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I had thought plasticard (though I have yet to see it for sale anywhere in U.S.A.), but I need a material that I can do things like placing terrain features on without ground contours. Things like trees, sandbags, tank traps, dragon's teeth, and concertina wire. I'm not familiar with doing terrain, so I wasn't sure if there was a popular standard. And if it's not something very readily available, I need a website to order it from. Any thoughts?

I think masonite is a standard.
Just shave down the edges.

Plasticard isn't generally for sale as plasticard.
Usually, I use gift cards. They are FREE, and abundantly available in supermarkets, before activation. Or starbucks, or anywhere else that makes gift cards obnoxiously available.

Plastcard is sold in several major retail hobby store, Hobby Town being the first to come to mind. As far as ordering, google "modeling styrene."

I agree that Masonite is your material of choice for what you have described.

I use foamboard:




Base is just foamboard with modeling sand glued on and sprayprimed (Careful with spray on foam, it melts!) and then painted and flocked.

I just used plasticard (as mentioned, sold by the name "sheet styrene")







The best part about plasticard is that you can layer it on top of itself to raise the elevation of things (just think about how architects create hills with layers of balsa wood).

If you're doing wire and tank traps as fortifications, I'd build individual sections on cavalry or bike bases and set them up in groups of 3 or 4 when you deploy the terrain

I use hardboard. Masonite is a type of hardboard.

If you use a jigsaw, you can cut the edge with a 45 degree bevel.

Heavy card stock might be better for small terrain pieces. Like mounting board for picture framing, or thick cardboard boxes. The disadvantage is it tends to warp with humidity.

Foamcore board would work -- I would use the 3mm thickness version. Paint the plastic edges with diluted PVA to seal them against spray paints.

Thanks for the help, guys. but isn't sheet styrene that 1/8" thick Styrofoam board? I mean, if that's my only option, I'll work with it. But super glue doesn't agree with it (EDIT: unless I use Killkrazy's idea), and I have to somehow smooth down the relatively high "topography" edge of the styrofoam. But thanks for the idea with the gift cards. I'll DEFINITELY be using that. I just need something really long for a barbed wire fence. FYI I am currently trying to get Tamiya's sandbags and barricades sets from their "military miniatures" line. Granted, they're a tad too large of scale, and the modeling quality is very minimal, but at only $5 each, it's good for mobile terrain when you aren't building a masterpiece board.

Frankly, the best I have seen in terrain so far is a German company, called Verlinden Productions, who have some amazing pieces of ceramic and plastic, and a huge product lineup.

Sheet styrene is the same stuff as gift cards and the plastic for sale signs.

http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Sheets.htm

Styrene is actually incredibly easy to find once you know where you are looking. FLGS's might not carry it, but every dedicated hobby shop WILL carry it.

If you are a tightwad like me you will also be adept at recycling plastic from foodstuffs.
Marge tubs can be a sourse of card for terrain making, though you may need to laminate by sticking layers of it together

I have used "no nails" type adhesive with styrofoam packing to stick on to the free plastic card and it works fine

WIP Wood Elf monument:

The two biggest US retailers of plasticard are Evergreen and Plastruct:
http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/
http://www.plastruct.com/

The first time I went looking for plasticard, I used Plastruct's retailer's listing:
http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/USDealers.html

Most wargaming stores don't carry the stuff. You'll usually find it in strictly hobby stores, especially the ones that focus on model railroads and war dioramas.

diesel7270 wrote:Thanks for the help, guys. but isn't sheet styrene that 1/8" thick Styrofoam board? I mean, if that's my only option, I'll work with it. But super glue doesn't agree with it
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Here is a quick run-down of available sheet type materials:

1 Plasticard
This is high density sheet polystyrene or ABS coming in thicknesses of 0.25mm to 2mm or more. Use Araldite or PVA adhesive to bond it with most other materials. You can also get it with an embossed surface to look like brick, tile, and so on, which is good for detailing building walls. You can form sheets of this into curves by heating it, bending it and cooling it.
Disavantages: Slippy surface underneath. Thicker versions (2mm) are hard to cut. High cost.

2. Cardboard
Professionally known as "card" this comes in a variety of thicknesses and finishes from the basic Kellogs Corn Flakes packet to high quality mounting board for picture framing. The thin stuff is easily available. Thicker sheets can be got from art supply shops. They glue together with PVA adhesive which is really good.
Disadvantages: It tends to warp.
Do not confuse “card” with “corrugated cardboard” which is the material commonly used for lightweight disposable packaging such as Amazon parcels. Corrugated cardboard does not have the durability for long term structural use.

3. Hardboard
A professional construction material consisting of wood fibres bound together with some kind of glue or resin. Easily and cheaply available in 3mm thick sheets. It glues well with PVA or Araldite. Resistant to warping. One side is smooth and the other has a texture which can help prevent slipping.
Disadvantages: You need a saw to cut it.

4. Expanded polystyrene tiles
A naked expanded polystrene sheet available in 5mm and thicker sizes. It cuts easily with a hot wire cutter. It's a bit harder to cut with a knife. Very light and cheap. Difficult to glue to most things.
Disadvantages: Very weak structure and breaks easily. Melts in contact with a number of adhesives and paints. This can be prevented by painting it with a coat of diluted PVA.

5. Foamcore Board (Foam Board)
Available fairly cheaply in sheets of 3mm, 5mm and 10m thickness, Foamcore board consists of medium density polystyrene foam encapsulated between two sheets of very light card. It is relatively strong structurally though can easily be cut with hobby knives. The card facings glue to many materials with PVA. The foam side facings should be coated with dilute PVA to prevent them being dissolved by various types of paint. It is also resistant to warpage.
Disadvantage: Low structural strength when large areas of sheets are used, but satisfactory for most wargame purposes.

6. Thin sheet plastic or metal
You can get it free from sources like expired credit cards, yoghurt cartons, empty Cola cans and so on. The main advantage is it's effectively free. Can be cemented to nearly anything with Araldite, or PVA (the bond is weaker).
Disadvantage: Only small and irregular sheet sizes are available. Inconsistent thicknesses and properties.

7. MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)
A composite building material consisting of wood fibres in resin. You can get this in 3mm and other thicknesses from DIY shops. It’s not expensive. It’s resistant to warping. Overall it is fairly similar to hardboard but smooth on both sides and needs a saw to cut it.

8. Plywood
A composite building material consisting of thin sheets of wood bonded together with adhesive. The number of plies indicates the number of wood sheets that have been bonded. It is available in many thicknesses and qualities from 0.8mm upwards and is tough enough as a material that the WW2 fighter/bomber the Mosquito was mostly built from plywood. Quite resistant to warpage and very strong for its weight.
Disadvantage: You need a saw to cut it.