# Nelson and Cousteau



## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I just bought the old Jacques Cousteau Calypso kit (but they couldn't license the name Calypso so it's just "Oceanographic Research Vessel" or something). It's 1/125 scale which is pretty close to the Moebius Seaview's 1/128, and it allows me to put my two childhood oceanographic heroes together.

I've got my Seaview in a big long plexiglas case (actually a vertical column with one end open to slide the Seaview into) and I was thinking an awesome display would be to cut a hole for the Calypso on the top and have it immersed to the waterline, chugging right over the Seaview below--with some of the Cousteau minisubs interacting with the Flying Sub.

What I'm wondering is how to make the top surface look like the surface of the ocean. We're talking about a surface almost a foot across and about over 40" long so trying to sculpt it out of something is out of the question. I'd like it to be clear or translucent.


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## Just Plain Al (Sep 7, 1999)

If the panel can be replaced you could get a piece of rippled glass like used in shower doors, I've seen this used before with pretty good results.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I want something with that look but not glass--I want to be able to cut it. It seems like there is plexiglas textured like this but I wouldn't know where to get it. I'd definitely prefer to lay it over the top of the plexi case to retain its strength.


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

somehow I expected Mike Nelson.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Don't forget those common 2ft x 4ft textured plastic rectangular fluorescent bulb covers you see in every office in the world. I've seen some pretty varying designs/textures for those....and they're super-thin and flexible. Some textures are non-repeating. I once saw one at Ace Hardware called "cracked ice" and wondered if someone could use it to simulate subs breaking through the Polar ice. Easy to filter some colored light through, too.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

You could start off with clear plex and use something like clear silicone with some dye mixed in on the top surface. Use some scrap styrene to sculpt the waves into the silicone before it sets up...

.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

That sounds like a cool idea but I don't trust myself to sculpt anything resembling waves--even though they might look slightly artificial the textured plexi I've seen would probably be more convincing. But I'm going to experiment with all these ideas...I'm still looking for a place to buy textured plexiglas though. The sites I've looked at are confusing...


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

Tap Plastics.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

Hmm--they have a textured plexi that would probably work although the pattern is pretty fine. Good prices though!


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Artists use acrylic gel which is pasty like when wet and can be shaped like waves.Hardens when dry,of course.I guess you first cut out a rigid board to fit the sea vessel in.Then apply acrylic gel,both on top and bottom of the board.Shape it like waves on top.To paint the sea,you can use artists paint in tubes.Titanum white for waves breaks,Phtalo blue,and even a sort of sea green is sometimes used depending of seas ocations,etc.Don't forget that different wave patterns are made by different ships hulls when the ships move in water.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

It's got to be at least translucent though because I want to be able to look down through the surface and see the Seaview below. Also factor in that I'm extraordinarily lazy.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Steve244 said:


> somehow I expected Mike Nelson.


Or these Nelsons.


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## Robert Hargrave (Dec 4, 2003)

xsavoie said:


> Artists use acrylic gel which is pasty like when wet and can be shaped like waves.Hardens when dry,of course.I guess you first cut out a rigid board to fit the sea vessel in.Then apply acrylic gel,both on top and bottom of the board.Shape it like waves on top.To paint the sea,you can use artists paint in tubes.Titanum white for waves breaks,Phtalo blue,and even a sort of sea green is sometimes used depending of seas ocations,etc.Don't forget that different wave patterns are made by different ships hulls when the ships move in water.


Right on the mark, Acrylic Matte Medium comes in a palm size bottle mix in a dab of tube acrylic paint for the water color of your choice, using a brush that is large enough to dip in the paint then push straight down onto the clear acrylic sheet so the brissles fan out like the spokes of a wheel, now twist the brush left and right, lift, dip and move to the next spot and repeat all the way across the sheet. Let dry and paint the tops of the waves with acrylic white. I saw one of these sheets done with a small boat and they even added the wake of the boat to make it look like it was moving across the water.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Everyone seems to be trying to find one thing as a ready-to-use solution, while the acrylic medium stuff isn't translucent enough.

What about pouring clear casting resin over the existing plexi? Tint with the appropriate colors for the casting resin, dapple it as it hardens to make waves and ripples, presto, translucent/transparent water! 

Naturally you'd want to play around with it on some scrap plexi, make sure it bonds, it doesn't melt or distort, isn't too heavy, etc.

thoughts?


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

I'm pretty sure I have some leftover plexi to experiment on--I'm a little leery of painting something right on to the case, but if I'm going to open it up for the waterline (or cut the ship and glue the bottom of the hull on the inside or something) I'm going to be permanently altering the case anyway. I appreciate all the suggestions--and feel free to throw in any others! I'll be working on finishing a Sovereign K'tinga and the RC Galileo over the next few weeks but now that I have the Calypso it's the perfect excuse to finally finish my Seaview...


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## jaws62666 (Mar 25, 2009)

jbond said:


> I'm pretty sure I have some leftover plexi to experiment on--I'm a little leery of painting something right on to the case, but if I'm going to open it up for the waterline (or cut the ship and glue the bottom of the hull on the inside or something) I'm going to be permanently altering the case anyway. I appreciate all the suggestions--and feel free to throw in any others! I'll be working on finishing a Sovereign K'tinga and the RC Galileo over the next few weeks but now that I have the Calypso it's the perfect excuse to finally finish my Seaview...


Irecently finished that kit myself. It is on the shelf on top of the big Seaview. I dont think the sizes are very close though. The divers look way too small to fly the mini sub. Huge size difference.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=293935&highlight=calypso


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

A good part of the time when someone wants to make a sea diorama with a ship on top and submarine underneath the sea,a sea is created with acrylic gel.Transparency might not be a problem because when the diorama is placed more closely to eye level,both the ship and submarine are viewed together.Besides,if you add waves to a somewhat necessary thicker seascape,because of it's size,in this case,the view from above would be distorted in a transparent sea type diorama.:drunk:


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

jbond said:


> I'm pretty sure I have some leftover plexi to experiment on--I'm a little leery of painting something right on to the case, but if I'm going to open it up for the waterline (or cut the ship and glue the bottom of the hull on the inside or something) I'm going to be permanently altering the case anyway. I appreciate all the suggestions--and feel free to throw in any others! I'll be working on finishing a Sovereign K'tinga and the RC Galileo over the next few weeks but now that I have the Calypso it's the perfect excuse to finally finish my Seaview...


Well, with my suggestion you wouldn't be painting the clear casting resin on the case top so much as pouring it.

Build a dam around the edges of the top, pour a thin layer, just enough to get the effect you want, let it cure. You could probably polish the edge of the pour so it looks like it's all one piece. 

Hm. maybe not even needing to buy that casting resin. Might be able to use good old Future acrylic floor finish. All you really need is enough to create some ripples and crests, right?


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

Interesting idea! Think I can mix in transparent blue paint with that?


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

Here is a similar effect with a Creature from the Black Lagoon kit. I'm going to guess he used clear acrylic gel on top the plex. You might want to ask him.
http://monsterjones.com/Creature/CreaBallet2.html


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

jbond said:


> Interesting idea! Think I can mix in transparent blue paint with that?


You might, but it also might interact and not cure properly. I'm just not sure.

I recall they make tints for that clear casting resin but I also seem to recall it was stupid expensive for what it was.

you might try...and hear me out... food coloring. A few drops mixed with 8 oz. of Future might make a really nifty water simulation.

The good thing about the Future/Food Coloring idea, it's not a ton of money if it doesn't work or you don't like the effect, right? Just need some scrap plexi to play around with. 

And maybe you can layer it. Mix enough coloring to make a darkish blue, then another batch with less to make a lighter blue poured on top...


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## nautilusnut (Jul 9, 2008)

Take your top piece of textured Plexiglas. Create a paper pattern of the hull shape at the waterline. Use this as a patten to cut the hole in the top piece where the ship will sit. Place the completed ship through the top opening and support it underneath with books or similar so it sits at the correct depth.
Use clear 5 minute epoxy to fill between the hull and the plexiglas (If you have cut close to your pattern the space to fill should be very small) The epoxy will glue the model in position and make the "hole" invisible. You now have the ship imbedded in the top at the correct waterline and did not have to cut the hull in half. (which would require removing the thickness of the top piece from the hull) This is the method used by many of the best museum diorama makers for this sort of display.


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