 |
| Made with common items including plywood, spackle and a putty knife, Bert made this convincing base for his award winning USS Bogue CVE-9. |
Sure, that’s easy for me to say but it just may be for you, too. Let’s see. First, this is a planahead project, so don’t paint your model until you have the base done. An already painted ship or flying boat might get some unauthorized weathering from the process. If you have already painted the model, then you have an excuse to buy another kit. Lucky you. The model need not be completed but just finished enough to be ready for a base. An example would be the completed waterline hull just up to the main deck, or at least clear of the waterline. A flying boat is another thing, possibly requiring completion of the hull/fuselage and the wings (with which to attach the wing floats, right?).
First, get a hold of an appropriate sized piece of wood; I generally use 5/8” thick plywood. It works well with the molding I use to frame the base and it hasn’t warped yet. Give the up or water side a roughing up with coarse sandpaper to help the spackle adhere better. Then give it a coat of waterproofing, like paint or lacquer on all sides and ends. Put it aside for a day more than is usually required for drying and go out and get the tools and materials. They are: vinyl spackling compound (premixed like Dap although any brand will do), a couple of cheap nylon brushes (1/2”, 1” and/or 2” should do it), a spackle applicator (fancy name for a flat blade putty knife) and something that would work like a trowel (I use a 4” x 9” size) for smoothing out large flat areas. Lastly, any old spray bottle that just ran out of X14, window cleaner or similar. Wash it out and fill with water. Now you’re ready to make a splash (sorry).
 |
| This unfinished base shows the elements of its construction. The holes in the center aid in releasing the model from the slackle and later, with the tubing, to hold the model in place. The frame can be separated from the base for use with other models. |
Lay the model on the base the way you want to display it and outline the hull (0. K., or pontoon). Then drill a few holes roughly on the centerline of that outline. These will give release to the model when you are extricating it from the spackle later. To digress, I also use these holes to hold the model in place with plastic tubing later: this will help keep it from bouncing around on the way to the club meetings (or contests if you’re successful). Something like a 1/8” or 3/16” drilling is what I use; your model may have a different size drilling requirement. I attach the partially completed model/hull to the base, turn it over and drill through the existing holes and through the underside of the model. After that, every time I place the model on the base, it’s held in place by sitting on the tubes. On permanent installations, I’ll glue the model and the tubes to the base.
Now, plan ahead. Will the model be anchored or moving through the water? This matters of course on how you put down the spackle. For instance: if moving at speed, there will be a bow wave ahead and a wake behind. If so, then spread more spackle ahead of the bow and push the hull into the stuff to build up a wave.
 |
| Bert’s model is not attached to the finished water base. This could be useful if you have two or more models of the same class, allowing you to use the same base for different models. The masking tape is used to aid in removing the base from the frame. |
Spread about an 1/8th inch of spackle over the entire base except just inside of the model’s outline keeping in mind the moving ahead factor as just outlined. Place the model inside the outline and press down, then fill up and smooth out any open spaces beside the model. Take one of your brushes (the wider one) and start making short, light strokes to make waves. Keep in mind that most moving planes (and aircraft carriers, of course) take off into the wind so your wave making strokes should be from the front to rear of the model. Dab down and pull up and backward, and as soon as you break contact with the spackle, drop the brush in again and continue the next wave. Just keep this up until you have the whole base “waved”. Now this stuff keeps settling back to smooth within a few minutes (depending on the weather) so if you quit early, expect the stuff to look like a calm day on the bay. If you keep up your wave making until the stuff starts to settle, then you’ll have a rather choppy sea. The fun of it is that you can gain the desired effect you want just by how long you fool with it. Also, relax, because if it turns out too smooth or choppy for your taste, spritz on some water, spread a thin layer of more stuff and start working again. It will adhere to itself. Also, remember, there will be a wake behind the model too. I take the brush and simply dab straight down and up at the spackle while it’s still soft, working backwards with less action away from the model as the water settles. This is the one spot that you will not have well defined waves.
A day or two later, you’ll try to get the model out, so dribble a bit of water on the bow / front while holding the base front higher and let the water run down the sides of the model. You are softening up the spackle to make removal a bit easier. Try lifting or pushing from below (perhaps through the holes in the base) and keep splashing on water until it starts to give. Some spackle will come up with the model so try holding it down with a flat blade while pulling on the model. When you get the model out, wash off the excess spackle from the model and let all items dry for a day. Put the model back in its place then patch up the chunk holes along the side of the model and let it sit , again. Later, try extricating the model like last time with the water, etc. Sooner or later you’ll get the thing out without chipping the spackle, and when you do, let it sit for a long time to allow the spackle to really dry out. If you paint the stuff too soon, the moisture will seep through the paint and cause “Alligator skin”. So take this time to finish the model, paint and all. I have two bases right now that have been finished for months now. When the models are finished, I’ll paint the bases then.
 |
| The finished product. Bert’s Japanese ship looks very convincing on his water base. |
Now comes the part where you all become artists: the painting of the water. I use gloss paints, exclusively, with a few final coats of clear gloss after the colors are applied. Is water blue? My answer is “Kind of; sort of; sometimes...” or something even more ambiguous. For one example, I asked my son and a few of his shipmates what colors they saw on the ocean they just sailed on. Four people gave me four different answers. The Atlantic cruise elicited these responses: “a kind of steel blue”, “a gray blue”, “gray green and blue”, and “just yellow, green and tan” (the last from the sailor that got seasick). The Pacific answers were more colorful: “royal blue”, “dark Cadillac blue”, “deep azure blue with a touch of green”, the latter no doubt a true artist in the service. The south China seas have been called yellowish green and dirty blue, and the argument goes on and on. Do what I did: look at color photos of ships in the area you’re depicting. Look at travel brochures or just a good (color) movie that takes place where your model is supposed to be. That is if Hollywood filmed at the true location. Really LOOK at the water: you’ll be surprised at what you see. No, no, the WATER, not those bathing suits.
If you’re not sure about how to apply the colors, just spray in one direction - for instance, from the front - in dark blue and in the opposite direction, go with a light tinting of dark green. The tops of the waves might catch a bit more green: this is right since shallow water is less blue, sometimes. I have used everything from spray cans of Orchard, Ace and Home Depot hardware paints to model hobby paints in bottles and spray cans. Try to avoid bright colors like Royal blue or Fern green, etc.: stick with the darker colors, particularly with smaller scales.
When the colors are dry, you will need about three to six light coats of clear gloss depending on the scale you’re working in. More for larger scales. Give each a good time to dry. If the model is on the move, you’ll need a wake or trail of foam because salt water is soft, unless you have to land on it, of course. In the active part of the wake, right at the bow, stern or the tops of the waves, I use flat white paint. I recommend the use of an airbrush here for a less defined application of foaming water. Again, look at photos of a ship or amphibian charging through the water and you’ll see what I mean. Ships have unique kinds of side ripples and stern trails that always vary, so again check out the photos.
 |
| Bert uses gloss paints in a wide variety of colors from an even wider variety of manufactures to achieve his realistic water. This small base displays a 1/700th scale Catalina. |
Earlier I mentioned the base frame. I usually will cut it out of a standard household floor base molding since there are so many varied shapes to choose from. Hopefully you have access to a saw for the cutting and fitting of the frame.
One final note: many have asked why I use this method. It’s cheap, of course. I also can use the same base again if I do another ship in the same class, which I often do. In other words, I keep at it until I get it right. I also spray all my models and the water bases too. Masking either one is more complicated then I would prefer. This way I can do each one at a time. Well, it works for me.
For more photos on this article, visit Members' Models in th Gallery section.
Bert McDowell has been building models since the 1930’s and has been a member of SVSM since 1977. Bert’s main interest is waterline ships and has been building them since World War II. He builds the occasional aircraft but only for his carrier models.
