Completed » Fish Sub / Paddlewheel!

[FichtenFoo]

AKA the paddlewheel I'm making for my Fantastical Fish-Shaped Submersible build-up. This will be part of the base scenery and sub support along with other shipwreck stuff. Build-up details on the link:

( Should these fish-sub builds go in Maritime Modeling? )

http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/tag/fish-shaped-submersible-build-up/

[finescalerr]

Nice info in the link. You never stop creating. Glad you're here. -- Russ

[FichtenFoo]

Thanks Russ! Yeah, not sure if it's an addiction or a mental illness. Some would say they're one and the same.

[lab-dad]

I couldn't look at this at work, apparently the title set off the decency alarms! 
go figure!
Good info on your site, looking forward to this coming together after seeing Vinny.

can you go into a little more detail on the hex slices?
I fear I would waste more than I was able to use.
-Marty

[FichtenFoo]

Ooh... I'll change the titles soon to avoid that. Thanks for the heads up!

Plastruct makes hexagonal styrene rod in various diameters. By making thin slices, it makes fantastic bold-heads. Just use a utility blade to slice off bits of rod, then glue to your subject. a quick sanding after the glue dries cleans up the edges and smooths them out better. I used a ton on the Dampfrich (and the fish sub):

http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/tag/the-dampfrich/

[RoughboyModelworks]

Oh darn... I liked the "spanking machine" title though I must admit I did expect to see some of Russ's thong-clad cutie office assistants... 

Paul

[finescalerr]

The bikini girls were here today, Paul, eager to cater to my every whim.

I really like that Dampfrich, uh, thing. Beautifully crafted and finished.

Russ

[Philip Smith]

Nice info in the link. You never stop creating. Glad you're here. -- Russ

yes indeed! can't wait to see this wheel!

Philip

[lab-dad]

Thanks!
now I can follow along while I am "supposed" to be working!
-mj

[FichtenFoo]

I just took some pics and will resize/upload them later.

I finished gluing the paddlewheel's components together today so structurally it's done. It's rusted and the wood is weathered and now I get to figure out how to do the various marine encrustations and life. I've got some plans though based on a few trips to the pet store for visual reference as well as my usual Google image search and a serendipitous showing (which I promptly DVR'd) of the sinking of the aircraft carrier Oriskany to be an artificial reef.

It's amazing how much sealife accumulates in such a short time period and how much there is to depict in just a few square yards of a reef system as I want to depict.

I picked up some fine ballast (light gray and brown) and light cinders. These I'll mix with some finer grit, sort of semi-opaque pigment and matte gel medium to create a general crust on the rocks and objects like the paddlewheel and anchor/chain. I'll dust parts of the crust with some greenish pigment powders for a general algae. I also have some auto-interior flocking in a few greens, white, and gray, that I'll mix to get some fluffy algae texture.

I also have some very fine turf that I picked up the other day by AMSI which is either an awful gray green on purpose or by color-fading. Either way it's just the color I need to mix with other turfs (and Jute/cotton fibers) to create thicker strands of seaweed and algae growths. Some Woodland Scenics snow will be colored with acrylic for other brown and red growths seen in my reference. That stuff is crap for snow, but fantastic when mixed for flowers. (see below)

http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/tag/shadow-of-the-minotaur/

EDIT: see also my Dagobah Dio for the seaweed on the X-Wing... that technique I'll also use:
http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/tag/dagobah-diorama/

I have a one-off PE sheet in the works with some starfish, fan coral, and anemone tops on order. If it works out, I may make it a product to go with my subs. I also picked up a bag of super tiny, but real shells at Michaels. Some are less than 1/8" and will work nicely. Other corals and seaweeds will be made from clay, Britta filter beads, lichen, and tissue most likely. I also ordered some resin fish in 1/35 for the scene.

Debris-wise will be the paddlewheel, an anchor and chain, snagged rope/wires/lines, maybe a bottle, perhaps I'll make a lobster trap to snag in there as well.

Aside from the coral and rocks, there will be some sand on the base. I did rippled sea-floor successfully before so I think I just need to figure out what I want to use for the actual sand. I'll either use some real "decor sand" which is pretty fine, but probably too large, or some of the powdered titanium oxide grit I got at harbor freight for my air eraser sprinkled on over a matte medium base for texture then airbrushed in an ocean floor sand color. Something light warm gray. Here's my last attempt at rippled sand:

http://fichtenfoo.net/blog/tag/round-buckler/

Anyway.... that's my plans and I'll probably add more to it. The trick will be that as seen from under water, things will not necessarily be glossy. I've seen people gloss everything under the sea before and that just doesn't look right.

[FichtenFoo]

A few images

[marc_reusser]

Whoa!  Beautious and bodacious!

Marc

[finescalerr]

Uh, what he said. -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

FWiW...for those that do the FaceBook, Michael has new "FichtenFoo" page, where he has around 150 photos of his finished projects....some new and shiny..some old and worn....but all worth looking at.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FichtenFoo/112462068814700


M

[Frederic Testard]

That's a beauty!