Hey all-
I am building a dio where a Pavehawk would be dropping a group of SpecOps soldiers into a body of water along with a Zodiac boat. I plan on setting this in Iraq. So my questions: a) where can I find a Zodiac boat and, if there isn't one, how could I scratchbuild one?, b) what do 3-tone DCUs look like when dunked in water?, c) how are the Zodiacs attached to the Blackhawk for this type of operation?, and d) would the soldiers keep necessary gear (weapons, comms, etc) in the boat or toss it over when they jumped out? Thanks for any help.
Kyle

Italeri did a Frogman set with a Zodiac boat, there is one on Ebay now.

Italeri Frogmen:


Frogmen on Ebay.

This is agreat little set, the Zodiac is really detailed, fiures are so-so.

The 3-color DCUs will just get darker when wet. Same colors, just darker shades. You can accomplish this look with a dark wash on just the wet areas.

As for gear and how the Zodiac would be secured, sorry no ideas. I would think they would try to keep their gear dry as much as possible and wouldn't load it till the last minute.

Sounds cool, good luck.

sounds like everyone is doing a Blackhawk dio!

Thanks for the replies guys. Gino, I agree that the set would be perfect but someone beat me to it. Damn you, buy it now function.
Kyle

Keep your eye out for another on Ebay. I have seen it there pretty often. Sorry, I have one, but am not willing to sell it.

Don't worry about it Gino. Thanks for the help.
Kyle

Kyle,

Ever thought about scratchbuilding it? Maybe you can get HeavyArty to give you the dimensions coz I've a couple of ideas about building one for some time although I've yet to get down to build one.

The hull portion could be done using wooden skewers as the frame and then covered with stretched balloon material. Balloons are usually some rubber composite and when stretched should give it a realistic rubber look of the zodiac. The floor could be done using styrene and a thin string strung around the top could be used to do the handholds.

The outboard could be made either from putty or a block of balsa which shapes well and outboards are generally simple in shape. Just a thought.

If you want to go the scratch-build route, I would recommend getting some 2-part epoxy putty. It comes in 2 parts that are the consistency of modelling clay. You mix them together and can roll them out just like clay. Roll them into a cigar shape and then bend it into the shape of the hull tubes. You can use sheet styrene for the floor and transom. Putty or styrene bits for the engine. Then use either more putty or some styrene pieces and strips for details. Wouldn't be too hard.

Here you go Kyle. I know this isnt the route you want to go since this is Hobby Fan and it is expensive! But at least you can use it as a reference.

Kyle, if it comes down to scratching or even just detailing, this should really help:
http://www.zodiacmilpro.com/product/zodiac/MK2GR.pdf

http://www.zodiacmilpro.com/product/military/index.html

HTH!

Just when I thought this post was dead...
Thanks a lot for your posts guys.
CK-
I think scratchbuilding will be the ticket in this one. I don't have too much experience with wooden skewers but I will try and incorporate the balloon idea.
Gino-
Thanks for the epoxy putty idea. I have to get some anyway to modify the figures some so I will probably use that.
Pete-
I had heard about the Hobby Fan zodiac but, like you said, it is expensive. Is the one you pictured yours or from Hobby Fan?
Robert-
The links you provided were absolutely the ticket I needed! All I need now is the epoxy and a couple of balloons and I am good to go.
Thanks again everyone.
Kyle

No sweat, Kyle, glad to be of help. BTW, I'm curious as to how you plan to suspend your Helo in the dio. I've grown tired of static birds, and have been experimenting w/stiff wire as a sling supporting the chopper from below, but anything that'll hold up the weight is waaaaayyy overscale. I suppose in your case you could run a stiff bar through the trooper 'casting out of the helo, and into the fuselage through his arm...
Sorry, thinking out loud.
Anyway, what have you come up with, if you care to share?

OK, after considering what my plan was I am switching my dio setting to the Phillipines (honestly, this area works better for my idea anyway). My plan is to get two stiff twigs/sticks and use them to represent dead/decaying trees sticking out of the swamp. I am then going to drill holes in each end of the sticks and insert a stiff metal wire, which will be inserted into the underbelly of the Pavehawk and epoxied or super glued down. The other end of the stick/Pavehawk assembly will be attached to the base and secured with epoxy and the resin "water." I know that it may not be very accurate (any possibility of a submerged threat to the operators would quickly necessitate a different insertion point), but it will hopefully look realistic.
Kyle

ever thought of just bending an acrylic rod with a heat gun? that's what I'm doing for my AH-60L Diorama

Yes, Brian I've tried this tack before. As a support for a standalone it's fine, but any visible support in a dio has always been a major distraction to me personally.
I guess I'm also a bit uncomfortable with vehicles displayed as resting on/flying through trees etc., but this has always at least looked better than shoving a tube in an aircraft's "nether regions". . This is all just opinion of course, I'm just fishing for more Ideas.
Kyle this is in no way intended as a putdown of your idea, either. Rather ingenious solution in fact. The Airframe mechanic in me cringes at the thought of that composite structure meeting the stump though
...

Brian-
Using acrylic rod was my initial thought but I didn't want the acrylic rod's glossy appearance taking away from the fairly drab overall appearance of the dio.
Robert-
No offence taken. As a matter of fact, I agree with you on this whole-heartedly. If there were another way to suspend it, I would but there just doesn't seem to be another way. From what I've seen, the helicopter flies at about 10-15 feet above the water when doing this type of thing so it obviously is too high to suspend with a wire in the arm of a soldier. I had considered angling the Zodiac so the aft end of the boat would be touching the helo while the front end would be touching the water, but I didn't think it would look right. After that, I'm stumped.
Kyle
P.S. I would like to thank Dave Brown (lestweforget) for the inspiration to suspend the helicopter. I came up with the stump idea after I remembered his diorama with the suspended Huey.