Today I am going to go through the process of using a resin water product on some flames of war bases that I have recently finished.
Adding resin to your finished models can be a daring process and the fear of failure can often overtake the desire to succeed, but don’t worry, I felt the same way, but it turned out alright.
Planning.
As with most things having a plan helps. So to start with I made a setup of the bases I needed for my Cossack platoon and had a look at how it would be best to go about it all. The idea was that I wanted to represent a group of soldiers crossing a stream or small river and having some on the banks and some in the stream itself. When making scenic bases the most important part is to try and make the scene go diagonally across the base, which will make the scene seem a lot more dynamic than if it is made parallel to the front edges of the bases. I this case I managed to go against my own advise.

Preparations.
With the layout sorted, I started on the models and most importantly in this case the river bed. The models I used are metal sculpts from Battlefront with round bases. To make sure they wouldn’t stand up to high from the bases. I trimmed the edges with a straight edge cutter and then using 40 grid sandpaper I quickly sanded the base of the model down from 5mm to 2mm and then using super glue, glued them to the bases. The models on the banks, I got in level with the cork, by cutting a hole for the model-base using a Dremel, but it can be done using a sharp knife as cork is a very easy and soft material to work with.

With the models in place I shaped the bases and coved the model bases using a filler, mixed with paint.

I added some grid to the the banks and some rocks to the bottom of the stream to also have a clear difference in what was stream and what land.
Before going on with the painting of the models I made the barriers that would hold the resin back when that time comes. One of the difficulties with flames of war bases are the rounded corners. It is much easier to make 90 degree corners than rounded ones. I overcame this problem by using clear plastic cut from the blister plastic the models are packed in. I cut strips 5mm wide and as long as the blister would allow. To achieve the rounded corners I used a pencil and lightly pressed the plastic into shape. On the bases that needed a barrier all the way round, I glued two pieces together using superglue. Each base and corresponding barrier was marked with a number so I would be able to match them up when I was done painting.

Painting.
For painting the riverbed/stream, I decided to go with a greenish colour for the stream. This has two effects. It will add a nice contrast to the brown banks and also to the khaki and blue colours of the uniform jackets and trousers of the cossacks and it will add depth to the stream. I used German camo dark green from Vallejo and dry brushed it with German camo dark green mixed white and also Sky Blue to get the turquoise nuance.

The rocks was painted using Olive Drab and then dry brushed with two lighter shades of grey. Medium Grey and Medium Grey mixed with White.
Resin Time.
With the bases painted it was now time to add the resin. The hold the barriers in place and seal it to prevent leaks I used hot glue. In hindsight I should have covered the base edges in masking tape as it would have made it even easier to remove the hot glue when the resin had cured, but live and learn. The resin I used was a 2 component epoxy resin from AK.

After mixing the resin as described on the box, I tinted it with a tiny amount of blue acrylic ink and a little khaki until i got the colour I was looking for. Be very careful when tinting the resin, it only requires a tiny amount of colour. I just used the stirring stick to get a small amount at a time into the resin.
To get the resin onto the base I used a small syringe so I wouldn’t get it on the models or places were it wasn’t suppose to go. I also used a toothpick to help it flow into all the corners and hard to reach place on the base, like between the legs and around rocks.

Then it was time to wait 24 hours. I left the bases on a plate with some tissue in case some of them would leak. Luckily only one had a small leak and i stopped it with a bit of hot glue.

The next day I removed the barriers, using a sharp hobby knife to loosen the hot glue and then just pulling all off in one go.
The resin will leave a lip up against the barriers do to the surface tension, this is easily remove with the hobby knife, just be careful with your fingers.
The resin will leave a crystal clear and plain surface, so to add some ripples and life I used Gloss Mod Podge.

Mod Podge will dry clear, but is thick enough to form when you have let it dry for 5-10 mins. It can be shaped using a brush, a straw or an airbrush. I used my airbrush, gently blowing air, making the Mod Podge form into little ripples.

When the Mod Podge is dry after 20-60min It’s time for the final stage. Creating foam around the legs of the soldiers in the stream. For this I used Valhallan Blizzard from Citadel. This is a snow texture paint, but works great for sea foam as well.

It was applied using a toothpick to get into all the little corners around the legs without getting too much on the other parts of the bases. To get an idea of where to put it, I looked at photos of people and vehicles crossing rives. Finally when the snow effect was dry i added a coat of gloss varnish to the foam to make it look even more “wet”.







That is it. I hope you have learned something new and got the inspiration to give a go yourself.
Happy hobbying
-Soren-
Outstanding as always!! I would try this myself but I have so many painting commissions that I am currently working on. At least that is what I tell myself! 🙂
Thanks a lot Carl. Good to hear you have enough to paint even if it’s not your own stuff. Hopefully you will get around to paint a little something for yourself before to long. Do you have a tournament coming up that needs some new platoons?
Great inspiration, as always; great work, it’s hard to find original ideas for bases when you’ve already painted many platoons, and in your case, you’ve succeeded. Congratulations
Thank you Valendune. Means a lot and thank you for being an inspiration constantly making me wanting to try something new. I am looking forward to copying your crashed Stuka bases soon.