Bases are simple to create and can add emphasis to your model, whatever it may be. Generally you want to get a base that is not smaller than the model, although with modifications it could work. If you check out my Tallgeese III gallery, you will see the kit on the prototype base. You can make bases yourself, or if you want a quick solution, head out to you local Wal*Mart, head to the arts and crafts section and you will see many kinds of wood bases. Pick up the one you want.
Once you have your base, you can do so many things to it. If you wanted to make a diorama, leave the base unsanded and untouched. Leaving it coarse can give a better adhesion when you need to glue stuff. Here are a few suggestions:
Water- Water can be very difficult to make, but they have silicon gels you can use alone with various paints to create a nice effect.
Grass/Bushes/Tree Leaves- Turf stuff from Lionel shops, nuff said.
Sand- Here is a quick solution to making sand. Get the turf stuff, then somehow grind it to a finer powder so the sand does not appear fake. Next, you can place the grinded remains in a cup, and I recommend buying a can of spray paint (Tamiya) and spraying with a combination of mixing. Spray, juggle, spray, juggle. Let it dry, then get some modeling clay, the kind that will harden. Mold it onto the base of the model as sand would appear, a hobby knife is great for making ripples. When that is hardened and dried, use some glue (I recommend elmers or preferably, a clear brand such as that tube cement) to adhere the mix to the clay. Spray flat coat on it, and after 24 hours turn it upside down to get rid of the residue. Patch up areas as necessary and boom- sand. Make sure to leave room for your model's feet (if building gundam). If you are doing a tank, an enhanced feature to the diarama are tread marks. To do these, lay down the clay then make tread-mark impressions in it. Let dry, and continue the process.
On my ships I prefer to leave a wooden base untouched (no diarama, except for waterline models). Obtaining bases for 1/350th scale and larger ships can be a difficult task. You will want a good piece of lumber (pick an easy to work with wood) 3/4" to 1" thick. If you have a proper woodshop with expensive equipment, this should not be a problem. For the little guy, this is how I make do with satisfactory results.
Locate the lumber you want at the dimensions you want. It would be best if the piece of wood were routed already. If not, head over to home depot and pick up a Dremel tool. I have the Dremel 300 and it has not let me down at 30,000+RPM. Pick up a routing bit and a kit. Ex[ect the total to be around $80.00, but this is the CHEAP solution. Attach the guide to the dremel, and you now have a guide for routing/edging/engraving/drilling. When routing, no matter what, follow these two rules.
1. Wear eye protection
2.) ALWAYS route RIGHT to LEFT.
Routing left to right will cause the bit to go crazy as it has no direction (it spins clockwise, if it spins counter closkwise, move left to right). Dont start at the very corner as this can cause chipping. When you get to an edge, move off of the piece of wood and rotate it. Go in the same right to left pattern, keeping the dremel and guide at all times as flat against the wood as humanly possible for the best results. When it is finished, do a bit of sanding to make sure the edges are alright. If you have a woodshop, you probably already know how to route an edge. Run the power router/router machine and get that good edge! always have a matt underneath that will grip the wood and table, causing the board not to move.
Electric sanders are great. They cost under $100 and really bring a nice appearance out on the base. I highly recommend purchasing an already planed board to your desired thickness. I start with 100 grit sandpaper, and work my way up to about 400 or so. You can go to 1000. but 400 usually suffices. When that is done, I go over the piece of wood with a paper towel to get off as much sawdust as I can. NEVER put water on the wood; thos raises the grain and you have to start all over. Select your stain if you wish to stain, you can find it at home depot for under $10. Apply your stain with left to right, right to left brush strokes WITH THE GRAIN. after 5-10mins wipe the wood down with a cloth to remove excess stain. Repeat until depth/darkness is achieved. Then you will want to seal it with a polyurathane varnish, or a "clear coat". Choose glossy, satin (recommend) or flat. Satin gives the wood an essence to it, it's not reflecting or shiny, but it will shimmer when held up to the light, and it BEAUTIFIES the wood. After that, you are ready to attach the model to the base!
Mask off the area you want to paint, and what I do is run a round toothpick around the tape (not the pointed side) to seal that edge tight. I use a very fine brush for smaller detail work such as the tallgeese head. I use scotch's automotive tape as it is tacky, yet removes with nothing left behind. Apply SMALL amounts of paint with small objects. If it doesnt look right, its OK. Keep
adding in layers, this prevents seepage under the tape. Let dry for an hour for small detail work.
Pulling away the tape: the end result.
Oh no! seems a little bit of paint seeped under the tape. Not to worry, a hobby knife will take care of that. If you dont want to risk damaging your model, Mask the painted area (go with a tape with less tack as to not rip of the paint) and sand the area smooth with 600 to 1000 grit sandpaper. Sand until desired result.
No comments:
Post a Comment