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View Full Version : Water Bases for 1/1200 or 1/1000 Miniatures--WIP



Nightmoss
12-11-2013, 16:10
While I hope the bulk of my "fleet" will eventually see battle on the gaming table I'm still planning on creating a diorama or two because I really like this scale (and space is at a premium), and I've totally gotten into the Age of Sail modeling in general. With that being said I took a stab at making a water base that's large enough to display two, three or maybe more ships simultaneously. The product I used to do the sculpt was old, so this is a very 'rough' sea, but the overall effect is OK. Having created a mold from the sculpt I can now cast more bases until the mold wears out. I've included a couple of ships for size comparison, but in an actual scene I'd probably 'lower' them into the waves. I'll also add that the paint job isn't the best I've done, but this was a first iteration to "test the waters" (groan). Cheers!

P.S. That's the Rayo in back and the Royal Sovereign in the foreground.

csadn
12-11-2013, 17:16
P.S. That's the Rayo in back

Ah -- the Irish contingent. :)

Diamondback
12-11-2013, 17:28
If I might offer a suggestion... I see no reason you couldn't use a diorama to display your ships when not gaming with them, or as part of an 'Anchored Fleet in Harbor' scenario like the Siege of Toulon or Aboukir Bay. It'd be fairly simple to just use the existing pins to hold the ships in place, and still let you remove them when reason arises...

Nightmoss
12-11-2013, 18:31
If I might offer a suggestion... I see no reason you couldn't use a diorama to display your ships when not gaming with them, or as part of an 'Anchored Fleet in Harbor' scenario like the Siege of Toulon or Aboukir Bay. It'd be fairly simple to just use the existing pins to hold the ships in place, and still let you remove them when reason arises...

Great idea! Once I get one of the SoG ships in hand I can experiment! Thanks! (Your magnet idea to keep the ships from twisting on their bases was also excellent,. . . hmmm, also adaptable for the larger base?)

Volunteer
12-11-2013, 22:27
The waves look good. What product did you use Jim? I use common house spackle for my bases.

Nightmoss
12-12-2013, 00:00
The waves look good. What product did you use Jim? I use common house spackle for my bases.

It's a two part (50/50) resin forming mixture that sets up in about 30 minutes. I'll get you the product name and links tomorrow. The stuff is pretty cool to watch as it forms up and hardens.

Capt P
12-20-2013, 13:18
Didn't see any pictures but if like you avatar looks great.

Nightmoss
12-20-2013, 18:19
Didn't see any pictures but if like you avatar looks great.

All my pictures were uploaded to this site. With the hacking last weekend those have all been lost, unless Keith is able to restore them. I can easily reload them once I get the word from him if he cannot.

Nightmoss
12-21-2013, 09:52
The waves look good. What product did you use Jim? I use common house spackle for my bases.

Vol, the resin casting material is supplied by a company in Michigan. The company is Alumilite: http://www.alumilite.com/Category.cfm?Category=Casting%20Resins
I purchased a package for around $20.00, which will last a good amount of time based on how much I've used so far.

For making the molds I use Amazing Mold Putty, which you can pick up at Michael's (or any well stocked craft/hobby store). Same price as the resin; $20.00.
Amazing Mold Putty: http://www.alumilite.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Support%20Products&Name=Amazing%20Mold%20Putty%20Kit

And for making the original item to be molded I used Procreate, which I picked up at the local hobby store (The Last Square, soon to be closed), but you can also order via Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Other-Manufacturer-PROC-3-ProCreate-Putty/dp/B000WBP1BA