Looking for fishy terrain details

[Otoroshi]

Hello. Like many people on this board I'm sure, I'm making my own Innsmouth village. I have the buildings collected, but what I'm missing are the little details to dress them up - specifically, fishing village-type things to sell the concept of the creepy ocean-side town on the verge of attack by legions of shuffling, seaweed-draped briny horrors.

Specifically, I'm thinking of little life preservers, crab traps, old boats, nets, buoys, chum buckets, shark jaws...

So far I'm coming up pretty light. I found this:

http://modeltechstudios.com/oscalewaterfrontkitsanddetails.aspx

...but not much else. I know Lemax christmas villages are also a source for docks and wharfs. Any mythos pros here have any suggestions or know of good online shops that offer this kind of thing? I'm guessing this might be well-trod ground for some of the modelers here, judging by some of the Innsmouth boards I've seen posted.

  Otoroshi

[ShortscaleDave]

Not built anything like this myself but I would start by listing out the things you would see (anguaklar and smooth rocks, large grain sand, small grain sand, flattened seawead, barrels, bits of wrecked boats sticking out of the mud etc) and then list next to it either a way to make it or an appropriate 28mm scenery item.  I reckon Aquarium models would turn up easily used rock formations for seaside looks, as well as a rotting old ship hulls that would work for 28mm. here's just a few ebay options:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Decoration-Shipwreck-Fish-Tank-Ornament-/201091233146?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2ed1f8b57a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AQUARIUM-ORNAMENT-CLASSIC-NO-FISHING-SIGN-YLW-/330560967249?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item4cf6f81251
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sucker-Mounted-Coral-Reef-Fish-Tank-Cave-Decoration-Aquarium-Ornament-AQ28430-/181261175424?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2a34020a80
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rock-Cluster-Reptile-Vivarium-Aquarium-Decoration-Fish-Tank-Ornament-FP50301-/181293354639?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Reptiles_Spiders_Insects&hash=item2a35ed0e8f

That being said: a lot of these things can be built quickly with minimal modelling skills but that depends on your confidence. Get some angular slate and granite type stones to build rock formations, pick up rounded pebbles from a beach - glue these together into formations.  Get strips of toilet paper or something similar and dip them in diluted PVA glue, pinch several together at one end and drape them over the rocks and sand nearest the tide as seaweed. Use photos as reference to get a reasonable facsimile.

Jetties could be built in planks of cardboard or balsa wood, with cocktail sticks as supports and beams.  28mm resin Barrels are easily obtained - some you could crack bits off, saw them in half at an angle and partially sink them in to a muddy area of sand and PVA painted the right colour and gloss varnished for 'wetness'.

I'm sure you could pick up old shacks or easily make them in similar ways.  Life rings could be made from green stuff easy enough - stamp out a circle and smooth the edge round, then stamp out the inner opening and smooth that too.

Barnacles and such like are an easy and quick sculpt in greenstuff, and with minimal practice a beginner could do it.

Sheets of that wire gridding stuff could be cut and bent into crabbing cages and nets of all varieties.

Anyway - just throwing out ideas!  Good luck

[Etranger]

Aquarium ornaments are a good place to start. There are also lots of parts for ship modellers that (obviously enough) make for great nautical pieces of clutter. They do tend to be expensive though! Here's one local to me http://www.modelshipyard.com.au/ There are plenty out there.

[Col. Aubrey Bagshot]

Worth looking out for failed hobby projects as well....

All those part works that claim you can built HMS Victory with our 600 week part work...

[pacarat]

Gauze (medical type) or cheesecloth works for netting:
soak in tea or coffee, glue some beads for floats

Aluminum foil  / TP for plastic / canvas tarps.

Wire for coiled hose, string or twine for coiled rope.

Beads for old buoys/trap floats

Plenty of O scale train accessories out there for generic bits:
trash cans, boxes, crates, benches, tables, light poles, fencing, etc.

Model, Lego, or die cast tires for dock bumpers

Assorted household/electric junk...bash to fit, paint/rust to match...

[Alfrik]

Over turned row boat or other small craft beached or tied up to a dock. The "dock" if wood would have the weathered pole tops and boat cleats scattered along it.  Sea gulls on roof tops. Nets hung to dry from roof rafters. Barrels/kegs, stacks of boxes, some over turned. Boat hooks leaning against building, attached sheds to buildings, haphazardly thrown together. Coils of rope here and there along the dock, old tires hanging over the sides of concrete piers. Flotsam on the water surface under raised docks. Rip Rap (boulders) tumbled along the exposed shore to prevent erosion. Maybe a Gas Lamp pole here and there for night light. Rickety Signs for the bait shop and other fish monger shops.

That's all I could roll off the top of my head at the moment. Hope it helps.

[redshadows]

Try Fenris games lots of scenery pieces http://www.fenrisgames.com/shop.html

[northtroll]

Having grown up on the Oregon coast I'm fairly familiar with the look you are trying to get. If you are scratch building your structures include lots of bowed and broken planks, extreme weathering, tall and unhealthy weeds, and moss. The stuff grow like mad in wet climates. Most old buildings near the docks that are still in use are simply built structures. rather like balloon framed houses. Really derelict structures actually twist over time. Roofs often collapse as well. Docks and pilings should be covered in barnacles fairly heavily. Rusted out machinery (if any) would be common as well. Remember stone and concrete piers do get eroded by seawater and look very rough. Scrapyards near a dock are often common as well.