Terrain help.

ottomanmjm · Post by **ottomanmjm** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:37 am

Robert241167 wrote:Has anyone experience of using cork tiles for terrain?

There are plenty cheap 12" by 12" on ebay that I think may be useful for fields.

Rob

I have used cork tiles to make hills and rivers and have found that they are a good modelling medium.

For the hills take 4 to 6 tiles and glue them together using PVA glue. Cut to shape using a coping or jig saw and then sand down any irregularities. The hard part is getting a slope that is gentle enough for figure bases to stand on. To protect the edges do not cut the slope all the way to edge of the hill but leave a small steeper section in the last few millimetres. Also paint a watered down PVA solution to the bottom of the hill around the edges.
I then paint the hill and add flocking.
These hills are very durable and while they can be reasonably heavy they sit well on the table and don't move around.

A side benefit of cutting cork hills is the cork sawdust. This makes great textured flocking, like sand but easier to apply to bases.

For rivers take a single cork tile and cut to the desired length and width, leaving extra space on each side for the banks.
To make the banks I make a mix of PVA glue, Polyfilla and sand. This dries like concrete but can be easily shaped while wet.

Regards
Martin

johno · Post by **johno** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:36 pm

ottomanmjm wrote: The hard part is getting a slope that is gentle enough for figure bases to stand on.

[JRO] Which is why, having experimented with continuous slopes, I gave up and went back to contours. These have the added advantage that no-one can argue about who is higher up the slope - if the base is on the higher contour, it's higher!

One way to add durability to both cork and foam hills is to glue them to a sheet of stout card, or thin MDF or hardboard, pre-cut to the shape you want your hill, and then carve the slope down to meet it. This protects the edges very nicely.

Another technique is to put a layer or two of kitchen paper towel, stuck on with a generous sloppy coat of PVA (papier mache style). Once it has dried and been painted it sets to quite a tough finish, and is especially useful as a protective layer for foam hills, which can be sensitive to some kinds of paint, and vulnerable to knocks and dings when people drop things on them...

pease1 · Post by **pease1** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:24 pm

There's some photos for inspiration and several how-to articles on our club's website. Most are easy to do projects: http://conspiracyarchives.sr.unh.edu/painting/terrain/

Enjoy,
AJ

[Edited to update to current URL]

gozerius · Post by **gozerius** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:41 am

I'm broke so am still using felt. But there is a product in the hobby stores around here that is a vinyl mat, flocked to represent different grass types, that can be purchased in a large sheet (100" x 50") for use as a battle mat, or in smaller sections useful for cutting into "terrain" templates. The plus factor is that it lays flat so you don't have that edge of terrain "step' common with MDF. And it's way prettier than felt. For rocky ground I scooped a handful of fine gravel from a local softball field. Sprinkled on a small irregular base and then flocked it looks very nice. I got tired of my "woodland scenics" trees breaking off at the base, so drilled holes in chunks of MDF and glued/jammed them in. Rocked 'em & flocked 'em. Now when I lose, I'll at least look good doing it.

pease1 · Post by **pease1** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:28 pm

gozerius wrote:I I'll at least look good doing it.

It's not how you feel, it's how you look! And you look MARVELOUS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZl3gGV4H6c

ShadowbendStudios · Post by **ShadowbendStudios** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 4:36 pm

Hey everyone;
I was searching online for a good terrain source and came across "The Terrain Guy" http://www.theterrainguy.com

Has anyone done business with them? Their products look very nice and his hill features are FoG friendly. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences before I make a purchase.

Take Care,
Skip

ShadowbendStudios · Post by **ShadowbendStudios** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:44 am

Hello everyone;
I'm looking for a range of 15mm buildings for the biblical/chariot period. Specifically Mycenaean/Trojan. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Skip

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:58 am

http://www.baueda.com/urbis.html
Look nice, but I'm waiting arrival, so can't comment with authority

ShadowbendStudios · Post by **ShadowbendStudios** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:59 pm

philqw78 wrote:http://www.baueda.com/urbis.html
Look nice, but I'm waiting arrival, so can't comment with authority

I can't believe I completely overlooked Baueda! Thank you for the reminder... their new Mycenaean buildings are perfect!

Take care,
Skip

ShadowbendStudios · Post by **ShadowbendStudios** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 5:02 pm

Hi everyone;
I'm looking for some nice 15mm fruit trees. If I recall correctly, K&M used to have some but I have not been able to find them. I also tried SamTrees http://www.samtrees.com/ but apparently they have a minimum $50 online order (I don't need THAT many trees).

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Skip

broeders · Post by **broeders** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:14 pm

We found some compressed foamboard - 3mm deep - which is tougher than card but can be cut with a modelling knife and doesn't warp when PVA is applied (as some card and foamboard bases do). Its relatively cheap (10" x 10" pieces at c. 75p each) - we got enough for 44 different terrain pieces. You can find out more at http://philbancients.blogspot.com under Terrain or Scenery - and can see some of the pieces I'm working on. The latest is 4 forest terrain pieces using this basing material.

Overall, its the best stuff I've ever used.

petedalby · Post by **petedalby** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:22 pm

We found some compressed foamboard - 3mm deep

Where did you buy it from?

broeders · Post by **broeders** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:30 pm

My mate works in the print industry so he uses their internal contact but this stuff is apparently easily available on the internet. Compressed foamboard comes in 3mm and 5mm. I'll see if I can find the supplier's details for you.

Apparently its sometimes known as Foamex - an internet search can help you track down a local supplier.

petedalby · Post by **petedalby** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:36 pm

chrisrivers13 · Post by **chrisrivers13** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:38 pm

Where did you find this 3mm compressed foam board?

broeders · Post by **broeders** » Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:25 pm

chrisrivers13 wrote:Where did you find this 3mm compressed foam board?

See above - my friend gets it through work but look for Foamex on the internet.

broeders · Post by **broeders** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:24 pm

Robert241167 wrote:Hi everyone

Before I start may I say that I am not the DIY type.

I am thinking of the best way to make good FOG terrain as at present a lot of my terrain is coloured felt.

I though of buying and cutting some wood that would be suitable for fields, plantations, forests etc. I also thought that I could add additional smaller layers of wood to make small and steep hills.

As a novice does anyone have ideas on the following:

Rob

Rob

Some terrain ideas for FOG here as well....

http://philbancients.blogspot.com/search/label/terrain

Phil

Terrain help.

"The Terrain Guy" reviews?

Villages for Biblical armies

Of course!

Looking for good 15mm fruit trees for my plantation elements

Terrain help

Terrain Help

Re: Terrain help.