Bismarck - Doing the Sea

[White_Wolf]

Hang in there, Laurence, it will be worth the wait.

Thanks Mike, you're right, worth the wait provided I don't screw it up . I manage to give myself headaches just trying to sort it all out in my head. Not the end result, but how to get there - transition from transparent resin to celluclay and shaping the waves so they look natural.
This is going to take a while ....

Laurence

 

[Duke Maddog]

Hey Laurence, I used Celluclay once a long time ago. I just got caught up with this thread or I would have suggested another medium. When I used it for a small base, it took at least a week to dry fully. I don't know how that translates into something the size of this display.

Good luck man, I'll be watching this more closely.

 

[White_Wolf]

More work done. With the first layer dry, I started the next layer, which is the foundation for the following one, outlining some shapes and volumes. Not too much done because this is not an even spread and I wanted to try something .... the first layer seems to be sucking out the moisture from the second one, drying it quicker - hopefully. We shall see.

Only the sides for now, the bow will be plunging through a massive wave, more about that later, still planning that in my head, which is a complicated space even without the Bismarck. I had to put the ship on the base, gave me a better comprehension and perspective.

From the stern - haven't exactly touched the wake yet, but that should be easier than the bow.

Finished for the day. The left side is more "abrupt", wanted to have a better idea of what it would look like later on. On the right, you can see the moisture "spreading" onto the first layer. Like I said, hope that helps drying it faster. The maximum thickness of the new layer is probably 2 millimeters.

Well, fingers crossed ...

Thanks for watching gentlemen, your kind words are very encouraging.

Laurence

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Looks like this stuff patience is going to be what it takes to be a winner. Looking good so far Laurence!

 

[Duke Maddog]

Beautiful work Laurence! From certain angles, it almost looks like she's sailing through an ice field with that stuff.

Keep it coming man!

 

[moon puppy]

Shaping up nicely!

 

[Iron Mike]

Looks great, sending positive waves.

 

[Flyingbabydoc]

Exactly what I thought. An Arctic mission for the Bismarck.

What an exquisite work. Well done.

Cheers

Alex

 

[White_Wolf]

Exactly what I thought. An Arctic mission for the Bismarck.

What an exquisite work. Well done.

Cheers

Alex

Ha .... if I were to do a "what-If" I would do that, Arctic and all. He never went that far up north though. Repeating the fact that, the Bismarck was not a "she" but a "he" due to the tremendous historical figure of the Chancellor Otto von.

Anyway, more celluclay laid today...

First I put the ship back on the base, to get a better image of the whole thing. Then I do one side, remove the ship from the base and do the other side.

An old coffee cup with the mix, the spatula I am using and, in the background a plastic teaspoon I use to scrape the remaining bits off the cup. I will lay some more over the white areas - the mix is grey and dries white. Saves time. I have to let everything dry thoroughly before laying more on top. Joy ....On the bright side, gives me time to work on the Russian bird.

Thanks for watching and for the kind words.

Laurence

 

[Iron Mike]

It's really shaping up, still sending

 

[mustang1989]

Watching........and learning. I really want to build the USS Johnston at some point and I'd really like to do something like this with it.

 

[moon puppy]

This is looking great! Even more so!!!

 

[Flyingbabydoc]

Repeating the fact that, the Bismarck was not a "she" but a "he" due to the tremendous historical figure of the Chancellor Otto von.

Well, he lived in Berlin... One must always consider all possibilities...

Your diorama is already amazing and I am sure the ending will be stunning.

Cheers

Alex

 

[White_Wolf]

Well, he lived in Berlin... One must always consider all possibilities...

Your diorama is already amazing and I am sure the ending will be stunning.

Cheers

Alex

More work done ... getting close to the height of the waves I have in mind, and hoping I am getting this right. Slowly building more layers of celluclay, it starts looking better.

Once the ship is in place, there will be a lot more "water" along the hull, for now it's the water along the hull I am working on. Fresh and shiny, only a few minutes old here. A lot of gymnastics with the model on and off the base, but it's vital to have it on at times, gives me a sense of proportion.

A closer look along the hull.

From above ... this is one load of celluclay. Not a lot, but the moisture will dissipate through the dry celluclay, helps it dry quicker. Now I have to remove the ship and mirror that on to the other side.
Once I get closer, it will be significantly less amounts laid at a time, because I have to smooth it out nicely with the spatula and give it the proper shape and effects. In terms of overall effort, I would say this is at 10% ...

Thanks for watching and for the kind comments.

Laurence

 

[Iron Mike]

Awesome! The shapes are very realistic.

 

[moon puppy]

Nice job, got to get the foundation started.

 

[bob letterman]

So impressive Laurence,



I can already see this in my minds eye! It's going to be nothing short of fantastic! The wake and waves created by the rough North Atlantic will be a major factor. in the drama. IMHO, a diorama without drama is not very exciting. This one will be! This is where the technical modeling, rivet counting, and microscopic detail are set aside and replaced by 100% art. There are never plans for art. No manuals, no blueprints, no formulas. Only random photographs as the sea is always in a state of change. Only art can capture that kind of realism!

The difference in the North Atlantic and the Pacific, (defined as Peaceful in intent or character), is truly amazing. In late December, 1961, early January, 1962, I returned from Verdun, France where I had been stationed in the army for nearly three years. I was on the USNS Upshur, a WW II vintage troop ship. It took ten days to cross the Atlantic in the winter. The bunks were five high in the belly of the ship, stacked on top of each other. I remember walking out on deck during a typical winter storm and was amazed to see parallel waves that were far over the top of the ship. I clearly remember looking up at them and unable to wrap my head around their size.

I'm not a nautical guy so I'm probably using the wrong terms. The Atlantic to me was similar to being in the mountains or at least foothills. There were valleys a hundred feet down and waves rising far above the top[ the ship. I wondered how it could possibly stay afloat. I have only one photo I took on the deck as, due to the storms, we were rarely allowed on deck. You can see a wave beside the ship, not as tall as many. The peak in center left was taller than the highest mast on the ship. However, it gives you an idea what I am talking about. Ocean water, especially in the North Atlantic can, at times, look absolutely surreal. Remember, this was taken 60 years ago about halfway between Europe and America! Only fifteen years after WW II. In this photo, the storm was finally lifting.

 

[White_Wolf]

So impressive Laurence,



I can already see this in my minds eye! It's going to be nothing short of fantastic! The wake and waves created by the rough North Atlantic will be a major factor. in the drama. IMHO, a diorama without drama is not very exciting. This one will be! This is where the technical modeling, rivet counting, and microscopic detail are set aside and replaced by 100% art. There are never plans for art. No manuals, no blueprints, no formulas. Only random photographs as the sea is always in a state of change. Only art can capture that kind of realism!

The difference in the North Atlantic and the Pacific, (defined as Peaceful in intent or character), is truly amazing. In late December, 1961, early January, 1962, I returned from Verdun, France where I had been stationed in the army for nearly three years. I was on the USNS Upshur, a WW II vintage troop ship. It took ten days to cross the Atlantic in the winter. The bunks were five high in the belly of the ship, stacked on top of each other. I remember walking out on deck during a typical winter storm and was amazed to see parallel waves that were far over the top of the ship. I clearly remember looking up at them and unable to wrap my head around their size.

I'm not a nautical guy so I'm probably using the wrong terms. The Atlantic to me was similar to being in the mountains or at least foothills. There were valleys a hundred feet down and waves rising far above the ship the ship. I wondered how it could possibly stay afloat. I have only one photo I took on the deck as, due to the storms, we were rarely allowed on deck. You can see a wave beside the ship, not as tall as many. The peak in center left was taller than the highest mast on the ship. However, it gives you an idea what I am talking about. Ocean water, especially in the North Atlantic can, at times, look absolutely surreal. Remember, this was taken 60 years ago about halfway between Europe and America! Only fifteen years after WW II. In this photo, the storm was finally lifting.

View attachment 139333

Thanks Bob, that means a lot. The photo is great. Not sure about calling what I do art, I would rather call it improvisation hoping for something decent to come out of it at the end.

I was focused on showing the ship in the Baltic Sea, where the waves are much smaller than in the Atlantic, but you know what? Atlantic works better in a way, because I don't have to worry about the way the sea looks. I tried to show the Bismarck as historically correct as possible, everything else will / is artistic license.

Laurence

 

[bob letterman]

You're more than welcome Laurence,

Regardless of how much talent we may have, the outcome of any project is always vague until it is completed. There are many modelers with more artistic ability than I'll ever have. Lewis Pruneau and Mig Jimenez come to mind. However, to create things that are attractive and realistic, some artistic ability must come into play. Most people with sufficient concentration, dedication, time and effort can build a precise and beautiful scale model. I have always referred to that as technical modeling. Of course, some are far better than others but in my opinion, in that case, it comes down to a matter of persistence and determination. Whoever works the hardest and longest prevails. Back in the early days of IPMS, weathering, (Which is strictly an artistic process), was frowned upon. The organization was then comprised of mostly technical modelers who were amazing in their own right but after painting a base coat, their capabilities ended. I remember many times trying to persuade a couple of them to leave the model unpainted as you could see all the brass, metal and various parts of colors other than that of the original kit. I saw too many fantastic models diminished with attempted weathering by an incredible but otherwise, unartistic modeler. It was sad.

Art is different. Over all these years I have been doing this, occasionally, a very artistic guy comes on the scene like Mig or Lewis and out of nowhere, blow us away with an incredible work of art. And, sometimes, It is their very first model or diorama. Way back in the 1980s, I went to a convention in Texas. I think it was Dallas. There I saw a Junkers Ju 87 Sturzkampflukzeug, or Stuka for short. I sometimes like ugly machines, and the Stuka is about as ugly as they come, but, this one was an amazing work of art. It had a winter paint job from the Russian front and it struck me as the most beautiful model plane I had ever seen. I located the very young builder, Gordon Stronach, a Canadian living in Houston Texas. I hired him several months later and moved him to St. Louis where he worked for VLS for several years as an in-house pattern maker.. In all my years in the hobby, Gordon was one of the most artistic modelers I ever encountered. He later went on to found all those "Planet" model websites.

Anyway, I digressed. My point being that artistic talent does play a part in modeling, and I have seen the artist in your work as well as others on this website. The Bismarck was sunk in 15,000 feet of water, 600 miles west of Brest, France in the mid Atlantic. Much of the Bismarck's eight month's in service was spent in the North Atlantic as I'm sure you know. So, even a winter in the North Atlantic would be accurate I believe.

 

[Paulw]

For we sailors about I can say that the bow wave is looking quite authentic. There are some things that changes it shape. Of course the speed at which the ship is traveling, the depth at which the ship is and the sea state. I have been in the North Atlantic in September and I can attest it is far from a smooth ride but then I have seen it smooth as glass. If the ship is sailing in a straight course the bow and midships wake will be equal on both sides. Search out some pics of a ship turning then you can get some idea how the wake reacts.