On the outer side of the floodgate, a tug boat from the 1920s (this kind of boats used to remain in
service during many years) is operating with a diver to inspect the condition of the floodgate, while
the non-commissioned officer in charge of the boat watches the progress of the task. The white and blue
flag indicates that a diver is working.
The boat was made with many different materials, mainly wooden sheets, plastic sheets and resin. The
model is perfectly detailed, including the interior of the wheelhouse, which includes not only the
steering wheel, but also the compass, the telegraph, the communication duct and the cupboard for signal
flags.
Some welding works are performed inside the floodgate while the responsible of these works remains idle, leaning on the
railing.
The mariner on the small boat transports a barrel of provisions to another ship anchored on the docks.
The multiple leaves of the folding doors of the storehouse were reproduced in resin, moulded from a
single original piece. Doors and windows that repeated themselves on the buildings were created by this
method. Hinges, lockers and handles were made of tinfoil, copper wires and photoengravings.
The human figures were taken from diverse commercial kits, but were in many cases deeply modified to
match the requirements of their activities and environment. Some small details on the dressing can be
obtained by applying modeling paste or carving on the surface, while the poses can be obtained by
modeling or by modifying the limbs by cutting and linking them again in the desired position; the method
for linking them would depend on the material used for moulding the figures (for instance, sticking
for plastics or resins and welding for metals). Additional figures, such as the various animals present
on the diorama, were reproduced by moulding them in resin from a hand-crafted original or modeled with paste.
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