DEEP SEA DIORAMA

"PROTECTING THE NEST"

The First And Final Exploratory Dive By The D.O.V. TRITON

The Deep Ocean Vehicle, “TRITON” was launched on its maiden voyage by the World Navy on January 14  2055. Its 16 hour mission was to explore an unmapped section of the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans. At a depth of 11,033 metres (36,201 feet, 6.8 miles), communication was suddenly lost with the TRITON. Its support ship on the surface circled the area for three days and reported no signs of wreckage. Two months later, an oxygen cylinder was washed ashore on the island of Guam, however military reports have been unable to confirm that it came from the TRITON. Many theories abound as to the whereabouts of the D.O.V. TRITON and its crew of 12, however there is no evidence to support any of them.
 

A half-completed model from five years ago was the basis for the Deep Ocean Vehicle TRITON. A pair of small scale passenger airliners had been joined together, while sheet styrene blended the fuselages. With the addition of a few selected kit parts, the conning tower assembly was completed and the model primed and sprayed with Sandstone Beige, an acrylic car paint.

The diorama base was a section of 12mm Medium Density Fibreboard, while 3mm plywood became the support for the canyon walls. I used a pencil to draw the basic outline of the diorama shape and then cut the various pieces accordingly. They were joined with Liquid Nails and large staples. A length of brass tube was Araldited into a hole drilled in the base to support the TRITON.

Using sheets of Styrofoam cut with a Stanley knife, I built up the canyon walls, cementing it all together with PVA wood glue. A mixture of cement, Plaster of Paris and sand was trowelled over the foam to give a surface to the canyon walls. Various washes and drybrushing completed the undersea canyon.The creature tentacles are bendable wire from flower arrangements painted bright green, while the sharks came from a toy shop and have been repainted to lighter colours for visibility. The creature’s eggs are tiny balls from the Styrofoam sheet, carefully glued into place.