how do scale modellers use resin?

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I would say the ones that use it are few and far between - it is sticky, messy, and requires molds which either have to be bought or made - also complicated. That is not to say they don't use resin castings but I suspect they buy the castings ready molded.
I would suggest a way to prove me wrong would be to Google "resin casting for scale modeling" and see whether you get many tutorial returns and what it says about adding stuff to the resin....Show more

Are you talking about clear resin or opaque/colored resin?
There are also all kinds of "scale modelers" so not sure which people you're asking about.

If it's those who make miniature railroad scenes, etc, then they'd primarily use the clear resin to simulate water, and they would often use a 2-part epoxy resin for that like Envirotex Lite or some might use one of the one-part resins (or they'd use other things like acrylic medium, etc).
Those can be tinted leaving the "water" transcluent/transparent, or the area under the resin can be painted to add the color. The resins can also be applied in such a way as to create foamy areas, etc.

If you're talking about making small figures or items "from resin," you're generally talking about polyester "casting" resins which are used in molds. Polyester resin can also be used between layers of "fiberglass cloth" etc. to build up hollow stiff shapes like hills/etc.

Epoxy resins are usually mixed 1 to 1, whereas polyester resins are mixed with a few drops of one part (the catalyst) into the other part with the number of drops added depending on various factors.

You can get more info on various kinds of "resin" on this page at my site if you're interested:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm

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