Jump to content

Something wet and slimy....those darn water effects


Mooseyfaux

Recommended Posts

Hey all you wryd people!

i am trying to conjure a way to make some stellar sewer bases for my new Hamelin crew. I don't know if I should start with the pre-made ones from wryd or fabricate them.

so my question is:

A) have any of you made or used the wryd bases

B) was your choice successful?

And any other advice using realistic water compound would be great!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what worked for me is to create your own base, what ever color you want the water to be paint the bottom of the base one color darker (Ex if you want blue water paint the base navy blue.) then dry brush the color you want the water to be on the base. the purpose of this is to use the base as the color and leave the water effect clear.

after the base is painted construct the rest of the base. and you will push the water effect in the cracks let dry and pressto!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey all you wryd people!

i am trying to conjure a way to make some stellar sewer bases for my new Hamelin crew. I don't know if I should start with the pre-made ones from wryd or fabricate them.

This really depends on how skilled you are at scratch building and how detailed you want things. I personally prefer scratch built bases over pre-made (especially for natural features).

There are a number of really good websites that provide tutorials for scratch building that are easily applied to individual model bases. I can list a few if you like. Here is one that provides a pretty good base. For sewers specifically I would look at a site like this for scratch building supplies.

so my question is:

A) have any of you made or used the wryd bases

B) was your choice successful?

And any other advice using realistic water compound would be great!

A= I have used them and it really depends on the base. For example the Victorian streets look very good (aside from the growing weeds) and are much easier to use than make. The Bayou Bases on the other hand are very cartoony and difficult to make look realistic compared to just scratch building your own (which usually produces a much better result).

B= See A.

Lastly, there are quite a few water effect products on the market (I have used several) the best one really depends on a number of factors. I would probably recommend a trifecta of products.

The first is for deep water effects. Envirotex lite is really tough to beat though you will need to carefully measure the two ingredients to prevent issues (I recommend mixing larger batches than needed and just accepting the waste when starting out). A pipit or syringe aids greatly in placing it only where you want. Also be aware that it is susceptible to capillary action. Also be sure to lay the product down in several layers if you are trying for really deep water effects (I believe the recommendation is no more than 1/8" at a time)

The second is for creating shallow water, puddles, and wet sheen's (like when covering over painted features that you want to appear wet but foul, i.e pond scum, fetid sewers, etc). Woodland Scenics Realistic Water is a brush on product. A few layers will create good looking wet effects. I have used this over painted surfaces to create a raw sewage look for a few of my boards.

The last product is a really great product for creating "moving water" effects and Ice. It is Woodland Scenics Water Effects. It is a glue-like product that goes on really thick. If you place it on plastic wrap and let it fully dry you can create flowing water falls (there is a tutorial on the Woodland Scenics site that shows this). It can also be used to attach snow flocking to create very realistic looking wet snow effects and Ice run off.

This three products together create some amazing water effects.

You can also use Woodland Scenics E-Z Water though you do need to be careful as it is a "Hot product" and may damage a paint job due to that. It is great for larger terrain pieces though and has the fastest dry time of any of the products (once it cools it is usable). It is also nice for swampy effects as it has a slight yellowish hue.

Hopefully that helps.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good tips, omen- I'm interested in doing some water terrain (bog, river), and wondering if any of them suffer shrinkage that'll wreck my terrain, in your exp. Also, most of my stuff is spackel(sp?) or glued texture over insulation foam, painted with house paint or acryllics- any experience on needing to seal it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've actually had a lot of luck just using SUperglue for water effects on bases.

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:55 PM ----------

Also, I discovered that a very thin Black wash over textured transparent material gives it a nice effct that makes it look more like falling/running water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good tips, omen- I'm interested in doing some water terrain (bog, river), and wondering if any of them suffer shrinkage that'll wreck my terrain, in your exp. Also, most of my stuff is spackel(sp?) or glued texture over insulation foam, painted with house paint or acryllics- any experience on needing to seal it?

The Envirotex Lite has very little shrinkage and is great for most applications (once you get around the learning curve of the mix and pour).

The Woodland Scenics E-Z Water does shrink a bit while it is cooling (especially in large pieces) so can pull away poorly mounted materials. It is usually an easy process of just applying some Liquid Green Stuff (or another suitable filler material), priming with a brush on product and re-painting. I have used this in the circumstance you mentioned (a project for my daughters school) and repairing the cracks was easy enough. It will be most noticeable if you don't adequately seal the surfaces. What I recommend to combat it is my home made all in one (well two steps actually) amazingly durable and supremely easy texturing program. I can share it with you if you'd like.

I haven't noticed the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water product shrinking as it is primarily a brush on. I suppose if you poured it really heavy and tried to use it for a deeper piece that it wouldn't shrink much though (think of it as a floor wax type of product). The problem in that application though would be "clouding" as the deeper portions wouldn't ever really dry.

The Woodland Scenics Water Effect doesn't really shrink, especially if you use the clear plastic wrap method. One word of caution though is that it can "cloud" if the humidity or temp isn't right and the "blobs/ Runnels" are left to thick.

I've actually had a lot of luck just using SUperglue for water effects on bases.

Do you have any pictures of this as I am curious to see how it looks as I dont recall ever hearing about this method. I would imagine it would just crystallize and cloud fairly heavily (aside for the issues of trying to keep things from inadvertently attaching to the project).

Also, I discovered that a very thin Black wash over textured transparent material gives it a nice effct that makes it look more like falling/running water.

I've seen some stuff done like that before, usually for ice covered ponds, "fast" moving rivers or to simulate the open seas. Haven't seen it used for water falls and such though. Would be rather interested to see what it looks like in that application.

Always looking for new methods to either increase realism or ease of construction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E-Z water is crap and dangerous, my advice is steer well clear.

Envirotex lite seems to get good comments from other forums as well as here, but I have never used it.

GW water effects I have used for small areas of water on bases (not scenery items) and find it is easy to use and doesn't seem to shrink, although it is only in small bits so shrinkage is unlikely to show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For large bits of water (can probably pour it in small puddles too but I've not tried), I recommend gedeo crystal clear - demonn agram put me on to it, and it's great. Doesn't smell or shrink.

For shaped bits, waterfalls etc, I use liquitex super heavy texture gel, because you can sculpt it really easily.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Envirotex lite has a very exothermic reaction and can give off a fair amount of heat with volume, so be careful with thin plastic bits and anything that may melt or warp. It can also "creep" on you. If there is a texture it can crawl up, Sometimes it has on me. Never thought it would creep "uphill" while it dries, but it has on occasion. I'd also reccomend painting anythign you have emerging from the water with the mix first, as to reduce the surface tension when you pour it in. Other than that I really like this product.

Also watch out for dust and cat/dog/girlfriend hair while setting. I usually put my stuff under an upside down box or something to keep crud from falling into it.

Wyrd bases can be very cool on their own:

img4ecaf6bc6652d.jpg

This water/ripples was done with sculpty and then topped with Envirotex lite

img4bc25c27d081c.jpg

Same product just with paint added to create murkyness.

img4c47afef8c06d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

E-Z water is crap and dangerous, my advice is steer well clear.

Isn't isn't actually that bad and is one of the best products for creating deep water or large pieces. Most of the "danger" comes from not following the instructions (which is bad with any product) or not watching it during heating (causing it to over heat). Never had a problem with it myself.

Envirotex lite seems to get good comments from other forums as well as here, but I have never used it.

It is a very highly recommended product however does have its own issues. If it isn't mixed right it will ruin a piece just as easily as the other products.

GW water effects I have used for small areas of water on bases (not scenery items) and find it is easy to use and doesn't seem to shrink, although it is only in small bits so shrinkage is unlikely to show.

It does shrink and requires a large amount to produce anything of noticeable depth. It is essentially nothing more than re-branded Woodland Scenics Realistic Water. It does have its uses though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information