| For those of you who build waterline models,
realistic water has always been a serious problem. Old methods of using epoxies were
messy, and generated serious amounts of heat in the curing process. Later on, a clear
resin gel eliminated much of the heat, but was difficult to work with, and was difficult
to mold if you wanted to model rough or choppy seas. Recently, there is a new product that
comes in plastic bag, in the form of clear beads, that requires melting on the stove, then
pouring onto the base. The drawbacks here are obvious... I have
known several ship modelers who have used different methods, some of which work very well,
others that haven’t. Enter Acrylic gel medium...Acrylic gel medium is available from
any art supply store. I prefer the clear, but you can experiment with different colors. I
prefer the Liquitex brand, it comes in a large toothpaste-like tube, and has the
consistency of toothpaste. The method of application is the same whether you require a
smooth surface or choppy, rough seas.
I usually build 1/700 waterline ships, and I start by painting
the base an overall flat blue-green. I then glue the hull of the ship to the base, and
build the model. Once the model is completed, I touch up any areas on the base with the
blue-green base. From there, squeeze a small amount of gel onto the base, and even it out,
leaving enough gel to cover the base surface. From there, work the gel up to the hull of
the ship, and around the bow. A little heat from a hair dryer will speed up the process,
the gel will turn an opaque white, like half-dried white glue. At this point, go back and
reapply gel to the areas you want to build up, bow waves, wakes, etc. Go after the gel
again with the dryer until it turns opaque white. If you desire rough, choppy seas,
stipple the gel with a flat paintbrush. Note: If you get the gel on the hull of the model,
it can be removed with a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol. For heavier seas, you may
have to go back and repeat the last few steps over until you get the desired results. Gel
can be built up upon itself as many times as you require. I have seen extreme examples of
a US destroyer plowing through heavy seas, her bow practically “under water”.
With repeated applications of gel some dramatic effects can be achieved.
Once the gel has dried and stippled to your liking, it’s
time to start painting and drybrushing the water. Apply a thin coat of the blue-green base
coat to the top of the gel, dry-brush a lighter blue on top of the base coat, then
drybrush a blue-white or green-white (depending on which ocean you’re in) along the
tops of the waves, the bow wave, along the hull, and in the wake. The amount of white you
add is obviously proportional to the speed you ship is making. A lot of white along the
hull and wake implies you ship is under way, while little or no white implies your ship is
either at anchor or all-ahead-dead-slow... I recommend experimenting with this method and
developing your own preferences. Acrylic gel is easy to use, dries rock-hard, isn’t
sticky like resins, generates no heat as it dries, and is relatively inexpensive, with a
single tube costing $6-$7. Once tube is enough to do anywhere from 5-8 1/700 ships with
average size bases, depending on how crazy you decide to get with your waves, etc. I
haven’t used gel for larger scales, but I’m sure you’d need to use much
more model to simulate 350th scale waves, but then again, how many of us do waterline
350th stuff anyway? |