How to model a beach and breakers?

[BBdave]

I am wanting to model a beach with some small waves breaking think Hawaii, any ideas how to go about it?

Dave

[Guest]

wait for ron to come on, he is a master water maker but he uses standard building silicone i think

[eddiesolo]

First off the beach would need to be at a slight incline to give a good effect against the water. It all depends on scale, at 1/72 the beach can be fairly flat the breakers just a roll of sealant, for 1/35 I would be tempted to use something like sealant or a filler then sprinkle a fine grade sand onto it, for the breakers you could use clear pen cases, these can be angled or cut down and form a nice point to roll the silicone (clear) over, you can also use clear plastic bottles, cut the shape, already pre-curved to the height and length you need-do not have then all the way over so you can work the silicone over the top slightly so it looks like a crashing wave.

Si

[spanner570]

Good stuff from Si, excellent 'tricks'.

Dave, you will find there will be different approaches to this subject, as people have their own pet way of wave making - Here's mine....

I find it hard to write how to work with silicone, so I've nipped into the garage and made a quick wave.

Here is the sequence...

You'll need one of these, loaded with a tube of clear silicone. if you haven't got one don't go to a DIY store, but get one from a builder's merchant - loads cheaper

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Paint the base (I've used a old floor tile) and add a bead of silicone. Work quickly as the stuff goes off in minutes and will be impossible to work with.

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To form the back of the wave, use a metal paint scraper or similar and draw back the silicone

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....to look like this

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Get something pointed (I use an old nail) and flick the stuff about, depending on how rough you want the wave.[ATTACH]92196.IPB[/ATTACH]


....to get something like this effect. See how the colour comes nicely through the silicone?

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It is possible to highlight the wave tops with dabs of white acrylic paint...It does stick, provided it is applied undiluted.

For a bigger wave I just add to the first wave and just add beads along the top, shaping as you go until the desired height is obtained....20mm is easy to obtain by this method.

I did the wave in a bit of a rush, but you will get the idea I'm sure....

For the sand, I use ordinary building sand. It will be damp so place in a microwave oven and gently heat it up until it is dry and runs free.

Mark on your base where you want the sand. Brush on some dilluted PVA and sprinkle the sand over it. Leave a minute or two then turn the base over and tap it. Turn back over....One beach!

When it's dry, mark where the water has come in and gone out again and paint this area slightly darker to simulate damp sand.

As I wrote at the start, this is just one way of wave construction. I'm sure others will be along with further advise and help.

Cheers,

Ron

Admin, perhaps when this post has served it's purpose, it could be transferred /copied to the 'How to' section?

[Guest]

told you he was the master, dave

[monica]

great stuff Ron,

[BBdave]

Thanks Im looking to create half to 3/4" depth of water but clear silicone will appear cloudy/white applied that thickly what will be best to get deeper water? i can add waves ontop after.

Dave

[Guest]

clear perspex and then put your waves on top of that

[monica]

clear perspex and then put your waves on top of that

that would be the best and the most cheapest way ,of doing it, great thinking Andrew,

[spanner570]

clear perspex and then put your waves on top of that

I agree with my mate Andrew, also make sure your base colours (blue/green) get lighter in shade as the water gets shallower.

Sorry Dave, I wasn't suggesting the whole base be done in silicone, only the wave formations. The breaking waves will obviously be opaque.

Apologies for misleading you....

A good source for wave pictures is Google Images. I use this regularly.

Cheers,

Ron

[john i am]

I've never used it but I've seen this used to a good effect for you flat sea with the underside painted dark blue/sea grey for your flat sea (arctic glass ) .Great tutorial Ron good luck Dave [ATTACH]92276.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Ian M]

Great how to Ron and yes it deserves a place in the "how too" section...

Can I ask why you need the depth Dave, the normal trick is to just paint a base and 'sink' the boat into the base, and then just use a thin layer of silicone for the water-

If you have a look at Rons Life Boat builds in the completed boats section (or maybe dioramas...) you will see something great.

Ian M

[BBdave]

I am going to try and recreate the beached Japanese midget sub of Pearl harbour fame. the boat is lying in the surf half submerged in the sand the stern under water but i may have found a solution to that now and will experiment this afternoon. i have a tube of CT1 looks like silicone but isn't, but the clear is crystal clear Im going to see if it'll take some acrylic to create the cloudy look just behind breakers on sand.

Hopefully this will show what Im trying to do.

http://the-wanderling.com/redondo.html

Dave

[spanner570]

I am going to try and recreate the beached Japanese midget sub of Pearl harbour fame. the boat is lying in the surf half submerged in the sand the stern under water but i may have found a solution to that now and will experiment this afternoon. i have a tube of CT1 looks like silicone but isn't, but the clear is crystal clear Im going to see if it'll take some acrylic to create the cloudy look just behind breakers on sand.Hopefully this will show what Im trying to do.

http://the-wanderling.com/redondo.html

Dave

Dave, you can mix acrylic paints with silicone (I don't know what CT1 is so can't comment)

Don't dilute the paint, add to the silicone and stir it up, this will give you the cloudy look you want.

To get the ripples like on the left of the sub, spread a thin coat of 'silicone' and using an upturned tea spoon and gently dab the surface.

[BBdave]

Thanks for all the info. i ended up using model railway water as the base with clear CT1 ontop for waves.

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Dave