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All right, my board is going to be 3ft by 4ft. It's small because my dad also has a 3x4 board and we can link for a 6x4.

Stuff:
6mm MDF 3x4ft $11 from Bunnings
480gm/17oz wood glue, $3. Variety Store (get 2 if you intend to make a river my way) [hint: you'll use LOADs of this stuff, buy the cheep and bad variety. Quantity over Quality. Think Gaunts.]
Lots and lots of sand: free, Beach
Cheep Gap Filler: $3, paint store.
Junk (dog-bones, sprue, paper, deodorant, containers, think!!) free.

Notes:
If I did this again, I'd find a better way of doing the stream-water. Perhaps plaster?(salt speeds up plaster setting) or something else that dries somewhat smooth. The glue, although cheep, was an absolute pain to use and required lots of attention and wiping-away of leaks.

Step 1: Applying Sand.
Inspired by Jackvolerich, mix Wood glue and water 2:1 and then fill with sand to a thick consistency. Pour onto board and spread it ‘round with a brush. Wash the brush afterwards very thoroughly, with detergent and warm water. Let this Dry over night.

Step 2: Applying Forms.
Use the gap-filler to make craters and a steam, if you want one. Do this by making the shape with the gap filler then using your fingers to spread the outside and blend it into the ground, as seen in corresponding picture. Note: if your doing the stream, make is about 1cm high, otherwise you’ll deal with many many leak, as show in Step 3. Leave this all to dry. Begin to stick junk down to the board.

Step 3: Applying "Water"
If you have a stream, fill it with PVA glue. Yes, FILL it with wood glue. You don’t want this to spill. Its best to have a level surface for this. If you, like me, didn’t have a level surface, then do it a section of the stream at a time, and watch for spills. (mop up/spread around with tissue) Continue to stick junk down. Here you can see I’ve stuck down a use-up glue pot and an empty filler-tube that did not participate in the making of this board. The glue will take days to dry, and possibly a week to dry all the way through. This is normal. Keep an eye out for spills.

Step 4: Finalising and Details.
Continue gluing stuff to it. Here you can see I’ve glued bones that once belonged to the dog’s lunch. They’ve been boiled, scrubbed with Steel Wool (nothing else works) and coated in glue to stop the smell. The little bunker I scratch-build from paper.
All right, It’s ready for painting, once the glue’s dried all the way through. (Putting certain paints over some glues will prevent those glues drying properly.)

If you want to go the extra mile, feel free to cast certain parts of your body and have them coming up through the board, or something suitably horrid. My Stream will be of Blood. (Difficult terrain requiring leadership test, anyone?) and the tubes will be a factory-esque complex.

I'd love to see when this is painted! Looking good so far.

Thanks FoxPhoenix. It may be a little while before its painted, but i will be sure to put it up

i tried to make a board myself once...it turned out horrible. I bought the same MDF(at bunnings of course )and used PVA instead of wood glue(oh my god)i spent about $30 for the pva alone...then i used a paintbrush(one of these huge ones they use for paintin houses)and applied the sand to the board....then i sprayed everything with my graf-can(i know)...and well after 2 days i bought the gw grass mat, cut it to the right size and glued it on top of the board...now the board is under me bed...oh man

Oh well... Atleast you know what its like to make one, rather than be filled with contempt. This is my first time too, i reckon casting parts of my body to make a daeon gate wuold be a wicked idea, but i just dont have the money to spare on plaster.
Woodglue and PVA are exactly the same thing, but if you get it for $12 at Mitre10 or $3 at the local variety store( or 2 dollar shop)...

You would get serious cool points if you cast a demon gate out of your OWN HANDS. O_O

Yeah, that would be awsome...
Hey, if you mix salt with plaster and vasso your face, Dip cheese-cloth in the salt/plaster mix you can cast your own face in seconds... might be good to have a straw just incase it taked over a minute...

Good start id like to see it when its painted make it a snowscape

Bascilica wrote:Yeah, that would be awsome...
Hey, if you mix salt with plaster and vasso your face, Dip cheese-cloth in the salt/plaster mix you can cast your own face in seconds... might be good to have a straw just incase it taked over a minute...

Heh. I have a facecast that I use as a doorstop. Mould was a rapid setting dental plaster. I had straws up my nose though. Jut thought I'd share that bit.

Like the ideas for the board. A couple of my clubmates had this idea - then decided the old paper-backed grass mat was easier.

It might have been in theory. They forgot that PVA shrinks as it dries, and the mat ended up with creases and ridges everywhere. They did it in a couple of hours. Mine was perfectly flat, but took on the order of 6 weeks.

personally when I make a board I dunno if I'd wanna use sand haha... seems messy! I'd probably buy one of those train grass mats (like the GW ones, but far bigger) and glue it on top... lol

Looks good this far

(The board) What a good idea!

The sand does sound messy but maybe you could try spray fixative. It's used by artists to keep charcoal and other mediums in place - maybe it would work. Walmart spray adhesive = $16 per can... just an idea haven't tried it yet...

I made a board out of my old railway and spen what £10 on paint that didnt even cover a 24ft2 board then like another £50 on materials i really should have used this idea....