The Red Shadow's Guide to a Rocky Hill.
 
 

 This is a terrain feature knocked out one saturday morning.

 The Shadow Axiom :
 "Terrain and figures you create will always look better to others that they do to you"


Materials used for this project. The first figure is the initial purchase cost and the second figure is the actual cost on the basis that unused materials will be used for subsequent projects
One sheet of styrofoam (polystyrene foam) insulation boards
$3.00 / $3.00
Rock castings made from expanded high density foam (available form model railroad supply shops)
$10.00/ $8.00
Scultamold. (Casting material available from   Model RR shops: I have a huge bag that cost $30 I think but it lasts forever)
$1.00
Paint from hardware store made to your color specifications
$5.00 / $0.50
Woodland Scenics Flock (Earth Bend)
 $5.00 / $1.00
Matte Sealer (again from model RR shops, but this can be made from water and white glue in  the ratio of 8:1)
$4.00 / $2.00
In addition you will also need some white glue but I assume all wargamers have this already for making figure bases. When you look at these prices, bear in mind this is a pretty huge piece of terrain at 3 1/2 feet long, two feet wide and 10 inches high.

CONSTRUCTION
This is the finished terrain piece. As you will
notice this is a table dominator. To give you a
sense of scale, this is a 10t by 5 ft table and the
photo shows about 6 ft of its length.

The figures are 28 mm Old Glory and Foundry
which should give you another scale reference.

In addition to the above noted materials I have
also glued "talus" which is scale looking rock
debris available form model RR supplies.

The project took about 2 hours (excluding drying
and setting times). Like most things in life, the time
it takes to complete the project is directly
proportional to how organized you are.

An approximate contour was drawn out on the
styrofoam. This was then cut with an old knife (at
45 deg) that was heated over the stove (with the
extractor fan on ... important!). A second smaller
layer was similarly cut and white glued to the first
layer.

The sheet of rock cast was cut into strips with a
utility knife and arranged in an oval on the top
layer. The rock section was then filled with off cut pieces of foam which were glued in. A second
smaller outcrop of rock was glued onto the top
layer of foam 'fill'.

The gaps inside the rock mound are now filled in
with sculptomold (or papiere mache, whatever
works for you) and molded to form the surface. I
also smoothed a layer of sculptomold over the
entire surface of the styrofoam which adds
considerable rigidity to the model and also adds
texture and irregularity to the surface.

Be sure and leave a pathway for the figure to be
able to ascend the outcrop unless you desire it to
appear inaccessible.

Leave the sculptamold to dry over night.

Have the hardware store mix a small can of paint.
Use acrylic matte paint that is mixed to those paint guides that have hundreds of colors to chose from.

I had this can matched to the desert terrain color.

The paint is painted on the surface. There are a
couple of techniques for adding flock but I prefer
the one that adds it as you paint.

Start with a generous layer of paint, then  sprinkle
on the flock (I use an old plastic herb dispenser)
to the wet paint. Then paint another section and
sprinkle on the paint.

Keep going until the entire model (except the
rocks of course) is covered with paint and flock.
Go easy with the flock. Its is not necessary to get
more than a light sprinkling of flock on the
surface. It does not have to be completely
covered.

After drying, the excess flock can be sucked off
with a shop vac or blown off outside. Don't bother trying to save it unless you are on a tight budget because its not worth the effort.

Touch up with paint, of different shades, any area
of white still showing. Glue some little pieces of rock or talus or gravel around the base for fallen
rocks.

Spray the finished model with matte medium to seal the flock and gravel and voila, a mountain in miniature.

TERRAIN  PAGE