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So as the title states I will be making a armies on parade/tournament display board for my raven guard. I plan on taking a 2x2 mdf board, then gluing on slats about 1/4th of an inch thick onto the edges of the board and then sealing the inside with caulk. I will then take my normal basing techniques to make the base, my biggest concern is how I will create the holes in the realistic water. Would varying sized tubes, mabye pvc plastic, from 25mm-60mm somehow adhered to the bottom work? I want to remove them after the realistic water has dried so I can put the models into the holes. I am worried though, mainly because I don't want them to get stuck in the water and I dont want the water to seep into the hole before it dries.

Suggestions? I am really looking to win this year at a local store and dethrone a good buddy of mine

you could use your tube idea, with some sort of sellotapeto stop the water effect sticking.maybe even ad a bit of vaseline or something?

You need to find a plumbing center

PVC pipework works fine for this.
Make sure though that you ask for the outside diameter as pipework is usually measured from internal.

The pipe will be fine as pretty much nothing sticks to it due to the coating.
Just dont spray the pipework with anything first as it will lose the slippery surface.

Also, make sure the pipework sticks up atleast 3-4 inches out of the water.
This seems wasteful, but it gives you a good grip on it as you will need to twist it lose.

Also, when you cut the pipe with a saw it leaves a jagged fluffy edge which you will need to trim with a knife to make it smooth again.


I have done this a few times for display bases that i want a playable model to sit in.
Its quite easy to do, just takes some time.



Hope this helps

As jackal says - PVC pipe is the ticket.

For additional certainty, smear the end in vaseline/wipe it with oil. If you have trouble getting the ends smooth enough to 'seal' down, put cling film over it before you vaseline it.

It sounds pretty cool. Are your marines already based? Can we see examples?

Thanks for the help guys! So smear the outside with Vaseline then? Also should I somehow adhere the pipe to the board from the bottom of the pipe so nothing gets in under it? or is the liquid too "thick" for a lack of a better term to do that?

But I have a few of the bases completed already! Here they are

This wasn't a final model picture but it shows off the base the best

You could always knock up a little 2" square of foamcore with walls and test the pipe/liquid method before committing to the full size one, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. - I doubt you'd need to stick it down. Maybe a little weight on top, but even that seems like it'd be un-necessary.

mockingbirduk wrote:
You could always knock up a little 2" square of foamcore with walls and test the pipe/liquid method before committing to the full size one, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. - I doubt you'd need to stick it down. Maybe a little weight on top, but even that seems like it'd be un-necessary.

That is also a good idea, and wouldn't be hard to manage.

Sounds like an ace idea. Never tried water effects stuff so look forward to seeing it. :-)