Materials needed are several sheets of corrugated cardboard, white PVA glue, sand or flock, latex paint, paper masking tape and hot glue sticks. My tools of choice for this work includes a cutting mat, steel ruler, a square, razor knife, and hot glue gun.
First, cut the cardboard into a lot of squares. Mine are 3x3 inches. Plain blocks are made my stacking and hot gluing four of them. I try to "cross-hatch' the grain of the cardboard so that warping is less likely.
Here is a hill (6 plain squares, topped by two smaller squares), and several blocks that will make up a river (2 plain squares, topped with two layers, cut to shape).
After the glue is firmly set, I wrap the block in paper masking tape. This seals off the "pores" in the corrugation. Next, paint on a layer of PVA white glue, to seal and strengthen the surface.
After painting the block with a basecoat of latex paint, give it another thin layer of white glue, and dip it in sand or flock. Allow it to dry, and it will be ready to use.
A few pointers:
Use the framing square to cut your angles sharply.
Make your cardboard squares SLIGHTLY under the desired size. The layers of tape, glue and flock WILL add a little thickness that adds up when you line up eight or twelve of them.
Make sure that your figure bases will fit the channel you cut for your trench. Then double check...some of my original 'one inch' bases were actually 1-1/16, and the dreaded "rebasing evening" resulted.
I built a frame to hold an 8x8 block layout. This one was light duty, as an experiment. A piece of light plywood, with sides made of lattice wood, should be all that you need.
NEXT WEEK: Mission Cards for the Trench Raid Game.
Thanks for the tutorial,most interesting indeed.I hope the kitchen progresses well too.best wishes
ReplyDeleteAlan
Hi Alan,
DeleteI'm not used to painting things that are 1/1 scale. My "0" brush just isn't cutting it.
-Steve
A very interesting and helpful tutorial. I would never have though about using corrugated cardboard in the way that you have ... but it makes a lot of sense and your method sounds as if the terrain squares end up being light and durable.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Bob
Bob, after my investment in wood for ship models, three different editions of Jane's and several naval books by Paul Halpern, scenery HAD to be made "on the cheap". It has held up well, and I finally have a trench system that offers some variety.
DeleteNow I'm building Portable Tunisia....
-Steve
Funny how you look at the same problem and have entirely different ideas of how to approach it. I recently made a board for trying the Portable Wargame. I just took a piece of mdf, painted it, and drew squares on it. Making squares and putting them in a frame makes a lot of sense in terms of being able to easily model a lot of different terrain. There is a bit more work up front, but the results speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteMost of my boards are very much like yours. i took all of my old Integral Terrain 2x2 foot boards and drew a grid on them with a black marker. I am currently building a 2x3 foot Tunisian Desert board in the same style.
Delete"Above ground" trenches have always annoyed me. nothing i had tried looked right or gamed right, for that matter. During the summer, Bob posted a picture of a beautiful board someone had made of squares of carpet. This board featured a river that was below ground level. I studied the picture, plated around a few days stacking pieces of cardboard, then started gluing. A good permanent trench system can be built on a piece of two inch foam board, but I like having the ability to vary the trenches for different scenarios.
-Steve
How timely! I was just going to ask ... :^)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Dale, I am glad you dropped in! I think you wooden soldiers are just amazing. I check your site frequently to see what you are working on.
Delete-Steve