Water Diorama Kit

A water diorama from a waterfall to an ocean

Complete sets have one advantage over buying the individual preparations that will be appreciated above all by anyone making water for the first time: the content is put together so that it follows on from one another, and a modeler does not have to know in advance which preparation gets on with which. The manufacturer sets the set for the age of seven years and up, which suggests how demanding the work with it is: it is a line conceived for school projects and beginners.

What the set will manage

The range of use is wide: the calm surface of a pond, a flowing river, rapids with white water, a falling waterfall and sea waves. Each of those elements has a different procedure, but all of them rest on the same assembly of preparations. The difference lies mainly in the preparation of the base and in how many layers are applied; a calm surface tends to be finished at the first go, whereas a rapid arises by layering gradually.

The procedure in brief

• Model and seal the channel or the hollow.
• Paint the bottom before any compound comes onto it.
• Create the surface and let it set properly.
• Only at the end add foam, waves and highlights.

The most common mistake of beginners does not lie in the material but in haste: a compound applied to an unfinished bottom or to damp paint clouds the whole area and that cannot be put right. The second common mistake is the color of the bottom: the deeper the water is to come across, the darker a middle and the lighter shallows it needs. The set can be used on its own on a small scene as well as a complement to terrain that is already built, where a water feature is added later.