Water effect - plastic film

[AndrewBeasley]

Looking for a few bits on eBay  I have just come across this plastic film / sheet SM03 1pcs WATER SHEETS realistic clear moulded 1*0.5m

Looking at the shop (Everest Models) he has three different wave patterns in store.

I've always had good service from these folk but never tried anything like this before - has anyone else?

[sundayhero]

you could probably buy some textured acrylic glass in hardware store ? Maybe not in scale, but it may worth to try.

[fastolfrus]

Saw something like it in a Dutch art shop.
Sold from a roll (roll was quite wide, 1.5m?), quite a few different designs (& colours). I got the impression it was a stick on material for frosting bathroom windows etc.

Maybe a DiY shop might have something?

[Westfalia Chris]

I've done a couple of base boards for Dystopian Wars and, more recently, my Port of Bruegelburg project.

This is a shot of the "harbour" variant:



This is a shot of the "open seas" variant for Dystopian Wars:



Both are made from 3mm MDF boards painted using a paint roller and various hues of acrylic paint, with the port boards using more green and the open seas more blue. On top of this, I added a layer of self-adhesive clear foil which is rather robust. I also like the way objects reflect in the "water".

Obviously, if you could get a 3d version that has some wave pattern on it, it would look more convincing as an ocean surface; still, for small ships, it can lead to unsightly gaps between the ship bottom and the wave valleys as the model sits on the wave crests.

Personally, I opted for a smooth surface and painted in waves and crests. Generally, though, I think it works rather satisfactorily and is a much faster method (and less prone to warping the boards) than applying numerous layers of gloss varnish.

[Eric the Shed]

These look great but I think Ill stick to the homebase oxford blue tile for my rivers but these might work well for the sea