#638 Man Overboard
A little 1:700 diorama in a walnut featuring a little drama while mooring a Mitsubishi F1M2 observation seaplane. Part of the Just Making Conversation podcast Walnut Challenge group build. No electronics in this one.
Notes
The Walnut Challenge
The Walnut Challenge is organised by James and Malcolm of the Just Making Conversation podcast. Essentially:
Make a diorama entirely inside of your Walnut. Opening the walnut will reveal your work. Closing the walnut will hide what is inside.
It sounded like a very niche idea, but amazingly at the time of writing, there are 89 members of the facebook group and at least a dozen finished builds.
Man Overboard
Basic concept: The diorama features an F1M2 Pete being met by a tender. Someone was a bit careless and one of the crew is going overboard. Unfortunately, there’s a shark lurking below.
To fit that all inside a walnut, I’m using 1:700 scale parts salvaged from spares or scratch.
The F1M2 Pete model is from the Waterline Series W Sprue. The W sprue that is found in a number 1:700 ship subjects from Japanese manufacturers - I think I got mine from a Tamiya kit.
The Mitsubishi F1M “Type Zero Observation Seaplane” (零式水上観測機) (Allied name “Pete”) was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane, and the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy. F1M2 is the two-seat production variant.
The boat/tender also came from the W sprue. Oars are left-overs from an old PE set.
The figures come from the amazingly detailed North Star Models 1/700 IJN Navy Pilot 3D Figures set
The shark is fashioned from some spare PE.
Construction
Preparing some walnuts, these are medium size.
Getting an idea of the staging..
Hinges are made from some electronic component lead offcuts, epoxied into the shell halves.
Some grout is used to make the beach and sea floor.
PE shark and priming some figures and the boat..
The F1M2 Pete, with an custom PE prop.
Painting the seafloor and preparing the jungle..
A first resin pour to make the water, parts ready for assembly.
First assembly:
Not too happy with this - the rope is a single strang from a white cotton thread, but still looks huge at this scale!
With some 1:700 white rigging to replace the cotton. A much more believable rope?
