, Im looking at the instant products, no resin.
Whats the best water product for those on a budget?
A size comparison




on the base will be a t-34/85 and a crew!

Forgot to Blog this ,Can a Mod Please tick the box for me!

Some progress you ask? probably not but here it is So far.


Some water product will go in there... any suggestions as to a Non resin solution

Tank Area



Any suggestions for composition? Here are some shots, of where the figures should go.
#1 My fave..


#2


#3



all input appreciated

James- I think this is a very interesting diorama undertaking. I think you have the texture of the sides of the bank spot-on- the ripples really do look like earth shifted by water during heavy rainfall. The color of it and the addition and color of large and small rocks also adds to the overral impression.

However, compared to the exposed rocky area, the grass is too mono-tone- some variation in color and perhaps the type of grass would make it look more natural.

As for water I tend to use Deluxe Materials Still Water- it comes in a tub- basically you put the tub in a bowl of boiling water and it melts, making it pourable- then pour it and it begins to set within minutes. The drawback is that it is quite thick and tends to, when applied without a tint, appear very 'bubbled'. The good thing about it is its fairly cheap and if you want to add movement to it you can simply use a heat gun (or a hairdryer I would think) to heat it up and create whatever effect you need. Another good thing about this stuff is that when set, it can simply be peeled away if you are not happy with it- it doesn't leave residue either.

The other water product I use is Vallejo Still Water- pretty much the opposite of the Deluxe Materials product- it is very thin and very runny and takes a fair while to set. The advantages are that it is easy to use- just pour it on straight from the bottle in thin layers and build it up as you wish.

It probably goes without saying but I would recommend experimenting a bit with any product you choose before comitting it to good work. If I'm planning on using something like these water products I will usually do a quick mock-up of the conditions in which it will be used and see how it works.

Anyway, I hope this helps and good luck with this build !

Hi James, my 2 cents would be to leave the terrain disturbed behind the tank where it drove through the grass; and second the 'rusty track' look I think should have in it the color of the terrain you're using for the ground work. Fresh/dried darker/lighter dirt areas on the tracks and lower hull. You can use some clay to leave track imprints.
Another nice thing about the Vallejo still water is that it levels itself out well to the shore banks and around rocks but be careful things don't stick to it while it's drying.
I think you did a great job on the bank and rock areas here and will look great with the water

Hey guys, thanks for the input.
Im quite skeptical about the water products, i googled a few reviews, and they dont look too appealing to use, i guess its a case of weighing the cons with both of them and picking the best. does anyone have any pictures of their results?! i want this to be perfect!

The Grass monotony, it is being sorted. lots of work to do.
some tall grasses and leafy tustles.
Mud, im not going to add a lot to the base, my primary techniwue will be flattening the grass with lots of pressing and rubbing. and then dusting some earth over the path, and the model has lots of weathering to do yet. the rust is just a basecoat!

I really appreciate your input, and this is looking like the first Dio i will finish/be happy with.!

James, I can give you a couple of examples of work I did with the two products I mentioned.

Vallejo Still Water:





As you can see I used it to depict water in a fairly shallow drainage stream. The ends of the stream (under the culvert and at the edge of the base) were sealed because Still Water is quite porous and will leak around things. Once one layer of Still Water is dry you can add more.

Deluxe Materials Still Water:





As you can see I have tinted this with food coloring to depict dirty water. It will dry clear but not crystal in my experience- there are a lot of bubbles in it and I couldn't really do anything about them despite experimenting. However, fast flowing fresh water is likely to be quite agitated and bubbles may work to your advantage. In order to get the edges on this I simply wrapped masking tape around the base- this product is thick and not very porous so applying it is a bit easier than Vallejo Still Water.

I hope this helps James- best of luck with the dio- I'm looking forward to seeing it progress !

Hi
Very nice looking diorama (All of you)
I'm looking into doing one my self that involve grass. What do you use for grass? scratch or bought?

Thank you.

Phil.

I prefer bought really- but never flock as I can never get it to sit right- it always just goes flat and looks limp and out of scale. I tend to use 'mats' of grass- Fredericus Rex do some nice ones as do Model Scene- they also include various types of stones and rocks in their mats.

That creek bank is looking really good so far. Have you checked out the Clerveoux build on this forum? He can't be beat as far as groundwork goes. Lots to learn on that thread.
J

I prefer bought really- but never flock as I can never get it to sit right- it always just goes flat and looks limp and out of scale. I tend to use 'mats' of grass- Fredericus Rex do some nice ones as do Model Scene- they also include various types of stones and rocks in their mats. [/quote]

Thanks, great info! I've noted those and wil be buying soon.

Phil

Great input guys thanks!
Jerry, Claude's build inspired me a little to get off my ass and do a Dio. I have been trying for years though with limited results.!

Karl I remember those builds! great work, I think its going to be Vallejo Still water after seeing those Builds, Im after a sparkling running stream and with the help of a pot of vallejo water effects I think I can get it "running" suitiably.

Small update. One figures ( leaner) Cigarette fell off.

better photos soon! ( i hope)

Sorry I'm late but here's a photo of the (one) time I tried the Vallejo water and was happy with it.


I have more pics under my profile if you want more


and a pre-Vallejo water pic. You just paint the colors underneath. be sure it doesn't overflow all over the place.


The AOW cigarette I replaced with brass rod when it fell off my guy (on another build with a KV1). Your scene is coming together!

Thanks Greg, I ended up using stretched sprue

I remember that Dio, hard to believe its in 48th.
looks good, its definitely what I want to go for. Don't worry about being late. I cant afford the bloody stuff at the moment.