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I have been doing much more work on scenic bases with my new Necrons, particularly with the Scarabs. Since Scarabs are on 40mm bases, and I plan to field a ton of them (since they're so awesome in the new codex) I'm running out of GS faster these days. I was wondering if there is an inexpensive alternative for making very basic shapes, like little hills and such for scenery and scenic bases. Sculpey/Super Sculpey requires baking (too much trouble). I've seen a couple other clays at the crafts store, but I'm not sure which might work for this purpose (if any of them).

for reference, here's a scenic base or two with examples of what I've done with GS, with sand glued over it:


Kinda hard to see, but the center is kind of a mound in the above picture.


Scarabs crawlin' over a little mound...

Anyone have any suggestions for alternatives? Thanks in advance!

-C6

try milliput

polyfilla, the powdered kind, not premixed. Think you might call it spakle over there?

Make it up with white glue rather than water if you need extra strength but normal filla should be fine once its covered in sand


*edit* id get a finer grade of sand and mix it 50/50 with your current sand for a better variation in texture too.

Apoxie Sculpt. Cheaper than Green Stuff and still able to hold some degree of detail. If you just want to build up hills and such, use plumber's putty from the hardware store

RanTheCid wrote:Apoxie Sculpt. Cheaper than Green Stuff and still able to hold some degree of detail. If you just want to build up hills and such, use plumber's putty from the hardware store

I've heard of "Plumber's Putty" - is it the grey stuff that you don't have to blend two separate parts together?

Look for the 2 part epoxy. Its like green stuff, just with a huge grain and a bad smell. Use it to rough out the large areas, then detail with green stuff the next day.

MiniWarGaming has Greenstuff on a roll on sale for 60% off today. http://store.miniwargaming.com/product/warhammer-green-stuff-modelling-putty-roll.html

They also have Brown Stuff and other quantities of Green Stuff for far less money than GW. http://store.miniwargaming.com/category/modeling-putty/

StoneRaizer wrote:MiniWarGaming has Greenstuff on a roll on sale for 60% off today. http://store.miniwargaming.com/product/warhammer-green-stuff-modelling-putty-roll.html

They also have Brown Stuff and other quantities of Green Stuff for far less money than GW. http://store.miniwargaming.com/category/modeling-putty/

Thanks for the tip! I usually try to avoid the rolls, since the parts of green and blue stuff that are touching are already partially cured, and therefore useless. But at 60% off, it still might be worth it...

I've personally used the stuff on the roll, purchased from MWG and haven't had any problems with it. That 60% off sale is today only.

Has anyone ever used "ProCreate Epoxy Sculpting Putty:

http://www.thewarstore.com/product42202.html#42202

Seems like some good stuff, but I've never used it. Anyone?

Thanks again to everyone for the helpful advice and suggestions!

-C6

I use Por15 for push molds and sculpts; it's a two part epoxy putty that cures within a couple of hours and ounce for ounce is about 30% cheaper than GS. I get it here locally for about $22 per pound and it holds detail really well.

http://www.por15.com/EPOXY-PUTTY/productinfo/PU/

You use it exactly the same way as GS, with wet fingers and tools.

catharsix wrote:Has anyone ever used "ProCreate Epoxy Sculpting Putty:

http://www.thewarstore.com/product42202.html#42202

-C6

Gray Stuff

I like it better than Green Stuff, stays in position better and holds a sharper edge.

You are paying $4.39 per ounce for ProCreate from the war store; $2.24 per ounce if you were to buy GS from the %60 off miniwargaming special; but you can get Por15 for around $1.43 per ounce. These price comparisons do not take into account shipping.

Thanks AK-Satchel for the price comparison. I often go Warstore even if it's more expensive, because I like their customer service, and have dealt with them so much in the past. From what I've read about ProCreate, I think that might be a nice alternative to GS for fine sculpting, rather than the "filler" that I originally asked about. But I'm curious about it too, though still looking for a "filler" type putty that's cheaper than GS.

And @RanTheCid, I don't *think* that the "ProCreate Epoxy Sculpting Putty" is the exact same thing as "greystuff." I've used greystuff (from Gale Force 9, I think?) and it seems like these are two different (if very similar) products.

Can anyone clarify?

I use the afore-mentioned plumbers putty by loctite that comes in a tube about the same size of a single part of the GF9 GS for like $3, it's great for mold-making as well as terrain & such. It has a faster cure rate than GS & dries alot harder, plus it wreaks & is a little messier than GS.

Red_Starrise wrote:I use the afore-mentioned plumbers putty by loctite that comes in a tube about the same size of a single part of the GF9 GS for like $3, it's great for mold-making as well as terrain & such. It has a faster cure rate than GS & dries alot harder, plus it wreaks & is a little messier than GS.

"wreaks"? I'm sorry but I don't understand...

catharsix wrote:

Red_Starrise wrote:I use the afore-mentioned plumbers putty by loctite that comes in a tube about the same size of a single part of the GF9 GS for like $3, it's great for mold-making as well as terrain & such. It has a faster cure rate than GS & dries alot harder, plus it wreaks & is a little messier than GS.

"wreaks"? I'm sorry but I don't understand...

Smells bad, stinks. Especially when it starts to cure.

http://www.allartsupplies.com/item.php?articleId=567

Sculptamold. Cheap as hell, and should produce some good results. You just mix it with water, and it molds like clay. Takes a while to dry out, but is pretty hard when it does. I use the stuff for molding terrain in model railroading... its pretty handy.

Its kinda like plaster of Paris, but thickened with fiber.

Aves Fixit sculpt or Apoxie sculpt are excellent alternatives to GreenStuff. Especially for Scenery and basing.

http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&product_id=75&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=4

Aves apoxie sculpt is great for basing. Pricewise is a lot cheaper then greenstuff. However keep in mind that it's not the same as greenstuff. Apoxie cures a lo harder then greenstuff. It's a pain to sand. Apoxie dries rock hard.

No its definitely not greenstuff-like in its properties, it behaves more like a modeling clay than the odd bubblegum feel of greenstuff. When water is applied to it, it kind of dissolves which is cool if you need to create an epoxy paste for gap filling. You can still do some amazing things with it and the price point cant be beat. It does dry rock hard and if your sculpting rocks and terrain or base features this is a plus for creating sharp edges and mechanical shapes. Most people dont realize that you can mix different epoxy putties with greenstuff to alter the properties of the putty. I've mixed Greenstuff and Apoxie together and it works.

another option for basing is the 5 minute epoxy putty you can get at DYI stores. It stinks to high hell but it also dries very hard and takes the edge of a knife well. with practice you can create some interesting base details within the 5 minutes it takes to set. I use it as an armature for my greenstuff.

If only for the usage of making alternating height on the ground on the base, I would suggest mixing pva glue, toilet paper and water... Works really well, is fairly cheap and pretty easy to use... I have made a lot of terrain using this mix, and it can do miracles!
But for other detailing than rough concrete walls, rocky ground (if not sanding it, then you get a cool effect) or mountains... It's kind of hard to explain, but you can either use it as a cheap filler, or make varying Grund... And it has potential, but you can't make the very fine details...

papier mache! old school, but it works. Another similar trick. crepe bandage, cut into strips, soak in pva, then mould the sodden mess onto your terrain, base or whatever. gives an interesting texture, cheap as chips too.

Another suggestion - if you want something with a random effect - Elmer's makes a glue called Ultimate that expands as it dries. It will rise randomly - I'll find one of the ones I did and shoot a couple of quick shots of it and throw em up here if you like.

IMO if you're just needing a cheap material to create terrain to cover up and paint, I recommend spackle. Cheap as hell for a container that will last a long time, dries fast and accepts glued on sand readily.

Green stuff would seem like a waste for this purpose. Not sure about epoxy etc.

I've used spackle on a lot of my dioramas and it works great for that.

Spackle will work, then cover it with a layer of plaster (or plumber's putty) for a good protective shell. I find spackle to be a bit brittle and weak.

I've used plumber's putty as well, but I chose the "Plastic Putty" variant, because most of what I'm working with tends to be plastic. I also chose the 20 min. Cure time, but I've seen as low as 5 min. (if you're in a hurry).

Plastic putty is NOT good for holding very much detail. Did a few press molds with it for giggles, and I'll use the results only until I've gotten my hands on better alternatives (i'm outa GS).