Question on "Terrain" (1 Viewer)

Aggie99

Aggie99

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I was hoping someone here could give me some good suggestions.

I would like to get some terrain features for the soldiers/figures I currently have. However, I am not sure where I would find something like this!? (Trees, bushes, fences, etc.)

I know I can buy full sets, buildings, etc. that people have already made, (and I will get into that at some point) but right now I am just looking to build (or create) some terrain.

Anyone know of a good place where I can get this kind of stuff??

Also, a lot of the soldiers I have are standing on metal green bases (very common obviously). I have been considering adding to the bases in a way where I could include some gravel/dirt/ground at their feet so that instead of just standing on a metal green base...they are standing on what looks like "earth."

What is the best way to do this? Or, where can I find the right product to do something like this?? I am guessing it is just a matter of putting down some glue and some substance to look like the ground....however, I am not sure what is best to use.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I would check model railway shops for trees and ground cover. They also sell sheets of flocked grass that you could put your figures on the sprinkle loose grass around.

Check JG Miniatures on the Treefrog website. He has some great scenic stuff for displaying figures.

Fences can be found at dollar stores (designed for Christmas villages) as can lamps, benches etc....
 
Wow...I never thought of Dollar Stores at Christmas Time ...that is a great idea!

Also, Mike, thanks for the link. I will check that out.

Oh, and when putting the ground cover on the soldier's green metal base/stand...what is best to use? Just model airplane glue? Super glue? etc..!??

Thanks for the advice.
 
Actually, if you can wait, hit the dollar stores, Michael's and AC Moore, Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc, on the day after Christmas. All of the stuff for the Putz will be on sale at greatly reduced prices.

The arts and crafts stores are good sources, anyway, for some of the materials we use, such as paints, brushes, sculpting clays--very worth the time to browse a little, you never know what you'll find.

Prost!
Brad
 
You could probably just use plain old white glue but bear in mind this will decrease the value of your figures. They are your figures so if this doesn't bother you go for it !!
 
thebritfarmer said:
You could probably just use plain old white glue but bear in mind this will decrease the value of your figures. They are your figures so if this doesn't bother you go for it !!
Click to expand...

If you use the water soluble white glue you can wash it off. It does take a little soaking if it has been on for some time.
 
That's good advice-use white glue (eg, Elmer's). You can thin it with a little warm water and brush it on the surface, then sprinkle your ground cover over it. Warm water will dissolve it again, if you ever want to remove it.

For this kind of work, I use those cheap utility brushes, black nylon bristles and hollow metal tubes for handles, they come something like 100 to a bag in some stores.

Prost!
Brad
 
And some tips for ground cover, if you don't want to buy something commercially prepared:

  • Old tea leaves-cut the bag and dump the contents in a dish and let them dry. I put them on an old aluminum pie plate and stick it in the oven on warm for a while.
  • Coffee grounds--same thing
  • Old rope--cut it in short lengths, and it can be used to look like long grass
  • Sawdust
  • Sand--I have a jar of beach sand from Ocean City, NJ, that I collected just for this. Beach sand will give you some finer granularity than say, sandbox sand

Even dirt from your yard can be dried and sifted and used.

You can dig up finer pieces of roots, too, dry them and use them for shrubs or trees


Prost!
Brad
 
theBaron said:
And some tips for ground cover, if you don't want to buy something commercially prepared:

  • Old tea leaves-cut the bag and dump the contents in a dish and let them dry. I put them on an old aluminum pie plate and stick it in the oven on warm for a while.
  • Coffee grounds--same thing
  • Old rope--cut it in short lengths, and it can be used to look like long grass
  • Sawdust
  • Sand--I have a jar of beach sand from Ocean City, NJ, that I collected just for this. Beach sand will give you some finer granularity than say, sandbox sand

Even dirt from your yard can be dried and sifted and used.

You can dig up finer pieces of roots, too, dry them and use them for shrubs or trees


Prost!
Brad
Click to expand...

Yes great tips, I have used the dried used coffee grounds for soil. I have also used rocks and mulch from the yard. Also bristles from worn out paint brushes can make nice grasses.
 
Aggie99 said:
I was hoping someone here could give me some good suggestions.

I would like to get some terrain features for the soldiers/figures I currently have. However, I am not sure where I would find something like this!? (Trees, bushes, fences, etc.)

I know I can buy full sets, buildings, etc. that people have already made, (and I will get into that at some point) but right now I am just looking to build (or create) some terrain.

Anyone know of a good place where I can get this kind of stuff??

Also, a lot of the soldiers I have are standing on metal green bases (very common obviously). I have been considering adding to the bases in a way where I could include some gravel/dirt/ground at their feet so that instead of just standing on a metal green base...they are standing on what looks like "earth."

What is the best way to do this? Or, where can I find the right product to do something like this?? I am guessing it is just a matter of putting down some glue and some substance to look like the ground....however, I am not sure what is best to use.

Again, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


They're all good but my favorite is BUILD-A-RAMA on Treefrog and here:

http://www.build-a-rama.com/catalog_1_32.shtml

BTW, welcome to the Forum.

Good hunting,

Carlos
 
Last edited by a moderator:
All good advice...I really do appreciate it!

Looks like I need to hit the hobby/craft stores. I will also be checking the yard for things I can use.

Thank you all for the help!
 
Here's a suggestion, now i don't know if people do this, but if you are using a green/brown material such as felt, to glue down shrubs and grasses etc.... to hide the bases on your figures, maybe you could cut an X in the fabric and put your figure through the X so that your base would be hidden but you could still see the legs. :D

PR
 
Hey Ryan, I do that with trees and other stuff that will topple easily.

To cover bases, I just sprinkle RR groundwork material on thebase - no glue -and it hides it perfectly.
 
I haven't tried it myself:eek::eek::eek: and now that I think about it, that probly wouldn't work & it would b hard to get figures out of it
 
Okay, let me "tweak" the question/discussion a little bit.

I have been building a diorama and using dried moss for the ground cover. Gluing down the moss is taking a long time, and although it looks great, there has got to be a better way to do this.

I went to a local hobby store and saw that I could buy a bag of brown or green ground cover (what looked like dirt or sand, that you just sprinkle over the surface you want covered after putting down a layer of glue).

While that seemed like a good option, I was curious if there was anything I could make or use for the same type of ground cover without having to buy the expensive bag of it at Hobby Lobby.

So, I have been trying to think of what would work just the same. I have even thought of getting a sturdy "cheese grader" and using it on sticks, twigs, bark, etc. To make a (not powder) gravely ground cover that could be "sprinkled" over an area.

Anyone tried this? Does anyone have a better idea/solution?? Just curious as to what others have done.

Thanks
 
Aggie99 said:
I went to a local hobby store and saw that I could buy a bag of brown or green ground cover (what looked like dirt or sand, that you just sprinkle over the surface you want covered after putting down a layer of glue).

While that seemed like a good option, I was curious if there was anything I could make or use for the same type of ground cover without having to buy the expensive bag of it at Hobby Lobby. Thanks
Click to expand...

Ok...I know there are a ton of products out there for ground cover...most of them pretty mediocre IMO...I can never figure out why when modelers want to recreate nature they don't go to nature first. Most of what you need is in your back yard and free...not everything, but certainly ground cover. If you are concerned about scale, stick it in the coffee grinder.

Brad's suggestions are right on. Synthetic representations of natural materials usually look like just that. Most of the best modeling I have seen is made with organic materials.
 
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