Miguel Vaquero Author
Probably, my most ambitous project yet. Im going to try and recreate a sinking of a submarine with depth charges, droped from a destroyer. Everything in 1/700 scale. For this, i bought the Battle of the Atlantic set, wich comes with a J-Claas destroyer, a type VII German submarine and a Short Sunderland amphibous plane.

gorby
Sounds like an interesting project, I'll tag along. 🙂

David Taylor
Yuup.

Jay Dubya
Permission to come aboard Captain Vaquero?

Landlubber Mike
Looking forward to following this one!

Miguel Vaquero Author
Welcome aboard guys!! Happy to have you along.

Of course Jay! There's always room in my ships😁😁

Miguel Vaquero Author
Sub already done! It was small but detailed. The PE parts were really a challenge. Some weathering it's all it's left.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Today i wanted to work on how i want my diorama to look. So i hoped on blender and downloded some free assets and placed them together to see how i want it to look. I think for the quantity of resin and the accuracy of the scene this is going to be more or less the final desing of my diorama.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Starting with the destroyer. Awesome detail too but a million tiny parts. Good challenge for sure

Miguel Vaquero Author
Destroyer assembly done! To the paint booth

Jay Dubya
RAAF 10 Squadron Flying Porcupine next please, Miguel ?!!?

Kesa Tiho
I am in love
Fantastic build

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Kesa!!

Miguel Vaquero Author
I don't know if I'm going to finish the Sunderland😞😞. The fitting between the fuselages is too bad and fragile, using putty is not going to do the trick this time cause it will hide a lot of the nice detail and I will not be satisfied. I'll think about how to do it but there's not much hope now😓

Miguel Vaquero Author
To get my mind of the plane. I decided to destroy the sub.it turned out perfect, as I intended

Jay Dubya
Not really where you are headed with your diorama, but this might give a bit of context to my 'historical' comment Miguel.

"A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Sunderland (of No. 10 Squadron) made the type's first unassisted kill of a U-boat on 17 July 1940.[3]"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Sunderland

Flying Porcupine
"Two examples, in particular, stand out: on the 13th of April 1940, a Sunderland operating off the coast of Norway was attacked by six Ju-88C heavy fighters – the Sunderland shot down one JU-88, damaged another so seriously it had to quit the fight, and drove the rest away.

A 1943 encounter with JU-88 was even more savage when a Sunderland from 461 Sqn RAAF was attacked by eight JU-88C long-range fighters. Despite the Sunderland being heavily damaged with most of the crew wounded, the Sunderland downed three attackers, damaged and drove off the rest and made the 560-kilometre return journey to Britain where the heavily damaged aircraft was beached at Cornwall."
planehistoria.com/short-sunderland/

10Sqn RAAF Photos -
adf-serials.com.au/sunderland.htm

Keep up the great work on these tiny models.
Cheers

PS The nickname 'Flying Porcupine' was probably just a bit of allied propaganda as there's not a lot of evidence the Germans ever referred to a Sunderland as one. It's a lot like the Japanese with the Beaufighter and Whispering Death.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks for all the info Jay! I really appreciate it. And they could fit very well with this diorama. They actually performed anti submarine operations from GB and they actually sunk 6 U-boats.

I'm sure if I'm able to fix my Sunderland, I'll paint it with their colours. I loved their history

Miguel Vaquero Author
The U-Boat has exploded!!💥💥

gorby
The explosion effect is very realistic.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Gorby!!

Miguel Vaquero Author
I've already glued the U-Boat to the acrylic sheet. As the background for the diorama states that the aft reserve torpedo exploded, to hide the cables I made some bubbles coming down from the exploded compartment. It's not the best but it's better than to have some cables seen.

Miguel Vaquero Author
The acrylic sheets mold is done. The ship is now lifted with nylon cord to place on to the resin without sinking. And the u-Boat is secured in the container.

Next step, the resin pouring. I've never been so nervous about a model.

gorby
Good luck with the resin Miguel.

Shar Dipree
following

Miguel Vaquero Author
Some bubbles formed. Not the best result, also they are positioned in places where some bubbles would be formed. Overall I think it turned out great.

Jay Dubya
Absolutely 'killed it' - well done Miguel!

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Jay!

That bubble on the bow is killing me. It's right on the surface of the resin but I don't know how to get rid of it, and if I'll make it worse if I try something

Steve
wow, absolutely love this

David Taylor
Brill.

Landlubber Mike
Wow, really cool man! Well done!

Rui S
Excellent work 👍

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks a lot guys! There's still some work to do. But it's getting there.

I've made the form of the waves with some acrylic gel. Let's wait for it to dry and then to make some foam

Guy Rump
Great job, very impressive. 👍

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Guy!

I ended up making and painting the Sunderland, flying the colors Jay suggested. The end result, I think it's salvageable. I'm wondering if I should put it in the diorama. The downside is ill have to stick it with some transparent acrylic rod. It's going to be visible but not too much. I think if I mask the bottom part of the rod, the one closer to the water, as a droped depth charge from the porcupine, the result might not be bad at all.
What do you guys think

Jan Peters
Very cool set up, and very ambitious. You're a braver man than I.
Love the effect of the explosion, very convincing.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Jan!! Im not really brave, I was really really scared 🤣🤣. Its just a matter of trying and if I fail well, from everything we learn. In the end it turned out great, so that is that.

It's really great having all the support from all you experienced guys. I've only been modelling for a year or so, so your comments are really encouraging

Miguel Vaquero Author
Testing the Sunderland. What do you guys think. I'm not sure If I loved or hate it

gorby
I like it, I think it adds another element of interest (mind you I reeeeeally like the Sunderland so I might be biased). 🙂
I just want to comment on the how you've done the surface of the water - excellent, particularly the effect of the exploding depth charges.

Mr D
That looks fantastic Miguel 👌👍👍

Miguel Vaquero Author
It really does add a lot to the scene Gorby. I'll have to think thoroughly but I'm starting to like the diorama more with the Sunderland in it.

Also thank you and thanks Mr D for you kind words! The good thing about this diorama is that it really doesn't need any special abilities. It's as simple as it can get and it will give you a great result

Mr D
It's has plenty of life to it 👏👌.
How did you get the bubbles in the right place 🤔??
I am starting a Diorama once l get my next build sorted, lm trying to rap up the X2 projects I'm working on and then l start my Mi-8 it's going to be part of a Chernobyl disaster Diorama, l have the damaged power station ready for paint,
I would like to create explosion n smoke like you have done here and LED.
Nice work 😀👍

Villiers de Vos
This is epic. You manage to capture the observer with your dynamic and realistic scene.

Ben M
Remarkable diorama. How did you get the resin so deep? The stuff I use, you can only pour 1/8" at a time. The diorama is so dynamic and exciting!

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thank you Villiers. Really glad that you like it. Your words really mean a lot coming from such a great modeller.

Well Mr D, the big bubbles coming out of the explosion are mainly produced by the gap a created when cutting the U-Boat. The air trapped inside came to the surface while the resin was curing, and it cured faster than the bubbles could scape to the surface. They as well appear because of the cotton I used to create the explosion effect, but mainly because of the first reason. Also Ill make sure to follow your build. It really sound amazing, and watching your prior work, Im sure it's going to be awesome.

Thank you also Ben!! I'm glad you enjoyed the work. As per the resin, I really used the cheap one from AliExpress. I mixed well the two parts till the resin and hardener were completely clear. Then I poured it and that's it. The instructions said I could pour up to 2 centimeters per pour. I did four centimeters deep at once and it cured great. The only downside I found is that not all small bubbles rised to the surface and couldn't be popped with a torch. I should have poured a little, then torched and then poured the rest. I didn't expect such a Good result from this but guess I got lucky.

Mr D
Thanks for the Info Miguel 👍 it's all worked out for the best.

Miguel Vaquero Author
It did worked. Now the only thing left is to crate a base to go with it and finish the wiring.

Bruce Huxtable
Very impressed with your execution of this evocative scene. No escape for those poor souls..... Your creative solutions worked very well indeed, but I'm curious as to how you formed the surface of the sea? There's a lot going on, including the expanding circular waves. Superb!

Dominik Weitzer
great!

Pietro De Angelis
Awesome dio, congrats!

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks for your words guys, they really mean a lot!!

Indeed bruce. It's one of the things that fascinate me the most about U-Boats. They were deadly war machines, every sailor was terrorized by them during WW2. But it unsettles me the way all those people knew, that a single flood, could mean they would never resurface again. It's really nerve racking. Those things are what attracts me the most to this machines and their histories.

As for the water, I used a combination of two artistic acrylic gel mediums. I used one with a low viscosity for the small ocean waves and normal ripples. I then used one much more dense, to simulate the water effects created by the destroyer and the depth charges explosions. The gel, once dried, it stays hard as if it was resin, and also stays transparent. Then I painted the high ripples with a diluted white and extended it with a soft bristled brush along the ripple and it's surrounding area. I did the same were the bubbly foam would stay after the ship passed, but with a more diluted white and more gentle passes with the brush.

Ill try to upload some better pictures were the effects are better seen once I complete the diorama.

Bruce Huxtable
Many thanks, Miguel. You clearly have a very good 'eye', re-creating reality in a very convincing way.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thank you very much Bruce. Im glad that you like it!

Christian Abraham
The dio is really awesome

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Abraham!!

Kesa Tiho
Breathtaking. I hope when i make my first ship moc it comes out as beautiful as yours. Any tips?

Mr D
Hi Miguel 👋
Was a good set of X3 you got , l recently purchased the Flyhawk SBD Dauntless, li looks really good from what I've seen so far in the box.... What do you think of there kits ??

Miguel Vaquero Author
Hi Kesha. If your are going to do it with resin, my main advise is to try and eliminate bubbles the best you can by pouring a litle bit and removing the bubles then repeating thee process till you get the desire amount. And id you put any object inside it ñ, try and seal it the best you can so no air can escape. Also, when tinting the resin, always think less is more. Try a few drops of the colors you want to use, and build it from there. Id recommend you buy some uv resin, to fix pieces quickly and to seal the mould in Wich you will plur the resin. And finally, don't be afraid, a big part of this hobby is to challenge us to exit our confort zone, and if you make a mistake, to learn from it. And please please, if you remember, once you start your diorama, please let me know. I'll love to follow your build.

Hi MrD, well I can't talk about other kits and other scales, but, for this one in particular, the quality was surprisingly good. The material was perfect, almost no flush. Also the details moulded in to the surface were incredibly good. It was my first kit from them, but I'm sure its not going to be the last. I've also looked the SBD, it looks amazing, I'll make sure to follow your build to inspire me if I end up buying that kit.

Mr D
I got it for a great price on an AliExpress sale, the box content is amazing for the price 👍👍

Miguel Vaquero Author
I'm glad to hear that. Looking forward to see what you cand with it Mr D

Miguel Vaquero Author
Waiting now for some materials to finish the base and the project. While they arrive, I'm working on a little resin printed Darth Vader diorama. Feel free to check that out too and leave your opinions.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Well. I finilly finish this diorama. I ended up using a 3d printer to make the base. Not the best result but i wnated to try it out.

Happily i can finally say this project is done. I enjoyed it a lot and learned many usefull things along the way.

Hope you like the final result mates

gorby
Very impressive result!

Bob Hall
Yeah 👍 SpongeBob took the words right out of my mouth !

Shar Dipree
Cool 👍

Ben M
Absolutely top notch and very creative.

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thank you guys really. I'm really flattered by your comments. Really glad you like this build.

Neuling
Mission accomplished! 👍👍

Mr D
You done great Miguel 👏 a great action packed piece of Model art 😃👍 well done

Miguel Vaquero Author
Thanks Neuling!!

And thanks Mr D!! I don't consider this art by any means hahahhahahahahaha. I'm still glad you liked and enjoyed the build!