[FAQ] Terrain/Scenery - Common Materials
David Lawson (Grey Knight)
Subject: 4.0 - Materials
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4.1 Common Materials
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The following is a list of the more common terrain and scenery
materials. There are many others, but hopefully the following will
give you enough to get started. Where there are a number of similar
materials (like flock or plaster) I refer to them by the following
names in the FAQ:
Aquarium Plants:
Plastic ones, not the real ones unless you like slime and rot! Pick
some with small leaves to make excellent jungle plants.
Bits Box:
Any box filled with all those left over bits from old models. The
longer you make models, the better your bits box becomes. I also
collect all sorts of interesting looking junk in my box. Old or broken
kids toys are a great source.
Brushes:
Old ones that someone has let paint dry in (who, me?) can be cut up to
make clumps of long grasses or reeds. Stiff broom bristles can be made
into trees.
Cardboard:
Come in a vast range of thicknesses and textures. You can probably get
offcuts of the thicker and textured varieties from picture framing
stores. Don't forget your own supply from the recycling bin!
Cardboard Tubes:
Any you can find. The ones from the centre of toilet rolls are usually
too thin, but there are many other sources including the now famous
"Pringles" cans (yum!) Use the bigger ones to build towers and huts.
Christmas Trees:
Look for the ones with soft plastic leaves that plug onto a plastic
trunk. Pull them apart, spray black/dark green and coat with ground
foam - instant confiers.
Coffee Stir Sticks:
Plastic ones come as tubes and flattened tubes. Both make excellent
fence posts and can be stacked to make piles of metal beams. Wooden
stir sticks ar much less common but can be used also.
Corrugated Cardboard:
The coarse stuff may be used for making hills or buildings. Light
bulbs are often protected with finer stuff which makes excellent
corrugated metal sheets.
Dirt:
Get it anywhere, it's free! I usually dry it out first. If you live in
North America then the dirt from a baseball diamond is perfect. Most
other real dirt will require seiving before you use it.
Dirt Box:
A box I keep my "dirt" in. This box is used when basing figures and
texturing scenery. I have used real dirt, dried tea leaves, dried
coffee grounds, ground scenery foam, sand, small gravel and so on. The
aim is to have particles of different sizes as well as foliage pieces
and "battlefield debris."
Drinking Straws:
Bendy ones are great. All can be used to make pipes, ducts and
chimneys.
Epoxy Putty:
(Milliput, Green Stuff)
Two-part epoxy putty available in modelling grades from some model
shops, and in construction grades from many hardware stores. Most are
green but some are white. Usually work by mixing equal part of two
separate colours together and sets rock hard. As it is capable of
withstanding the heat and pressure of vulcanized rubber mould making,
this material is used to make the masters that most of our metal
miniatures are made from.
Epoxy Resin:
Two-part liquids used to represent water. Very effective if you want
to embed something or are modelling shallow water courses. Most will
melt foam plastic though.
Flock:
The precursor to "static grass". Avalable in craft and woodworking
stores. Flock is applied with a device giving the individual fibres a
static charge which causes them to stand upright as they set in glue.
Fly Screen:
A fine plastic or metal mesh used to cover windows in North America to
keep flies out of houses when the windows are open. The plastic
variety is black, so it only needs a quick silver drybrushing and you
have instant fences.
FoamCore:
Sheets of fine celled extruded polystyrene sandwiched between card.
Usually white, but I often use black as it reduces the amount of
spraying I have to do. Excellent for building walls (or Thunderhawk
Gunships!)
Form - It:
Avaiable from craft stores. Not tried it but I hear it can be used to
make scenery.
Gravel:
Fine gravel, aquarium gravel, kitty litter (unused!) Used to represent
smaller rocks.
Grass Powder:
Used to be dyed sawdust but is now more often a finely ground foam.
Sometimes, wrongly, called "flock."
Ground Foam:
Precoloured ground foam rubber made by Woodland Scenics and available
in a wide range of colours and mixes from most model shops. Used to
represent turned soil, grass, coarse turf, weeds, leafs, ballast and
talus (rocks at the base of cliffs.)
Hardboard:
A glue and wood sheet product. Stable and strong. Excellent for bases
and could be used for walls. 1/4" (6mm) is good as it is thick enough
to resist warping as glue dries on it.
Lichen:
Available from most model stores it is used to represent plants.
Alternatively you can harvest your own from under evergreen
trees, it seems that the acid from the trees encourages lichen growth.
Fresh lichen will dry out and become brittle so it must be
treated it with a solution of glycerine (1 part) and water (3 parts.)
You can use commercial grade glycerine and you may want to add fabric
dye to colour the lichen. After washing and picking through you
collected material, add it to the pickling mix and simmer for at least
5 minutes. Let the lichen cool in the liquid then squeeze out the
excess and dry.
This process puts the glycerine into the cells of the moss
depleting ta\hat in the solution, so if you intend to reuse the mix
you will have to add more glycerine. Alternatively, dip them in
varnish.
Loofah:
Sold as a skin scrubber for use in the bath you could also grow your
own from seed. This dried plant is tough and makes excellent hedge or
even fine branch structures for trees.
Masonite:
See hardboard.
Metal Mesh:
Available from auto repair stores. Can be used to make chain link
fencing..
Modelling Clay:
A number of varieties. Can be used to make details, stone walls, etc.
Plastecene can be hardened with Banana Oil (so I'm told.) Some are 2
part epoxy, some air dry (DAS) and some can be fired in a toaster oven
(FIMO or Sculpey.)
Pine Cones:
Spray black and add ground foam - instant conifers.
Plaster:
(Plaster of Paris, Pollyfilla, Spackle, Drywall Compound, Texture
Paint Hydrocal.)
Adds texture and strength to foam terrain and is the basis of
many model railway techniques. Hydrocal is most commonly used.
Many modelers add dye or powdered paint to plaster before
mixing to colour it so that glaring white doesn't show through the
finish if scenery is damaged.
Plastic Card:
Polystyrene is most common but you may find acrylic and other
plastics. More expensive than cardboard, but more versatile and
stronger. Polystyrene is best glued with liquid rather than tube glue.
Other plastics usually require special adhesives. Model Railroad
stores sell a wide range of textured plastic cards at different scales
for brick, stone, corrugated metal etc.
Plastic Packaging and Bottles:
Many kids toys now come packaged on card and held in place by clear
thermoplastic. This stuff frequently has interesting shapes. I usually
prime the back/inside with black paint before I assemble something.
It's also worth supporting the plastic (meat trays again!) to give the
piece greater strength. I have seen some impressive Eldar/Elf
structures. I myself have made some very effective Necromunda scenery
from this material.
Plastic Sprue:
The stuff that your plastic models come attached to that most people
throw away. When heated gently over a candle and pulled will make rods
which can then be used as cable or sliced to represent rivets.
"Plastruct":
A manufacturer of a wide variety of miniature structural components.
Available from good model stores. Excellent for metal buildings,
bridges, gantries etc. Perfect for Necromunda type scenery.
Polystyrene Foam:
(Styrofoam SM, Foamular 250, etc...)
This is manna from heavon for terrain/scenerybuilding. At its
simplest level, I use foam plastic meat trays to build all manner of
flat slab structures from Ork buildings to SM firebases (it's cheaper
than Foamcore.) At its most complex, I have used the packing foam
around consumer electronics to make fortresses, strongholds, aircraft
hangers, and power plants.
The only caveat is to protect the foam before you apply any
solvent based paint unless you want that "thermonuclear meltdown"
look. so you need to protect it with a layer of white glue or plaster.
Alternatively, spray with latex paint instead.
Some people use the extruded foam without the beads (used in
the construction industry as better quality insulation than
"beadboard") for a better texture.
Construction sites often have leftover material or offcuts.
Don't forget to ask first, it's usually free for the taking.
Pot Scouring Pads:
Available flat and twisted into pads (avoid the ones impregnated with
soap!) Makes all manner of foliage clumps.
Sand:
From very fine to coarse and available from beaches everywhere. A very
useful texturing material usually mixed with white glue and paint to
represent leaves, grass, stucco and dirt.
Static Grass:
Available in a wide range of lengths and colours, these rayon fibres
are applied to a preglued surface with a device giving the individual
fibres a static charge causing them to stand upright as they set. Can
be very realistic. Some people just glue it on by hand while others
apply the static charge using an inflated rubber balloon (I'll leave
it to your imagination!)
String:
A wide variety of thicknesses and coarseness. Sisal string can be
pulled apart and used as long grasses. Others can be used to model
rope and can be stiffened with white glue or cyanoacrylate.
Toothpicks:
Both plastic and wood ones can be used for many things.
Toys:
You could go out and buy new toys, but if you've got kids, just use
broken ones. Alternatively, a quick search through "Garage/Yard Sales"
("Car Boot Sales" in North America) should turn up some useful debris.
Varnish:
Solvent based and acrylic. The acrylic type isn't as tough but won't
dissolve foam plastics.
Wire:
Used to represent pipes and cables and can be twisted into trunks and
branches to make trees. Florists wire is coated green or brown which
may save some time.
Wood:
Balsa wood is an old standby but any wood can be used. Run a wire
brush along the grain to open it up and add texture before using it
will make drybrushing a breeze.
Wood Filler:
Available in both solvent based and water based. The water based stuff
takes longer to dry but won't fry your brain cells! Used as for
modelling clay.
4.2 Glues
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Caulking:
I find latex and modified latex is best. Holds virtually anything
together yet remains flexible enough to avoid breakage. Dries
reasonably quickly and can be painted.
Cyanoacrylate:
(CA, Super or Crazy glue, Zap-a-Gap)
Please note that one of the original uses of this material was
to glue human skin and tissue together in place of sutures. This stuff
will glue you to virtually anything so be careful!
Cyanoacrylate adhesives (superglue) are easily soluble in pure
acetone (lacquer thinner and some nail varnish removers contain
acetone.) Warm soapy water and a spoon can also be used to pry apart
your fingers if needed. This glue sets fast, generating chemical
"heat", with a strong bond.
Epoxy:
Two part glues available in different setting times.
Hot Glue Gun
An electric (usually plug-in) gun that melts sticks of glue. Comes in
different sizes, strengths and colours, most of which set up very
quickly. As the glue is melted by heating, avoid using on meltable
materials.
Polystyrene Cement:
Available in tubes or as a liquid. Polystyrene parts are melted and
welded together. Use liquid on sheet materials.
PVA:
(Polyvinyl Acrylate - white glue, carpenter's glue, "Elmer's")
Soak fabrics and string in it to make them stiff. Dilute and
spray to set flock and ground foam foliage. Paint onto expanded foam
before spraying. Good all purpose glue.
4.3 Paints
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Drybrushing:
Terrain builders most valued technique. dip brush in paint then wipe
almost all of it off before lightly dragging it over your scenery. I
usually brush from the top down to recreate the effects of light.
Spray Paint:
Paint in an aerosol can. Will save you large amounts of time when
painting terrain. I generally prefer spraying everything black first.
If you're using foam in your terrain, then use an acrylic spray paint.
Solvent based paints will eat into your new creation (you may like the
Post-Apocalyptic look.)
Texture Paint:
Used to add texture to your models to speed up drybrush
painting..While you can buy texture paint, I prefer to make it up
myself using ordinary paint and sand. Don't put too much sand in, and
use an old brush (you know, the one you intend to use for "Grass" -
see brushes above.)
Spindragon
> Subject: 4.0 - Materials
> ==================
> 4.1 Common Materials
> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>
> Dirt:
> Get it anywhere, it's free! I usually dry it out first. If you live in
> North America then the dirt from a baseball diamond is perfect. Most
> other real dirt will require seiving before you use it.
I use washed playground sand. Works great, easy to get, cheap
(I payed $1.88 American for a 50 pound bag), and it is already
cleaned and dried.
>
>
>
> Fly Screen:
> A fine plastic or metal mesh used to cover windows in North America to
> keep flies out of houses when the windows are open. The plastic
> variety is black, so it only needs a quick silver drybrushing and you
> have instant fences.
Check for a place that makes or repairs screens. I was a SysAdmin for a
company that made screens and they had enough scrap for every gamer in the
world to make fences for days.
>
>
> Gravel:
> Fine gravel, aquarium gravel, kitty litter (unused!) Used to represent
> smaller rocks.
>
Bird Seed works as well
>
>
> Lichen:
> Available from most model stores it is used to represent plants.
> Alternatively you can harvest your own from under evergreen
> trees, it seems that the acid from the trees encourages lichen growth.
> Fresh lichen will dry out and become brittle so it must be
> treated it with a solution of glycerine (1 part) and water (3 parts.)
> You can use commercial grade glycerine and you may want to add fabric
> dye to colour the lichen. After washing and picking through you
> collected material, add it to the pickling mix and simmer for at least
> 5 minutes. Let the lichen cool in the liquid then squeeze out the
> excess and dry.
> This process puts the glycerine into the cells of the moss
> depleting ta\hat in the solution, so if you intend to reuse the mix
> you will have to add more glycerine. Alternatively, dip them in
> varnish.
>
Very interesting does it grow in all climates?
> Plastic Sprue:
> The stuff that your plastic models come attached to that most people
> throw away. When heated gently over a candle and pulled will make rods
> which can then be used as cable or sliced to represent rivets.
>
Another use (Be carefull kiddies) if you burn them they release an oily
black smokethat when held under say a cannon barrell or building ruins
gives that blackpowder
/ burned out look, a very realistic
look.
David Mathews
>Cardboard:
>Come in a vast range of thicknesses and textures. You can probably get
>offcuts of the thicker and textured varieties from picture framing
>stores.
You can get foamcore board and matte board (a hard, durable cardboard
used in framing pictures) for free from frame shops. Just go in and tell
them you make scale model buildings and were wonderind if you could have
the scraps. You might offer to pay a few dollars/pounds/etc. for the
stuff - I always do, and they always say no. Some places will give you
more than you can carry. Take them a nice building every year or so to
keep on their good side!
>Cardboard Tubes:
Tubes that carpet or vinyl flooring are rolled on are best - make HUGE
round towers for games!!
>Plastic Sprue:
>The stuff that your plastic models come attached to that most people
>throw away. When heated gently over a candle and pulled will make rods
>which can then be used as cable or sliced to represent rivets.
Get a glass jar and fill halfway with liquid glue, then add little bits
of sprue until full. This will melt into thick goop that can be painted
on models to "bulk up" muscles, make slime, etc. . . .
Polystyrene Foam:
>(Styrofoam SM, Foamular 250, etc...)
Get free from construction sites (ask first) often called pinkboard or
blueboard. great stuff. Be careful when painting - use latex paint as
baasecoat. use this before using bead styrofoam, as it works better and
is more durable.
Great ideas! I am glad someone is finally doing stuff like this!!!!!!